Run beyond the horizon

The coach of the youth national team of Russia Viktor Shpak - about why you can’t be satisfied with momentary results, our stars against the backdrop of world achievements and unjustified advances

The final competitions of the 5th Summer Spartakiad of Russian students have come to an end. In the final days, athletes from all regions of the Federation participated in baseball tournaments in Krymsk, water polo in Tuapse, table tennis in Krasnodar, basketball in Salsk, and golf in Starocherkassk.

The resort Sochi hosted the "queen of sports" - track and field athletics competitions. Local residents and guests of the Black Sea coast, tired of the annoying "pop stars" and other masters of the colloquial genre, enthusiastically came to watch the final tournaments of the Spartakiad in the "crowned" sports. They were not disappointed in their choice. Since the competitors for a while somehow forgot about one of the main Olympic slogans - the main thing is not victory, but participation. Either youthful enthusiasm, or the all-Russian status of the competition, but most likely, both of them were obliged only to win. Those who doubted the significance of the largest youth competitions had only to look at the youngest runner, who simply burst into tears from disappointment, finding herself in sixth place after a three-kilometer run.

So even without a detailed analysis, counting all the points and awards of the winners, it is clear that our sport is growing a worthy generation of athletes striving for high achievements. The words of the chief referee of athletics competitions Mark Khavzhu: “The current competitions of the Spartakiad serve as a support for adult competitions. The guys competed here, who in three or four years will defend the honor of our Motherland in international competitions, ”is a weighty confirmation of this.

Who will be emphasized in the future starts of the planet and what needs to be done to make youthful dreams come true, Viktor Shpak, head coach of the Russian youth team, told Novaya Gazeta:

- The last three years can be called a very difficult time for all youth sports. The demographic situation that has developed in Russia could not but affect our reserve. Unfortunately, the choice of talented young athletes is very small. We have just begun to climb out of this hole and today we are on the way of becoming mass, and it is too early to talk about broad mastery. Yes, we won last year's Youth Olympics in Singapore. Yes, these ten talented athletes represented the Motherland with honor. Yes, today nine of them are medalists of the European Junior Championships, and two are already in the cage of the main national team preparing for London 2012. But athletics is forty disciplines, and we would like the percentage of young people in them to reach sixty or seventy.

— What, in your opinion, should be done first of all to achieve this goal?

I am used to demanding the best from those around me. And I am very sorry for the young coaches who are satisfied with today's achievements, although they are at the level of the second world ten. If in Europe we can show good results, then this is not enough for world competitions. So the main task is to change the mentality of coaches so that they are constantly dissatisfied with their work. Then there will be ambitions and struggle for results. You can not allow thoughts of momentary achievements. Athletes should grow naturally with the coach. To the top of their career, they must go gradually and always strive for more.

- And if we touch directly on the athletes, what prevents them from reaching world peaks today?

- A very delicate moment - the fragile psychology of our youth. When young athletes achieve their first significant victories, many have the so-called star disease. For six months or a year they are the best among their peers, they are stroked on the head, they are given a lot of advances. But in adult sports, they have not yet achieved anything, and inevitably there comes a time of disappointment, when most of them lose heart and no longer rise.

- And what results can we expect in the future?

“We must be aware that today we are not capable of fighting the Americans. And in my opinion, not a single power can resist the Kenyans. The representative of this country at the Youth World Championship showed a result that surpasses many adult indicators. This discourages any desire to develop running disciplines, since such results are unattainable, it is a waste of effort, time and money.

Unfortunately, talented sprinters are not born in our country. The stars that appeared - Denis Krylov, Nikita Uglov - units. We do not have the mass character that is in other countries. But we are strong in technical and jumping events, in throwing. And not only talented athletes, but also the theoretical base, research, scientists. These species are our future.