“We got nervous in the opening set”

Russian beachgoer Konstantin Semenov on the reason for his defeat in the 1/8 finals

Alexander Aksenov (London) close 100%

Russian beachgoer Konstantin Semenov spoke about the reasons for the defeat in the 1/8 finals match against the American pair. According to him, in the first set he and his partner got nervous.

Even before leaving for London, Russian beach duos achieved a historic achievement - for the first time in history they were preparing to play in the main tournament of the four-year anniversary with three teams. As a result, all three duets made it through the group stage of the Olympic beach volleyball tournament in London 2012, simultaneously losing at the 1/8 final stage. At the end of the confrontation with the Americans Gibb and Rosenthal, the captain of our men’s duet, Konstantin Semyonov, shared his impressions of the performance at the Olympic Games.

- What was missing in one eighth?
- Something was missing. We played to the limit of our capabilities. The first game turned out to be very nervous. It seemed like we were getting ready, we had enough emotions and strength. Maybe they even went overboard in this regard. In general, we were nervous in the opening set. In the second game we adjusted the game and began to slowly seize the initiative. They missed the ending. Maybe it was influenced by the fact that not so long ago we performed together with Sergei Prokopyev .

There might not be enough time. We must better understand what is more convenient for our partner.

— Have you crossed paths with Gibb and Rosenthal this season?
— We actually crossed paths, but we played in different combinations. I performed together with Yaroslav Koshkarev, and Sergei with Yuri Bogatov . The Americans are good this year, they came here fourth in the rankings. And they were clearly ahead of everyone this year. We won at many stages. Now they are favorites at the Olympics. It gets better from game to game. They show a good game.

— Did you expect that all the matches of the London tournament would be held in such a chic atmosphere?
— If we talk about today’s match, at first the public supported the USA. Then we started gaining points, and it felt like they were starting to worry about us. It's great to play in front of full stands in the evening. Words cannot describe it. It's a pity that the tournament is over for us.

They set a slightly different task, they wanted to compete for medals.

Did not work out. I want to express my gratitude to all those who supported us. We were very worried at home.

— You argued a lot with the judges. I think they just didn't notice it.
— It’s ugly when judges make decisions in favor of one team. Maybe, of course, they made a couple of mistakes, but it’s not a fact that this could affect the result today. In the first game the lead was large. In the second set the refereeing was even.

— It's cool in London in the evening. How did you play in such weather conditions?
— It’s very hot on the site, even stuffy. And even in such an atmosphere. We went out and it was no longer cold. You don’t feel the temperature at all, because in the heat of emotion you simply don’t notice it. It’s good to play in the evening, it’s cool, the sun doesn’t press on you. Plus, it’s not so windy here in the evenings, that’s also a plus.

— The athletes were practically not bothered by the rain. Did you expect it?
— Yes, we thought there would be more precipitation. We trained here with the British, who said that we had to play in the rain and even in the snow. During the Olympic Games the weather was ideal.

— Were you surprised by the fact that Rogers and Dalhausser, the reigning Olympic champions, lost to the Italians Nicolai and Lupo in the first round of the playoffs?
— Of course, there was surprise, but it was not a sensation. They have already played each other this season, and the Italians won. Nikolai and Lupo played more reliably and showed better volleyball.

— Are the Brazilians Emanuel and Alison the main favorites of the Olympics?
— To be honest, Gibb and Rosenthal are in good shape and are showing results. They will give the Brazilians competition.

— Summarize the overall performance of Russian beach couples in London.
— Indeed, only a couple of months ago it became clear that we would play three duets in London. As a result, they left the group. I wanted more, especially since they added more from game to game. Words cannot express the emotions. Upset.

You can find other materials, news and statistics on the 2012 Olympics page .

“We got nervous in the opening set” - Gazeta.Ru