Maria is incomparable

Lasitzkene made the impossible, taking her first Olympic gold

It was impossible to tear his eyes off this fantastic denouement in the high -jumping sector, it is impossible. When the camera was distracted by something else, I wanted to quickly return it to where the most dramatic action took place-I think not only at the athletic tournament, but also the entire ended Olympics. I talk about this, referring primarily to the story of Maria Lasitzkene, an outstanding Russian jump, which was supposed to go into the sector as a slaughter.

The point is not that before that all Russian athletes failed , except for the Shestovichi Angelica Sidorova, who heroically took silver. It was not that they, allowed to the games, were only ten, and most could not withstand double pressure. And not even that Maria Lasitzkene had the worst season over the past seven years.

She, like no one, was worthy of this gold. And by the fact that she won three world championships in a row, that no one succeeded.

She still won two winter world championships. Since 2014, it has not inferior to anyone, having prevailed in 45 (!) Tournaments. But she was deprived of the Olympics in Rio-2016 for the company, and in relation to Lasitzkene, like several other athletes, it was a terrible, and almost irreparable injustice. To the honor of Masha, she directed her anger not against the villains from the International athletics Federation, was not exchanged to combat windmills - she forced our sports officials to move , she was fighting for them to really save our athletics, which had lowered lower and lower, and, it seemed that it became no one needed.

It was she who was the first to raise the noise, directly accusing the previous leadership of WFLL not just in inaction, but almost in criminal inaction. It was she who took a blow when she began to accuse her of working exclusively for herself, for her own benefit, and that her business is to jump, and not to write open letters. It was she who knew all the ins and outs of divisions, who almost led the “King of Sports” in Russia to the final collapse, and did not become silent.

It was a real, open and honest struggle for pure Russian sport and pure athletes. This was badly bad by all signs, primarily for her career. Few people can withstand all this horror, because for her, the stars of world athletics, international instances made no exception. She was fought for sins, to which she had nothing to do, and against which she fought even more fiercely than in the sector.

She, too, did not know whether they would allow her to the Olympics. She, too, did not receive neutral status for a long time, which did not allow her to live in the usual competitive rhythm. She had been forced to live in recent years, checking with the demands of Wada, because doping officers had to know about her every step. She spent strictly all the requirements for her seemingly absurd.

She suffered her first Olympiad - but was no longer the first number and the main contender.

Because it is incredibly tired. Because in November I received a serious thigh injury. Because younger rivals pulled up, whose strength and nerves were not as wasted as her. Because for two meters she jumped only on the eve of the Olympics. I did not understand at all that Maria Lasitzkene, who was on the physical and emotional decline, could contrast not only the Ukrainian women of Yaroslav Mighty and Irina Gerashchenko, Australian Nicolas McDermott, but also a good ten rivals.

And after all, it all began - that in qualifications, that on the day of the final, that is, on Saturday. She fulfilled the standard on the third attempt when the main rivals were qualified quite easily. In the final ...

The finale could end ahead of schedule. It didn’t get along again. At an altitude of 1.96, which eight rivals have already overcome, she had one attempt. When the camera took her face close -up before the second attempt, it seemed to me that there were already tears in her eyes. Before the third, she walked around the sector for a long time, while the judges were painted height, and then everyone waited until the anthem was heard at the award, and before the break, she, as always, abruptly leaned back, like a bow of a stretched bow, and took it. And, as it seemed, freed from some cargo. And exhaled.

It was a turning point. She took 1.98 and 2.00 Lasitzkene from the second attempts, but it was already the former Masha, whom the rivals looked apprehensively at. There were four of them. 2.02 and 2.04 Lasitskene took from the first attempt as a true and invincible champion. McDermatot stopped two centimeters below, the 19-year-old powerful remained the third. By stress, and the result, it was, in my opinion, the peak episode of not only athletics tournament, but the entire Olympiad.

She seems to have burst into tears. Maybe it only seemed to me. I would call Maria Lasitzkene a heroine, even if the medal she won was not golden. Even if she had left without a medal at all.

But she also became the best. At the Olympics. Contrary to everything. And just do not scream that she proved something there to the international “inquisitors” who did not forgive the 2016 games for the game. This, first of all, did not forgive our businessmen from sports.

And she did not prove anything, but simply took her height. Unattainable.