Pavel Poliakov, a Russian diver from Nevskaya Volna
Club in the 35-39 age group, happened to show the best results during the last
three days of the diving competition. The
3m springboard event turned out to be the most successful one for Pavel
Poliakov, who earned 393.30 points leaving his opponents behind with a 40-point
advantage.
- Will
you speak about your sporting career, please?
- I
work as a diving coach for both children and Masters athletes. I’ve been into
diving since I was six, my mum and I liked this sport very much. Apart from
Masters tournaments, I’ve taken part in municipal, Russian and international
championships. After all, the most cherished gold medal for me is the one I
grabbed in the Belarus Spartakiad. I also remember the Armed Forces
championships quite vividly. Back then I secured a silver medal without any
preparation. As for the Masters Championships, it’s my third tournament.
The first one was in Gothenburg 2010, the second one in Riccione 2012. I am the
Absolute World Champion of all the Championships I have competed at.
- Are
you fine to dive from a springboard as well as from a platform?
-
Absolutely. I am used to diving from any height.
- Can
we see you compete in the synchronised diving event?
- I
just need to find a good partner among men. If I go to the Budapest
Championships, I will compete in the mixed diving event together with Anna
Ermoshina. We even wanted to perform here.
- Why
is the Russian national team winning the diving events?
-
Maybe, when Chinese athletes apply for Masters Championships, the situation
will change. The Russian diving school is genuinely strong, that’s why our
country is superior in this event.
- Can
you name your challengers at the Championships?
-
International Master of Sport, Eduard Feoktistov, was my challenger. When we
were young, he used to defeat me in every Russian tournament. Now I turned the
tables on him (smiles).
- How
do you like your performance?
- It
was awful. I confused one dive in the entry list. I was supposed to execute
back 2 ½ somersaults with 0.5 twist, but I had to execute the dive I hadn’t
performed for 20 years. But luckily I nailed forward 2½ somersaults with 1
twist pike. It was quite a show.
- What
is the highest degree of difficulty you can tackle?
- 3.3.
I do not perform new dives, mainly, those I have performed when I was young.
- What
is your family’s attitude to your hobby?
-
Positive. They support me. It’s a pity my wife could not make it here. We had
planned to come together, but unexpectedly my son got sick, so I had to buy air
tickets. I wanted to stay at home, but my wife insisted on my trip. I arranged
Skype connection for them to watch the competitions online.
- What
advice can you give to youngsters?
- This
is a good sport. It builds coordination, stamina, willpower. It is a sport for
the strong and brave. And it is beautiful, too. The more people do it, the
better.
- Will
you go diving at 70?
- No
doubt about that!
Press
Office for Organising Committee of 16th FINA World Championships
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