Four-time Olympic champion, world record holder,
President of the Russian Swimming Federation (RSF), Vladimir Salnikov, shared
his impressions of the FINA World Championships and explained why he does not
take part in the Masters competitions.
–
Please tell us about your role as a Kazan 2015 Ambassador.
– I
take part in different meetings with young athletes, fans and Masters athletes.
Obviously, the Championships drew quite a limelight. Most importantly, a lot of
people now want to start swimming. I think the Championships changed most
people’s vision of Russia, Kazan and the atmosphere reigning here is something
unbelievable because the audience here is very welcoming and supports not only
Team Russia, but also those who achieved high results and showed high-quality
performance. Sometimes not a winner, but a person who showed his/her character
by competing hard but losing in the end is considered to be the best athlete.
Once we
had a meeting with a Masters athlete. He admitted that he has been collecting
newspaper clippings of my sports career, dreamed of attending the World
Championships and was lucky enough to have been presented with tickets to all
the competitions by FINA. Such meetings are always touching.
It was
a fantastic delivery of the 16th FINA World Championships in Kazan. It is an
opinion of hundreds of thousands of visitors. And I hope that as a result
thousands of kids and teenagers will take up swimming and as a consequence we
will see talented home-grown swimmers on the podium.
– What
was the most remarkable thing about the Russian national team’s performance at
the World Championships?
– New
world junior records have been set. Our team is quite well-knit now. There is
not enough space on the podium for everyone but we still won some medals so
it’s a good sign. It’s been great experience for young athletes; I guess at the
Olympic Games they are surely to show their best.
– The 16th
FINA World Championships have come to an end whereas the Masters tournament has
just kicked off. What about you? Why don’t you take part in it?
– I
thought about participating and really was about to. In two days the World Cup
will be held in Moscow, and the Russian national team’s athletes who
participated here at the Kazan Arena Stadium will compete there and I cannot
leave my team alone. I believe that participation in the Masters tournament
will be one of my future goals that I hope to accomplish.
– In
your opinion, what were the 16th FINA World Championships best remembered for?
– It
was full of the brightest and positive emotions; Kazan seemed to be immersed
into this warm and welcoming atmosphere. Once a coach from Switzerland, my very
good friend, said: “I will dedicate the next twenty years of my life to telling
everyone what nice, friendly and polite people live in Kazan!” The
Championships are not only about medals, world records or time. The idea itself
is deeper and more serious. First of all the Championships unite a vast
majority of people who put a lot of effort in their work and prove that sport
blurs all boundaries. Fans are simply great; they deserve nothing but
respect. I’d like to thank them for the care and support they gave to me. I’ve
never considered myself a celebrity but I was really surprised when people
asked me to give an autograph to them and to have a picture taken with me. I
was really pleased as it was some kind of tribute to my career. It brings me
joy to think that people remember the days when we were winning medals.
Press
Office of Organising Committee for 16th FINA World Championships
Foto R-Sport
/ MIA Rossiya Segodnya
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