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Aleksander KlokovTrainer
Country:
 Russia |
Content:
- Alexander Klokov: An Evaluation of Russia's Swimming Performance
- Pre-Competition Expectations
- Potential Victory Contenders
- Staysa Komarova's Situation
- External Criticism
- Normative Standards and Travel Expenses
- Speculation over Dismissal
Alexander Klokov: An Evaluation of Russia's Swimming Performance
Overview of Performance"I may surprise some, but I believe our performance in Montreal was good. 70% of our swimmers improved their personal bests. At the Olympics, we had 7 final swims, here we had 20. In Athens, we set one national record, here we set six plus a European record. Of course, we would have liked more medals, but we're still not at the level of Australia and the USA."
Pre-Competition Expectations
"Before we left, the federation leadership promised we would win at least two gold medals... But as you know, these plans are made based on guesswork. They demand certain numbers from coaches, and then we end up being blamed. You can't imagine what I've been hearing for the past two days since we returned. Although, deep down, I was also hoping for two golds."
Potential Victory Contenders
"We had hopes for Dmitry Komornikov in the breaststroke and Nikolai Skvortsov in the butterfly. But they both have the same problem - they're not fighters. At national championships and commercial events, they show fast times, but as soon as they get to major competitions, they fall apart. I also expected Staysa Komarova and Yura Prilukov to do well, and the latter justified my expectations."
Staysa Komarova's Situation
"Komarova hasn't trained properly all year, changing coaches like gloves. Can the federation not talk some sense into her?"
"Stanislava has the right to choose her coach. What's more, things are not quite as she presents them. Komarova says she fired several coaches, but actually, they didn't want to work with her due to her difficult character."
External Criticism
"Some are accusing me of making methodological mistakes. Do you accept any blame?"
"The only thing I would have done differently is to hold the Russian championship a week closer to the world championships. But that was done on purpose, otherwise the athletes wouldn't have had enough time to get their visas."
Normative Standards and Travel Expenses
"Some are saying we should tighten the standards and not take so many tourists abroad?"
"The same thing is being said to me now by RosSport. We could certainly take three swimmers and win two medals. But then the rest of the guys would lose motivation, and swimming in Russia would die."
Speculation over Dismissal
"Do you fear dismissal?""I have a one-year contract. What happens next, I don't know, maybe I'll be fired. But you know, I've worked abroad for 15 years - there's a whole queue of people wanting me now."
