Sports walking in Mordovia is more than just sport. This is practically religion. I talked with Sergey Bakulin, the world champion in TEGU at a distance of 50 km, and the silver medalist of the same tournament in 20 km walking Vladimir Kanaykin.

Bakulin and Kanaykin: We are waiting for the expansion of the Olympic training center

Sports walking in Mordovia is more than just sport. This is practically religion. I talked with Sergey Bakulin, the world champion in TEGU at a distance of 50 km, and the silver medalist of the same tournament in 20 km walking Vladimir Kanaykin.

Sports walking in Mordovia is more than just sport. This is practically religion. I was convinced of this, having been in Saransk at the forum Russia – Sports Power. To see how to his heroes in the person of Olga Kaniskina, Valery Borchin, Sergey Bakulin and other walkers, the thousands of many thousands applaud standing standing – this is an unforgettable sight.

Having seized the free minute in their tense schedule, I talked with Sergey Bakulin, the world champion in TEGU at a distance of 50 km, and the silver medalist of the same tournament in 20 km walking Vladimir Kanaykin.

– Saransk for the first time accepts such a large -scale action as the forum. How important, in your opinion, are such events important?
Sergey Bakulin: It seems to me that the forum is a very important sporting event in the life of the country. We have already visited several events, and a lot of interesting issues devoted to the development and popularization of sports were raised on each of them. In my opinion, you need to speak as much and more often on these topics. People should exchange experience, gain new knowledge, and the forum gave them such an opportunity.

– I was in Saransk for the first time, and a large -scale construction site going in the city immediately caught my eye. Moreover, a lot of sports facilities are being built.

SB: Yes, the whole main construction is located in the center of Saransk, and there are practically no large objects on the outskirts of large objects. But on the other hand, we have FOKI in each area, and, in principle, there are enough of them.

– At the World Cup in Tag, the sports walking team performed amazingly – three out of three gold. And what for many was a pleasant surprise, the winners did not receive a single card from the judges. What is the reason for their favor?

SB: I think the fact is that the technique of Chegin was finally recognized all over the world. So in the absence of cards, it is Viktor Mikhailovich who is “to blame”, and not we, athletes.

Vladimir Kanaykin: He works so much with us all the elements of walking that the judges do not have any questions.

– The marathon is always given to athletes very difficult, but in Taga, Sergey, it was so bad that it even became scary for your health.

SB: So hard after the finish, I had never been to me. It seems that at first I felt good, and then all my muscles brought me. I could not even stand.

– Maybe the reason for your poor health is in difficult climatic conditions? Many athletes do not like Asian tournaments because of the heat and high humidity.

SB and VK: The conditions were more or less tolerant. Especially compared to the 2007 Osaka World Cup. I remember Japan in general with a shudder, it was almost impossible to speak there.

– Were there any problems with acclimatization in South Korea?

VK: No, we were not acclimatized at all. We arrived three days before the race, performed and left.

– Mordovia is a leading region for the construction of new sports facilities within the framework of the Federal Target Program Development of Physical Culture and Sports in the Russian Federation for 2006-2015. Are you satisfied with the conditions created for preparation, or is there something else not enough?

SB and VK: We will not wait until we build the second and third steps of the center of Olympic training. Then we will have our own pool – now we are going to swim to the other end of the city. We will also have our own 400-meter arena. The fact is that we all do not fit into our current center. We are now engaged in so many athletes that everyone simply does not have enough space. Moreover, athletes are not lower than the level of the CCM (candidate for master of sports). When we expand, competition will become even higher, and, consequently, the level of results.