GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING
The Olympic champion of Athens 2004 in the category up to 84 kg intends to win the Games in London, and in the future - to become a sports functionary
He is one of those who does his work efficiently and conscientiously. Mishin is the oldest in today's team, but it would be hard to call him a veteran. The era of Alexei scooped up the nineties and flowed into the tenths. And it would be good if it continued as long as possible. After all, Mishin is the current symbol of Greco-Roman wrestling.
- Alexey, after twelve years in the national team, can anything still surprise you?
Time flies, and I’ve been in the national team for not twelve, but fifteen years! (Laughs.) So it’s hardly possible to surprise me. True, I like to prepare for tournaments at home. I know perfectly well how and what to work on, when to rest, and when to explode. If I work in familiar conditions, the result, as a rule, comes.
- Loss of speed in older athletes is inevitable. Have you already felt the weight of the years?
When young people really push, it can have an impact. But there is another long-established concept: you can’t drink skill away. Professionalism lies in catching a young athlete making a mistake at the right moment - and performing your technique. Although I don’t consider myself quite an adult. No, I’m still the same young, hungry for victory and angry. The most important thing is inner desire. When a person doesn’t want anything, they force him, but he can’t do it anymore - then all hell breaks loose. Then we have to leave. Without desire, nowhere.
-Where do you get your motivation?
I'm greedy for medals. I don’t like to avoid difficulties; I’m always ready to get into the thick of things. You know, they often say to me: “Alexey, you’ve won so much! Why don’t you quit the race?” And I want more! In January I became a five-time champion of the Poddubny tournament, and now I intend to win the European Championship. Do you know what guys usually say after finishing their career?
- What?
- “Oh, how much I could have achieved if I had done everything correctly...” And I want to sit down and say: “I did everything I could, I couldn’t do more.”
- Why did you miss last year’s European and World Championships?
At the beginning of last year I experienced some health problems. And the head coach of the national team, Gogi Koguashvili, allowed me to skip the September World Championships, gave me a rest before the intense Olympic season, and at the same time tested the work of another athlete (Alan Khugaeva. - Note BEFORE.). Well, I started this year with new strength. I feel good.
- Did you experience any problems at Poddubny’s tournament?
Absolutely none. There were no complications during the competition; all my competitors from the national team who came into my bracket won without much effort. I don’t know if I was that good, or if they weren’t one hundred percent ready.
Are there many differences between Alexei Mishin, who declared himself a victory at the European Championships and silver at the World Championships in 2001, and the current one?
At that time I was young and not entirely experienced. I climbed everywhere. Whether I needed a barbell or not, I still pulled it. And today, when preparing for competitions, I do only what is really necessary. I put everything else aside.
- What were the conditions of preparation then and today - heaven and earth?
Certainly! In Saransk, a sports school was named in my honor; we have one of the best gyms in the country. Three carpets, two physical training rooms, a boarding school, even a sauna. And at that time the halls were just closing, we were training after some exhibitions. However, we were also happy with what we had. By the way, all the weightlifters in the city know me.
- Why?
We wrestlers did not have our own gym, and to add physical strength, I went to theirs. How lucky are today's youth! They can train in excellent conditions and live here in the boarding school. We did not have such an opportunity, and since I was not local, from Ruzaevka, I lived with the deaf and dumb. What to do - at least they built it there. It took forty minutes to get to the hall.
- If we had given you the current conditions in the late nineties, would they have revealed themselves even earlier?
Sometimes I think so. I don’t rule out that I could get to Sydney. But that's how it happened. When I became champion in 2001, to be honest, I received pennies. At times there was nothing to eat. And one day the coach brought me a box of condensed milk and a box of cookies - so that I wouldn’t die of hunger. It happened that I ate half-raw meat because I was tired of waiting. It couldn’t continue like this, and I decided to turn to the head of the republic, Nikolai Ivanovich Merkushkin. So he said: I don’t need anything more for food. Merkushkin gave me a scholarship, for which I thank him very much.
- Three years later you became an Olympic champion...
- ...And thanks to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, we, the winners of the Games, have lifelong scholarships and grandees. We started to rise from our knees. Not to mention that all conditions were created for me in the republic. The government has taken up sports, everyone sees the work of the ministry. Nowadays, every athlete - not just a wrestler - understands that for his efforts he will receive a well-deserved piece of bread. Therefore, the guys are eager to fight, they know that the country will not forget them.
- Have you fought for an idea before?
You can say that. Of course, there were incentives even then, but they were very small. What can you do, it was hard for the whole country. The apple tree will not grow on its own; it needs to be looked after, only then will it bear fruit. An abandoned tree does not bear fruit. And before they demanded results without doing anything for it.
- It is believed that big money often spoils young people...
Naturally. Much, if not all, depends on coaching education. As for me, I have never had the habit of spending money. Except that lately I’ve started to indulge myself a little. I know very well how hard it all comes. My brother and I were raised by our mother. When she gave money for the trip, I understood that she was giving away her last. Wrestling is a tough thing. Today you can be on a horse, and tomorrow you can be under a horse. It broke a little during training - and that’s it, practically no one needs it. Therefore, we need to create the foundation of our future life. The one that starts after sports.
- Do you understand today’s wrestling youth?
Recently we met with Murat Kardanov, with whom we disputed a ticket to Sydney in 2000 (those Games ended in his triumph. - Note BEFORE.). So he says: “How evil you were! I was afraid to look at you.” And today’s young people, there is a feeling, are just standing there and waiting for us to leave. They themselves do not take what needs to be taken. And I was sportingly arrogant - and didn’t wait for anyone, climbed forward, made my way.
The high status of an honorary citizen of Mordovia, like you, is given to the former world champion in professional heavyweight boxing Oleg Maskaev. What kind of person is he?
We rarely communicate, because I’m always at training camps. They crossed paths, for example, when he fought in Saransk with some American (we are talking about a fight against Rich Boruff, which took place in March 2009 and ended with Maskaev’s victory by knockout in the first round. - Note BEFORE.). Oleg flies to the republic for special events, and we see each other there too. He is an open and quite simple person without any air of stardom. Maskaev also reached the top through hard work and sweat. It’s not difficult for us, two martial artists, to understand each other.
- How many times have the rules of Greco-Roman wrestling changed in your memory?
Can you really count it? I only remember that during the season after the Games in Athens they changed three times. At the Russian Championships I fought according to one set of rules, a month and a half later at the European Championships - according to others, and then, at the World Championships - according to third ones! (Laughs.) It’s hard to get used to, no matter what. Many talented wrestlers have suffered due to these constant changes. In such conditions, an athlete of a lower rank than you, with the help of judges, can become an Olympic champion, as happened with the Italian Andrea Minguzzi in Beijing. The man did not perform a single move during the entire Olympics, but they took him and pulled him by the ears (Minguzzi’s semi-final fight with Ara Abrahamyan, who was fighting for Sweden, was marked by a loud scandal. According to the overwhelming majority of experts and wrestlers, including Mishin, Abrahamyan was mercilessly condemned. The Swedish-Armenian eventually won bronze, but refused the medal at the awards ceremony and was disqualified. Note BEFORE.). During the time of San Sanych Karelin, they fought for five minutes. They shook hands - and who won whom. In Beijing, a round was a minute. What can you do in a stand-up position in such a short period of time? Well, at least now we’ve done it for a minute and a half, that’s more or less acceptable. I was sued at two world championships. In the final fight of Budapest 2005, Alim Selimov from Belarus threw and threw, and the victory was ultimately given to him. I didn’t really understand what the judges counted. Do you remember the quarterfinals of Moscow 2010?
- Still would.
What did the judges do then! Throughout the entire fight, the Bulgarian Hristo Marinov was brought to his senses so that he would not fall. This is not good. The new rules have led to the fact that there is a catch waiting around every corner.
- You called this Bulgarian a coward after the fight.
He’s not exactly a coward... We start to fight, he immediately grabs his face - supposedly he broke his nose. Then he grabs his lip. In fact, this was his strategy, he gave himself a thirty-second break. He shirked, shirked, feigned, feigned - and brought the meeting to the end. We are used to a different struggle. When my collarbone slipped slightly to the side, I didn’t ask for help, I understood that any stop was a rest for my opponent. Frankly, I'm still waiting for a rematch. In November, Moscow hosted the European Team Cup. I hoped to meet the Bulgarians in the final, I even worried about them in the confrontation with the Azerbaijanis. And they took it and lost. I was very upset.
- Getting on top of a Bulgarian and proving who is really stronger is a great incentive to continue performing.
Yes. Since childhood, I have kept a notebook where I write down all the opponents I have ever lost to. I always dreamed of taking revenge on everyone. Today the number one target is the Bulgarian Marinov. I'm angry at him.
- The most important moment of your sports life?
The very fact of getting into Greco-Roman wrestling. As a child, in my Ruzaevka, I was involved in several sports at once, and then one day my first coach, Yuri Mikhailovich Kuzin, said: you already decide whether you want to become a football player, a basketball player or a wrestler. I don’t know who I would be now if it weren’t for the struggle.
- You will be thirty-three in February. Are you not afraid of the approaching age of Christ?
I wish they reminded me less about this! (Laughs.) From time to time I hear in training: take care of yourself, rest. In fact, I feel great. I can give shape to any twenty-year-old - both in cross-country and in physics.
-Are you a superstitious person?
- Do you believe that your two Cs will bring good luck in London?
Why not? First, you need to earn a place in the Olympic roster, and then try to do everything possible. It’s possible that this is my last Olympics.
Mikheil Mamiashvili fought almost in your category - up to 82 kilograms. Upon completion of your career, would you like to follow in his footsteps and become a sports official?
I want to head one of the sports organizations in my republic. Who else but an athlete knows all the problems and ways to solve them from the inside! I dream of being useful to Mordovia and the Volga Federal District. I hope my experience will help young people. On December 22, he even defended his PhD thesis on the topic of training young athletes.
- Alan Khugaev, your main competitor for a place in the national team - who is he for you?
There is also Evgeny Bogomolov and other guys. On the carpet, excuse me, it’s every man for himself. And on the street or in a restaurant we laugh and joke. The relationship is normal, competitive. We are not enemies, but competitors.
Dmitry OKUNEV
Alexey Mishin is a legend, the first Olympic champion in the history of Mordovia! The most titled athlete of the republic was a member of the national team for twenty years. Immediately after the Games in Rio, to which he was not allowed, the native of Ruzaevka decided to put an end to his brilliant sports career. “Alexander Karelin wrestled until he was 33, Gogi Koguashvili until he was 35, and I’m already 37. It’s time to finish,” said the magnificent Greco-Roman wrestling master in an exclusive interview with Evgeny Naumov. - So now I’ll think about how to live further. I hope that my native Mordovia will not abandon the Olympic champion and will offer a decent job.”
In general, Alexey Mishin in his favorite weight category up to 85 kg was supposed to compete at five Olympic tournaments in Greco-Roman wrestling. But in 2000, the national team coaches said that he was still too young. In 2004, a native of Mordovia literally clawed out the right to perform in Athens and won a brilliant victory in the capital of Greece! At the 2008 Games he was openly condemned. The judges did everything to ensure that Alexey lost to the future champion, Italian Andrea Minguzzi, in the quarter finals. “I was simply removed,” Mishin told reporters after the Games in Beijing. - I don’t consider Minguzzi to be a fighter. I ran after the Italian for six minutes, who didn’t make a single move! And they made him the winner!” At the very last moment, the national team coaches decided to send Ossetian Alan Khugaev to the 2012 Olympics in London. To justify their controversial decision, the native Ordzhonikidze had to take a gold medal in the capital of Great Britain. In 2016, no one expected that 37-year-old Mishin would qualify for a place on the Olympic team. Experts previously gave preference to the wrestler of Georgian origin Davit Chakvetadze, who is also a relative of the head coach of the national team Goga Koguashvili. But suddenly the so-called meldonium scandal broke out, and many athletes were temporarily suspended from the sport. The team's mentors were forced to turn to Mishin with a request to perform at one of the international tournaments in order to get an Olympic license for Russia in the weight category up to 85 kg. And Alexey coped with the task brilliantly! He won the competition in Serbia, defeating even the 2014 world champion, Frenchman Melone Numonwy.
And then the scandalous Russian Championship happened, in the final of which Mishin and the rehabilitated Chakvetadze met. Alexander Tarakanov’s ward at least did not lose to Davit, but the referees treated the 23-year-old native of Kutaisi very favorably and awarded him the victory. The great Alexander Karelin was one of those who was dissatisfied with this decision, saying that it would be difficult for the national team coaches to identify an athlete who would go to Rio at a weight of up to 85 kg. Then Koguashvili, admitting that the fight was equal, vaguely explained to reporters that the road to Rio was not yet closed for Mishin. But, as subsequent events showed, a place on the Olympic team had already been reserved for Chakvetadze...
“Of course, it’s a shame that they did this to me,” says Alexey. - Therefore, I only followed the Olympic fencing tournament, in which Sophia the Great competed. I couldn’t even watch Greco-Roman wrestling. I had long suspected that the national team’s coaches were biased towards me, but I didn’t expect that they would cut me off so brazenly. Misunderstandings began at last year's Russian Championship, which took place in St. Petersburg. In the finals I had the opportunity to fight with Davit Chakvetadze. The fight was an even fight, but I was given a warning, but he was not, so the opponent won - 1:0. Then Chakvetadze was sent to the licensed world championship in Las Vegas, America. I then told the mentors, look, don’t stumble. In the USA, Chakvetadze “failed”, losing to the Azerbaijani with a score of 0:8. Then there was the Poddubny Memorial. I admit, I lost the case there. I overtrained before the tournament, so I couldn’t demonstrate my best qualities. And then I was removed from the national team list. I then experienced a real shock! For the first time in 20 years, I found myself outside the national team. They just took it and threw it away... I turned to the president of the federation, Mikhail Mamiashvili, for clarification. Mikhail Gerazievich called head coach Gogi Koguashvili and asked him: “For what reason is Mishin not included in the team?” Koguashvili explained that I did not make it into the top five at the Poddubny Memorial. “But in other weights there are people who performed even worse, but they are on the national team,” I answered. To this, Gogi Murmanovich said that he would try to find funds so that I could go to the training camp with the team. “You shouldn’t do this to me. I will prove you wrong,” I told the head coach at the time. In my heart I understood that I was slowly being weeded out, so it was very disgusting.”
“S”: Did you eventually find funds for the trip?
If! Moreover, they set me up again. At first I prepared on my own, and then they began to ask whether I intended to come to the second training camp. Alexander Petrovich Tarakanov (Mishin’s personal mentor - “S”) answered in the affirmative. Then they told him that, they say, let Alexey go at his own expense, and they will help with accommodation. We arrived at the training camp, and it turned out that another athlete was accommodated in my place! Then Alexander Petrovich called the Ministry of Sports of Mordovia, and his native republic found money for the training camp. And soon the meldonium scandal broke out. Many wrestlers were temporarily suspended from the sport, including Chakvetadze. Then the mentors called me and said that they needed me because there was no one to go to the licensed tournament. In Serbia, I dealt with all my competitors and took the missing Olympic license for Russia in the weight category up to 85 kg. I solved the problem with experience, desire and patience. But now I’m thinking, maybe I shouldn’t have done that?! But then I didn’t know that at the Russian Championship in Grozny I would be judged in the most arrogant way. In our final fight with Chakvetadze, they lifted him up and said that I allegedly hooked him with my leg. Complete chaos! The audience then booed the judges. Never in my life in the Caucasus have they cheered for me so much! After this incident, the national team coaches did not conduct any control fights between us. And Chakvetadze flew to the 2016 Games. (In Rio, Davit became an Olympic champion - “C”) In principle, I have no complaints about Chakvetadze. He is an athlete just like me. But the representatives of the national team acted in violation of all the rules of sports ethics.
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April 22, 2016 A 37-year-old student of Alexander Tarakanov obtained a license for the 2016 Games
“S”: What was it like to train at the final pre-Olympic training camp, knowing that your opponent was going to Rio?
Some people said to me: “Why do you need this? Spit on everything and leave! But I worked through everything to the end. Moreover, when I sparred with Chakvetadze, I fought very carefully so as not to injure him before the Games. Many friends called and asked in surprise why I was not on the Olympic list?! They say that I haven’t lost a single fight, but another one is going to the Olympics... I had to get out of it so as not to stir up a scandal and not bring down Davit’s psychological mood. I repeat, the current situation is not his fault. And in Rio de Janeiro he did his job as required. I am sincerely happy about his success. But the Olympics are over. And I have nothing left to hide. Therefore, I honestly talk about the chaos that is happening in the national team. I am the kind of person who is not afraid to tell the truth.
“S”: But you and your wife Sophia the Great could fly to Rio de Janeiro together...
I accompanied Sonya to Sheremetyevo. She tried to support me. She said: “Lesh, don’t worry, maybe these people’s conscience will wake up and you will be returned to the team?” She so wanted us both to return from Rio with medals at the end of our careers. To be honest, I even cried. Then Sonya and I called each other every day. I told her that the Olympics would take place without me, since the national team coaches were avoiding meeting with me in every possible way.
“S”: In Rio the Great worked for both of you, winning two Olympic medals: “silver” in the individual competition and “gold” in the team competition...
Sonya is great! According to her, she could achieve more if I were also in Rio. It was my support that was not enough for her to win the final of the singles competition. But I didn’t intend to fly to Brazil as a tourist.
“S”: And yet, Sophia realized her dream in Rio and became an Olympic champion, even if only in the team event...
Sonya is happy! For example, I myself only realized a few years later that I had become an Olympic champion. It’s important for her not to become a star now. (Laughs - “S”) Otherwise he will lose ground under his feet. I've been through this myself. It's good that my coach was next to me. Alexander Petrovich did not let me relax, he quickly put me in my place. As soon as I began to feel the delights of life, he immediately dragged me to the gym. When athletes start receiving big money and expensive cars, the main thing for them is not to choke with delight. Unfortunately, not everyone can cope with star fever.
“S”: Sophia the Great is unlikely to be in danger of star fever; she has been shining on the international stage for a long time...
But only now has she become an Olympic champion. Therefore, it is important for her not to lose her head and continue to live calmly. You need to communicate with everyone equally, only then will people respect you. Although, of course, it is impossible to please everyone. Let's say you refused to take a photo with drunks in the gateway - that's it! They will say that you are arrogant! And all sorts of rumors will spread. By the way, after Athens I heard everything about myself. And that I was beaten in a restaurant, and that the car was stolen. Although in those days I was not even in Saransk. Our town is small, so gossip spreads quickly. But there is a saying: if they speak, it means they remember, respect and love. (Smiles - “S”)
“S”: While Sophia was fighting for the honor of Russia in Rio with a saber in her hands, you probably had to deal with your son Oleg...
Basically, yes. During training camps in the Moscow region, I tried to visit my son every day. He was so happy! Tired of grandmothers and enjoyed spending time with me. We fought with him and played ball... Even when Sonya returned from Rio de Janeiro, Oleg did not want to let me go. If possible, I want to bring him to Saransk.
“S”: What are your future plans?
If the nearest ones, then in October, together with the Russian team, I will go to the World Armed Forces Championship, which will take place in Macedonia. I’m not going to fight myself, I’ll go as the leader of our team. Soon I will become the head of the CSKA wrestling team. The documents have already been sent to the heads of CSKA for signature, and I am about to be approved for this position.
“S”: Will Mordovian wrestlers perform at the army forum?
Yes. These are Dzhambulat Lokyaev (59 kg), Alexey Kiyankin (66 kg), Evgeniy Saleev (85 kg) and Vasily Parshin (130 kg). In addition, in the category up to 80 kg, Russia will be represented by Dagestani Gadzhimurat Dzhalalov, who is moving to live and train in Saransk.
“S”: Aren’t you going to go on the carpet yourself?
No. Let Evgeniy Saleev compete in the up to 85 kg category in Macedonia.
“S”: So your brilliant career is over?!
I think yes. Although there is an expression: never say never... But I think it’s time to hang up the wrestling shoes. I am already 37 years old, of which 20 I was in the national team. Not a single Mordovian athlete can boast of such an achievement! And in Russia there are only a few such athletes. Can you imagine how much I had to work over the years?! Thanks to my parents who rewarded me with good health.
“S”: Earlier you stated that after finishing your career you would like to live and work in Mordovia...
Working for CSKA is my immediate plan. In general, I would like to benefit Mordovia. I hope that in my native republic I will be offered a decent job. I don't want to live in Moscow.
"S": Why?
I don't like it there. The people there are evil. Always in a hurry to get somewhere. I have friends there, but they are always busy. And those traffic jams! You spend half a day just to go to training. In Saransk, everything is close at hand! You run in, train, and do other things. You walk down the street - there are a lot of acquaintances, you greet everyone and communicate. The mood improves, the soul becomes light. And the air in Mordovia is so wonderful! My son Olezhka saw real snow only in Saransk. And how he ran around the biathlon center! My son even sleeps better in Saransk than in Moscow.
“S”: So your goal is to get a job in the sports field...
Of course. I am a true professional in sports, I know the situation from the inside. Therefore, it would be useful to my native region. And sports in the republic need to be promoted. Yes, we had and still have results in wrestling, weightlifting, and race walking, but we need to improve other sports as well. Attract 13 qualified trainers to the region. World-class complexes have been built in Saransk, but there are no specialists. These problems need to be solved.
“S”: Could you become the head of a non-sports department?
I can’t imagine myself as the Minister of Culture. I'm not creative enough. (Smiles - “S”) I can’t immediately head a financial institution either. Although we wrestlers are chameleons, we adapt to different situations. Throw us out in the desert - and we will survive there. But the priority, of course, remains the sports sector.
“S”: You had a goal to build a house in Saransk. Has it come true?
No. For now, the dream remains a dream. For many years now I have not been able to resolve the issue with the land. Directors quickly find sites, but I can’t. I’m only asking for land, I’ll build a house myself. But no way! The Great One no longer believes that I will get the plot. Like, you told me about the house in Saransk when we just started dating.
“S”: Are you going to restore the house in Ruzaevka that you recently built?
Fortunately, our house only burned a little. The neighbor's was more damaged, and the flames spread from there. The roof was slightly damaged. But we have already started to repair it. I was born and raised in that house. From there I went to school. I remember often returning home from the gym with bruises. And my mother stopped letting me go to training. So I escaped through the window! So this is a memorable house for me. I wanted to open a kind of museum of the Mishins there.
“S”: For about 15 years you alone represented region 13 on the international stage, and in recent years a whole galaxy of strong wrestlers have appeared in the Mordovian Sports and Youth Sports School. What is this connected with?
Funding has improved. The guys now know why they are killing themselves in the gym. And in general, the school has created good working conditions. We have excellent coaches. Hence the result. 11-12 wrestlers in the national team go to training camps from Mordovia. I hope that our wrestlers will definitely perform at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Ready to help the guys. I will come to the gym, share my experience, show techniques, tell them how to prepare for fights, and travel with them to tournaments. I don't want to leave the fighters. They are my family. I was brought up with them. If it weren’t for the gym and my coach, it’s unknown what I would have become. I would sit in my Ruzaevka and dream of one day getting to Moscow. By the way, I drive around the Mother See in a car with Mordovian license plates. And my fellow countrymen constantly greet me.
In my youth, of course, it was not easy. There was always not enough money... There was such a story. Few people know her. When I became the European champion in 2001, my salary was 1,200 rubles a month. I told the then Head of the Republic Nikolai Merkushkin about this. He explained that this money is not even enough food. And then he spoke about this in the media. And some people who were then training with me in the same gym began to tease me. Like, let's donate money to Mishin for food, put a jar and throw some change in there. Of course, it was unpleasant for me to hear this. Then the head of the republic gave both the Minister of Sports and the director of our school a hard time. And literally a month later, Nikolai Ivanovich established scholarships for leading athletes, depending on the results - from 5 to 15 thousand rubles. For that time it was decent money. And the jokers immediately shut up. There was such a curious episode in my sports life.
“S”: You gave up your bachelor life quite late. Is it difficult to combine sports and family?
Very. When you have a family, you spend significantly more energy. Accordingly, many married athletes cannot realize their potential. No matter what your wife is, you will still worry about both her and the child. That’s why I always tell the guys: don’t rush. For example, I didn’t start a family for a long time. Although, to be honest, it didn’t work out; no one could catch me. (Laughs - “S”)
“S”: Will you at least do light training? Or will you forget about the wrestling mat after finishing your career?
Of course I will. Many people tell me that it is very difficult to leave sports. The carpet won't let go. By the way, now we’ll finish the interview, and I’ll run into the hall and work with the guys. I still have it in my head: training at five o’clock. Yes, now I won’t work as hard as before, but I will definitely keep in shape. Of course, at first you will be drawn to competitions again, but everything comes to an end someday. You'll have to rebuild your life. I still want to have children, and I need to live myself. Fortunately, I did not receive any serious injuries. I am leaving sports healthy.
I've completed five Olympic cycles! I haven't lived at home for so many years! I’ll come, see my child, kiss my mother and go back to the “mines.” I’m flying again, it’s unclear where. I stayed in the sport for so long because there were no worthy successors. And to surpass me, you need to work harder. And no one can work harder than me! I was always the last one to leave the hall. The coach raised me to be an angry wolf. Infinitely greedy for victories...
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Olympic champion 2004 in weight 84 kg. 11th gold medal at the Athens Olympics. He has been fighting since he was 7 years old. Mom Lyudmila is a technical office operator at the railway. Dad is a mechanic at a locomotive depot. He lives with his brother, who is also strenuously trying to repeat his successes in Greco-Roman wrestling. Height 172 cm. But there were many other victories - over strong, titled opponents, the best fighters in the world. Over difficult living and training conditions. 2003 - 1st place at the European Championships; 2002 - 1st place at the World Championship among military personnel; 2001 - 2nd place at the World Championships; 2001 - 1st place at the European Championships; 1999 - 1st place at the World Junior Championships; 1998 - 4th place at the World Junior Championships; 1998 - 1st place at the European Junior Championships. This is a fighter who is another vivid illustration of the hackneyed truth that the achievements of outstanding people in Russia are their personal achievements despite the sucking swamp of the environment, based on their inner health and integrity. |
Evgeny Gavrilov: – Alexey, you started training in Greco-Roman wrestling at the age of 7. Who was your first coach who instilled a love for this sport? ?
Alexey Mishin : - My first coach from Ruzaevka is Kuzin Yuri Mikhailovich. He brought me to a certain level and preserved me. And then Alexander Tarakanov continued.
- What was the first life lesson you learned from your first coach?
He has always been for a healthy lifestyle. Yuri Mikhailovich instilled in me the idea that it is not necessary to drink at events, such as, for example, a disco. He led me to the idea that I need to train and train, and the result will not be long in coming. The fruits of this appeared after about a year. I even stopped going outside, devoted myself only to sports, and when I came home, I simply fell asleep.
Yuri Mikhailovich was strict. And when I started training in three sections (football, basketball and wrestling), he immediately posed a question and said: “Decide on the sport that you want to do. I don’t force you, but you need to make the choice yourself.” This turned me to martial arts, since this sport develops fighting qualities in a boy. After that it started spinning and spinning, and the sport captured me.
- What qualities distinguish your current coach Alexander Petrovich Tarakanov?
I visited Yuri Mikhailovich in my youth, Alexander Petrovich began to work with me professionally. He brought me to a real fighter. He has a tough character. If a little star fever begins to manifest itself in you, it immediately besieges you and puts you in your place, says specific things - what, how and why. He doesn’t cherish, but if necessary, he scolds. And not only him, the entire wrestling team tried, all the coaches of the Russian team contributed their part. Psychology, attitude, zeal, somewhere to show a new technique, somewhere tactical skills. All this turned out to be such a lump. I became this lump.
- Alexey, what qualities should coaches have in order to turn a simple boy into a strong-willed, purposeful fighter, steadily moving towards Olympic gold?
First of all, put rigor into him so that he obeys the coach. Yes, he could dispute some things, but he and the coach must come to the same opinion. And, of course, show strong-willed qualities in him, set a goal, a dream. He must be with him and guide him towards this dream, give him hints, and at the right moment, if he begins to indulge in stardom, bring him down to earth. Otherwise there will be no luck. If a guy has a dream, he can make it come true. This is exactly what my coach did ten years ago - there is the Olympics, it is very prestigious to get into it.
- How does the process of returning from stardom to earth take place?
Very simple. Either they scold you harshly, or they mark you with dots. The coach must be smart. Speak and respond at the right moment. He must have such a sense to know when to praise and when to scold. If you constantly praise, you will make amends; if you constantly scold, you will be offended.
- Alexey, there is no better sport for you than Greco-Roman wrestling. What makes her different? Why don't you trade it for any other sport?
In Mordovia, the school of Greco-Roman wrestling is very strong - one of the ancient ones, it went on from generation to generation, and this is ingrained in me. I like this sport for its fighting quality: two beautiful athletes come out, one more deserved than the other - and the fight begins, a cascade of techniques. This is the will to win, the desire. I like other martial arts, but Greco-Roman wrestling is the highest for me.
Wrestlers and boxers are for themselves, although they are a team. This is not athletics: you get ready, you run, it all depends on this and that. And here, when going out on the mat, the athlete must have not only physical, technical, tactical, but also psychological qualities. If he has a weak psychology, he will lose, because usually at the Olympics and European and World Championships, those who have stronger nerves win.
The team is helping. Where you need to talk, they will tell you from the outside - how to do what. There is a close-knit team here. When the team is friendly, it is easier to perform.
- Wrestling is not only about medals and success, it is also about injuries and grueling training. What do you tell yourself, Alexey, when you see that fortune does not want to turn to you?
How many times has this happened? Sport is about victories and defeats, injuries. I endure, and when I lose, I ask myself: why did I lose? Where did I fail? And I continue to work. Anger and desire appear in the work, and then victories come.
When someone comes up to me and says that I lost and can’t do anything, I want to prove that it’s too early to write me off and that I can fight for a medal. How many times have they written me off, and just as many times have I proven that they are doing it in vain.
- For a long time, being already an Honored Master of Sports, you were in a financially unfavorable position. You were offered many times to leave Saransk. Now everything is different. Alexey, what kept you in your native land?
The first thing that kept me going was my coach. He said: “Be patient. All will be". And I believed him. And the patriotism that was instilled in me since childhood. I told myself that I needed to be patient and everything would be fine. Yes, there are many temptations, many come up and offer considerable sums for me to speak for some city or country, but I thought that the republic needs me. Now I look at how quickly everything is being rebuilt, and I think that in the near future I will not need anything. I will do everything possible so that I don’t even have the thought of leaving somewhere.
- An outstanding athlete is not only a pile of muscles, but also a bright head. Besides pumping up muscles, what do growing wrestlers need to achieve high results?
Yes, a person with good data can be deceived by someone with better technology. If you have technique and physics, but weak psychology, you don’t know how to think about wrestling, you switch off - that’s bad. In wrestling you need to create, think, play out different combinations in your head, and quickly adapt. An opponent can be comfortable or uncomfortable, his stance is different. And when you start to fight with him, you need to constantly think and identify his worst qualities, where you can win. And it’s even better if you sit with your coach and constantly refine your best qualities. The coach's head has a strong influence: it prompts, guides you, you may not get there on your own, but from the outside you know better.
- Exercises muscles and brains. How do you warm up the second?
I watch videos of my opponents’ fights and put them into my brain computer. And when I start to fight them, I know what he starts doing, where and how.
- In the final fight you repaid your debt to Are Abrahamyan.
Yes, I took revenge on him for those years.
- Alexey, what helped you defeat him?
The first is sports anger. It was another final. Not exactly an Olympic match, but a rematch. The answer to how he took the world title from me three years ago. All these years all I could think about was repaying him. This all culminated in the Olympic final.
- How did you prepare for this fight?
For three years I couldn’t meet him on the carpet, it didn’t work out. Either he didn’t participate in the competition, or I didn’t make it. I had to do this, because three years ago in some newspaper I promised that I would catch him somewhere and get even. And he kept his word!
- What helps you to be so strong on the ground? How do you strengthen your strong point? ?
On the ground I win due to my elasticity, I am more mobile. The technique that was instilled in me at the earliest stages is something I am constantly honing. They showed one thing, but in addition to everything I found my addition. Many people cannot find a defense against me. I'm a little stronger on the ground. It happens that I also drag, like Alexander Karelin, I do a reverse belt, but this is due to my physical abilities. I lift very heavy weights and therefore can sometimes go to the reverse belt.
- And the rivals are not asleep:
Yes! And that’s why you need to train twice as hard so that your opponent can’t catch up with you or do anything. And on top of that, finding something new.
- Alexey, did you have any original discoveries during training?
Certainly. There are even creative workouts. We create, we search, we suggest something. They’ll tell you this way, and you’ll do it a little differently. Another coach will come up and tell you something else. We have 20 coaches on our team. And everyone wants to suggest something. From this hint that they say, you sit and think - what’s best for you. How many times have I found it? Even at night you scroll: like this, like that, like that. You come to some idea, and then try it in training. When it starts to work out, you tell the coach: like this and like that. He says: okay, you need to try, work, because no two wrestlers are the same. Everyone does one technique differently. Different structures, bodies, flexibility.
- What do you remember besides the wrestling mat at the Olympics in Greece?
I didn't go anywhere except the carpet. At the beginning of the tournament there was intense heat, and we didn’t stick our heads out anywhere. And I also adjusted the weight. We sat in our rooms. And after the final meeting, I went away for two days. All my muscles ached. The massage therapist couldn’t massage me for two days, everything was so tight. It felt like eight people were beating me with sticks. Only on the third day did I go to the sauna and more or less steam it off. Apparently, I was so exhausted that I only slept, ate and walked a little.
- Alexey, what did you feel when the Olympic medal touched you and the Anthem of our country played?
When I heard the Anthem, I was filled with pride for Russia, because by that time there were very few medals (even the throwers’ medals were taken away) and every medal was valuable to our piggy bank. Our team rejoiced at every medal. I was pleased that I brought this medal, these points to the team and we were able to get ahead of someone. It was then that our guys began to rise. I still can't understand what I did. It was just a pleasant feeling, the feeling of some ordinary tournament. When you go to the Olympics and think about going to the Olympics, you can get burned out. You just need to come, as if to a competition where you need to fight. Yes, it’s a big responsibility, but you also have to fight your nerves.
If you think: this is the Olympics, the Olympics, this is a responsibility, once every four years, or dream about the money you will receive, then nothing will work out.
- Did you meet Ara Abrahamyan after your victory in a domestic setting?
No. After the award ceremony, we met at the conference and were asked short questions. Ara said that sport is sport and we must remain human behind the mat. I supported his opinion. Maybe on the mat we are angry with each other, but behind the mat we should have friendly relations. We didn’t communicate much - hello, goodbye.
- What are your plans for the future?
I have already started preparing for the next Olympic Games.
- Any Olympic meeting on the mat is the most important. You need to win in each one. What did you tell yourself before the fight? How did you prepare for each fight?
I knew my opponents and prepared myself as if it were the last one. I need to go through a certain person. I didn’t think that I would pass it, and then move on. I said that I had to pass it. I didn’t care who would be next. This mindset that I needed to sweep this person away, rip him off, squeeze him, bite him, led me to the idea that I went out onto the carpet and didn’t stop until the last second. Every fight was final for me. I didn't have semi-finals. The first round has passed - I'm thinking about the second round. A strong opponent, not a strong one - I had the same mindset.
- Were there difficult moments on the wrestling mat when you had to gather all your will into a fist?
Yes, it was for reaching the semi-finals, when I lost to the Greek 2:0. There were more than two minutes left, and I had to do something, because the Greeks would not just give up victory. I gathered all my strength into a fist and performed a colossal action: I punched two hands from below and twisted the Greek by three points. With this I buried all the hopes of Greece. If I had not done this, the Greeks would not have given up victory. It was clearly necessary to win.
- What helped you get ready then?
I think it helped that in my heart I suffered for four years, 4 years ago I didn’t get to the Olympics in Sydney and spent four years in the gym doing grueling training. I was upset to lose - they were no stronger than me. We are all the same - I eat bread the same way. It was a shame that I spent so much time under the barbell, pumping up strength, running cross-country courses, when my liver flew out. I was ashamed, I thought that if I didn’t give it my all now, then I might not have this chance in life.
- How did this happen? After all, you knew all your opponents.
Yes, I knew. But the Greek changed his mind along the way, rebuilt his tactics that he had used before. And I had to rebuild my tactics during the meeting. I knew he fought like this. And he came out and started fighting differently. He's studying me too. He beat me by one point, but they gave him another point because I allegedly caught my leg. The points started coming from the air.
- Which of the congratulations you received was the most important, valuable, and necessary for you?
My mother. I called two people very close to me. Mom and brother. Mom was very worried - so many nerves were spent, and when I called, she began to cry a lot. She is still in an incomprehensible state. My brother’s congratulations are very valuable, since at first he did not believe what I told him on the phone. The broadcast of “Russia” was supposed to start in an hour, and he didn’t know about it.
- What did your mother say to you when you were alone with her for the first time after your victory?
She saw everything, when I lost, when I had adversity, she knew what was going on in my soul, and she simply said: “I’m proud of you for what you did! I am the happiest mother in the world."
- What united the Russian team at the Olympics in Athens? What everyday encounters do you remember?
I didn't know many people. I saw Khorkina, Nemov, Kabaeva. It was very pleasant when, after the final meeting the next morning, Kabaeva came up to me and congratulated me. There was a feeling that everyone was watching you and watching you. They were rooting for everyone, just as we were rooting for them when we were there.
- What is your ideal fighter? Who is he? What qualities should he have?
The first thing a fighter should have is will, character, and a dream. If physical data is from God, but there is no character, then nothing will work out. There are guys without talent, but they win on character alone, and there are those who are gifted from God, but do not have the character and desire to endure, and do not reach the top point.
My ideal was and is Alexander Karelin. Legendary person. When I was little, I dreamed of being at least like him, and this Olympic medal may have brought me half a step closer to him. After the final meeting, the next day, I went to the place where they were sitting. Karelin congratulated me and said the following phrase: “Finally, you have become a man!” In the sense of a fighter. I was so inspired by this. It’s nice that this person also worried about me and was sick. He said: “How many nerves I burned while watching this meeting!” I think that somewhere we will still have to meet with him and sit down and talk in a calm atmosphere.
- Do you sing in your free time?
Yes. I have a karaoke machine at home, which was given to me, and sometimes I just sit down for the soul and sing our songs, Russian, old, soulful. I sing for myself, I just like it. I like to watch old films, our domestic ones, comedies. There are a lot of songs from these movies in karaoke, I'm happy.
- What are your wishes to the boys of Russia?
Good luck in sports. Some can withstand the load and some cannot. Now it's the street, drinking. Those who are strong in character remain. You always need to be patient, if something doesn’t work out somewhere, wait for the moment. There is no need to despair of defeats. The work pays off.
In the national team I communicate with the guys from Altai, we are very friends. These are very good guys, they help. There is a coach, Vladimir Volodkovich Kucherov, and the Altai fight “hangs” on his shoulders. I want to say that the Altai guys are on the right path. Keep it up! And the coaches should continue to do this, because many sections are closing, and it is necessary to popularize this sport.
Alexey Nikolaevich Mishin is a Soviet athlete and coach. He won awards as a figure skater and helped to gain recognition among the international community of Russian figure skating masters.
Childhood and youth
Alexey Mishin was born in Sevastopol on March 8, 1941. Parents played an important role in the development of a child as an individual and an athlete. Nikolai Mishin and Tatyana Delyukina have known each other since they were young. In their native Smolensk, they lived on neighboring streets, studied at the same university, and played in the same amateur theater. At the end of their training, the young people were sent to work in different places, but fate was not going to separate them. In 1930, Nikolai and Tatyana got married, and in 1932 their first child, daughter Lyudmila, was born.
Nikolai Mishin received an invitation to graduate school at Leningrad State University, and then became a teacher at the school. . The family had to move to Leningrad, and its head became a military man. Tatyana also became a teacher. A few months before the war, a son, Alexey, appeared in the family.
The school management strongly recommended that the families of the officers be taken out. The Mishins found shelter in Ulyanovsk with the parents of a family friend. The hungry time affected the health of little Alexei; he fell ill with rickets. He was cured by his mother, who had difficulty growing tomatoes in a rocky yard.
The father of the family, Nikolai Mishin, served in different cities. At the end of the war, he received a transfer to Tbilisi, where his wife and children lived in a local abandoned hotel. The Mishins soon managed to get a three-room apartment, but the joy was short-lived: their father was given a transfer to Leningrad. Here the couple and two children settled in a room in a communal apartment.
Skater career
Little Alyosha was a lively and active child. Figure skating entered his life almost unnoticed. The father took the children with him to the skating rink, and one day his sister used the scholarship she received to buy Lesha his first “Snow Maiden” skates. The boy's main entertainment was riding, hooked onto a truck. He waited on Zagorodny Prospekt for a car turning onto his street and drew figures, balancing dangerously.
Figure skaters Tamara Moskvina and Alexey Mishin in their youth Leningrad youth came to ride at the Anichkov Palace. Stanislav Zhuk and Oleg Protopopov met there, making their names in sports history. Mishin's father often saw the guys skating and decided to send his son to a figure skating club. He joined the company of big-name athletes. Mishin Jr.’s plans included graduating from LETI named after. and work as an engineer, but the passion for figure skating turned out to be stronger, and the young man chose it as his future profession.
Mishin's career started in 1956. Soviet figure skaters began performing at international competitions. The first coach was Nina Leplinskaya, who worked with the first Russian Olympic champion Nikolai Panin. With the teacher, Mishin acquired basic knowledge and skills. At the Iskra stadium at this time, Maya Belenkaya created a team of figure skaters, to which an aspiring athlete was invited. Here he met with whom he began working in a duet.
The couple Mishina and Moskvina performed at competitions, winning awards and titles. The duo won the USSR Championship in 1969 and won silver at the World Championships that same year and later, in 1968. For a long time, Mishin and Moskvina could not surpass their colleagues Lyudmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov. In 1969, they became bronze medalists, performing as a pair at the European Championships, and won silver at the World Championships. These two competitions showed for the first time the power of Soviet figure skaters, who won all the places on the podium.
Coaching career
Realizing that future prospects for performing as figure skaters did not promise big victories, Mishin and Moskvina went into coaching. 1969 was their last season, and already in 1975, Alexei Mishin’s student, Yuri Ovchinnikov, became the USSR champion in figure skating. The coach worked with real nuggets. Among them was his future wife Tatyana Oleneva. The girl became the champion of the Soviet Union and represented the country at European competitions.
Women's figure skating received special attention from sports figures. There were special training groups for talented girls. Mishin became the head of the Leningrad group. He invited Oleneva’s ward to move into a new field and try herself as a coach.
In 1976, the favor of the authorities and the sports committee gave way to disfavor. Mishin received the status of “not allowed to travel abroad”. The book “Figure Skating for Everyone”, prepared for publication, went on the list of those awaiting publication. Television stopped broadcasting his speeches and interviews. The only joy was the opportunity to continue training students as a coach of the USSR national team. While the mentees were performing in Europe, the mentor was informed about the results in telephone conversations.
Mishin did not receive an explanation of the situation for three years, until 1978. No one dared to give the coach answers to his pressing questions. Mishin decided to take matters into his own hands and turned to Sergei Pavlov, the head of Soviet sports, for comments. He contacted the first secretary of the city committee, Boris Aristov, and solved the problem of the former athlete.
The coach set to work with enthusiasm, because now all roads were open, and among the students there were only talented and enthusiastic people. In 1994, his ward Alexei Urmanov became the European and world champion. He later received the same titles. In his memoirs, Mishin wrote that the coach was successful if he put at least one Olympic champion on the ice. He always put creative pursuits at the forefront and believed that where the experiment ends, there is no future.
The Honored Coach of the Soviet Union knows for sure: to be the first, you need to constantly develop. Everything new in figure skating quickly becomes outdated, so you need to be on the wave. Mishin’s main principle is not to teach his mentee “to suit himself.” He promotes development for the future and work for the future.
Alexey Mishin independently thought out and theoretically prescribed the methodology for multi-rotation figure jumps. He owns a new technique for performing elements. The talent of an engineer and an athlete is reflected in this direction.
Personal life
The biography of Alexey Nikolaevich Mishin is closely connected with his favorite work. The figure skating coach married his student in the 70s. His wife Tatyana Oleneva also trains students.
The marriage produced sons Andrei and Nikolai. The young people followed in their father's footsteps, but preferred the tennis court to ice. The Mishin family prefers not to talk about their personal life. Alexey Nikolaevich leads a modest lifestyle and does not extol his own merits.
Alexey Mishin now
Today, the coach who worked with a galaxy of champions teaches in St. Petersburg, at the Academy of Physical Culture and Sports named after. P. F. Lesgaft. The former figure skater heads the department of speed skating and figure skating. Mishin is also working on the theory of sports. He is the author of a textbook on figure skating and books that are used as textbooks for universities.
The Dutch national team invited Mishin to the position of coach-consultant. Today he still skates, although he does not perform tricks and pirouettes due to his age. Photos from the training conducted by the master are published on the Internet.
The coach is often invited to participate in TV shows about figure skating. In 2014, Channel One aired the program “Alone with Everyone,” where Mishin answered the presenter’s tricky questions. They talk about working with him with pleasure
By and large, Mordovia should not have hosted the Russian championship, but the Olympic gold medal of its representative Alexei Mishin, the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the republic's autonomy, and the guarantee of holding the championship in a state-of-the-art sports complex did their job. Many famous people came to the opening of the tournament, including the head of Rossport Vyacheslav Fetisov, State Duma deputy, legendary wrestler Alexander Karelin, President of the Russian Wrestling Federation Mikhail Mamiashvili. Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov arrived as an honorary guest, whom the head of Mordovia Nikolai Merkushkin invited to celebrate the anniversary of the republic, and at the same time watch a quality fight.
The tournament was held according to new rules. The main changes are that now all fights in one weight category are held within one day (previously, after preliminary fights, athletes continued the tournament only the next day). As the director of the Sports School for Greco-Roman wrestling and, in fact, one of the main organizers of the tournament, Gennady Atmakin, an outstanding former wrestler, said, due to the change in the format of the fights, the training system, which was mainly aimed at increasing endurance, has also changed significantly. In addition, stalls have been abolished - now, by lot, one of the opponents is given the right to capture, and he must perform an active action within 30 seconds. If he fails, the opponent gets the credit.
Wrestlers from 46 regions of Russia gathered in Saransk. Talking with athletes during breaks, the correspondent became convinced that it was not in vain that the tournament was given to Mordovia. As one of the wrestlers from the Krasnoyarsk team said, if they built such a sports complex, the development of wrestling would receive a new qualitative leap. Indeed, a grandiose structure with a total area of 20 thousand square meters. m impressive. There is no point in listing all the advantages of the complex; it is enough to say that you can practice almost all types of sports in it.
Not spoiled by major sporting competitions, people flocked to Mordovia, especially since admission was free - you just had to buy plastic bags for your shoes, like in a museum, so as not to stain the floor. After the colorful opening ceremony, contractions began. Of course, the tournament lost a lot due to the absence of such stars as Varteres Samurgashev and Khasan Baroev, but it still turned out to be interesting.
On the first day, medals were played in weight categories up to 50, 60 and 74 kilograms. In the first, Artur Mirzakhanyan won, and in the final he turned out to be stronger than Batar Ochirov. Ignat Gafarov and Evgeniy Teplyashin climbed to the third step of the podium. The fight in the weight category up to 60 kg ended completely unexpectedly: Maxim Karpov, representing Mordovia, the national champion among youth, repeated his success at the adult level. In the semi-finals he defeated the favorite Muscovite Alexey Shevtsov. Needless to say, almost 3 thousand fans created such a noise at that moment that even with the neighbor at the referee’s table it was only possible to communicate by shouting. In the final, Karpov defeated the representative of the Rostov wrestling school, Alexander Chikhirkin. Third places were taken by Shevtsov and Andrey Taranda from Khabarovsk. Finally, the most experienced Muscovite Alexey Glushkov won in the up to 74 kg category. Second place was taken by another wrestler from the Russian capital, Mikhail Ivanchenko. Victory in the fights for third place was won by Tyumen resident Oleg Berdynskikh and - where would we be without them - Muscovite Andrei Demankin.
The second day also turned out to be interesting, especially since the fans came to see how the idol of all Mordovia, Alexey Mishin, would tear apart his opponents. But first, the winners in the 55 and 66 kilogram categories were revealed. In the lighter category, a wrestler with the sonorous name Maxim Mordovin won; With such a surname he should have played for the championship host team, but he fought for Irkutsk. In the final he defeated Nazir Mankiev from Krasnoyarsk. Muscovite Viktor Korablev and Permian Sergei Petrov shared third place. St. Petersburg resident Sergei Kovalenko took first place in the up to 66 kg category, defeating Sergei Kuntarev from Kurgan in the final. Bronze was played between two representatives of Mordovia - Alexander Parfilkin and Yuri Mokeev. Parfilkin turned out to be stronger. After the fight, he told the correspondent that he could well have won the championship title if he had overcome the Kovalenko complex. How many times we fought with him, so many times I lost. “He’s just kind of bewitched,” the bronze medalist lamented.
However, his experiences were soon forgotten, as the Olympic champion from Ruzaevka, Alexey Mishin, entered the mat. His opponent was Muscovite Levan Kezevadze. The fight did not turn out to be very spectacular, since Levan twice received the right to grab, and Alexei threw off his opponent’s hands with incredible ease, receiving one point each. After the victory, Mishin could not leave the mat for about 20 minutes to undergo doping control, as he was immediately surrounded by representatives of the press. The correspondent managed to catch the Olympic champion literally at the very entrance to the doping test room and interview him briefly.
-Lesha, tell me, where was it harder - here or in Athens?
Best of the day
In Athens it was more difficult, since the level of the wrestlers was higher, but in Saransk the responsibility was higher, since I had no right to lose.
-Are you feeling extra pressure after the Olympics?
Yes, sure. If we talk only about sports, now every wrestler is most seriously preparing to fight with me. Then he will insist that he fought with the Olympic champion and defeated (or lost) him.
-Did the fans play their role?
Of course, although the responsibility to them was much stronger than during performances abroad.
I will try to win the world champion title, which is not in my collection yet. I will be preparing for Beijing to repeat the Athenian success - who knows. I think my health will be enough for 4 years. But then everything will depend on the circumstances.
Third place in this weight category was taken by Dmitry Oralov from the Krasnodar Territory and Eldar Chudov from Kabardino-Balkaria. In the category up to 96 kg, the victory was celebrated by Alexander Menshikov from Kurgan, who first appeared on the mat in this category. From 84 kg he was supplanted by Alexei Mishin. Having become heavy, Menshikov did not lose his best qualities and beat Vasily Teplukhov from Novosibirsk in the final. Third places were taken by Aslanbek Khushtov (Krasnoyarsk Territory) and Stanislav Rodionov (Samara). In the weight category up to 120 kg, Yuri Patrikeev had no equal. Eldar Ivanova (Kabardino-Balkaria) took silver. Alexander Chernichenko (Moscow) and Maxim Zimin (Samara) won bronze.
For a long time, Saransk was considered the capital of ice speedway in Russia. Now it can rightfully be called the capital of Greco-Roman wrestling.
