Sergei Starkin - 'My job is to bring Aliya back to the best in the world'

Back in early December, when Aliya Mustafina turned to Sergei Starkin and asked him to work with her, there was talk about why a men's coach should work in the women's sport.   This is despite the fact that Starkin began his professional life as a women's coach.  His best known gymnast - leader of the men's team at the 2014 World Championships, Denis Ablyazin - is well known, but earlier, in 2001, Sergei also coached Olga Ugarova, a gymnast who won gold with the Russian team at the 2001 Universiade.  I asked him a few questions.

 

- Sergei, what made you decide to work with Aliya Mustafina?

 

- Listen, a girl who has done so much for her country, the best gymnast in Russia, cannot be left without a coach one and a half years before the Olympic Games.  You can't leave her without support!  She had begun to realise that, unfortunately, without a coach her results were beginning to fail.  She wants to overcome this crisis.  She came to me and said that now she feels I'm the only coach for her, she is ready to listen to me.  She understands that to return to the previous level, she must change her preparation a great deal.

- Do you believe that in today's gymnastics one coach can work with two top-level gymnasts - in this case a man and a woman?

 

- I believe that in any case you should try. The first thing I did when I decided to take this work on was to sit down and write daily training schedules for Aliya and Denis. On paper, it became apparent that on average p personal trainer works with each gymnast for four and a half hours daily, and that Aliya's and Denis's classes do not overlap. Thus I can, without prejudice to each of the students, divide myself fairly between them both. The junior coaching staff will have to help to coach some of the junior gymnasts.  I understand that not everything on paper will work out in real life, and we will have to make some adjustments, but I am ready for that. 

- There is a purely psychological point: Denis is a proud man, and Aliya, a proud woman. Aren't you afraid they may be jealous of each other?

 

- The first person with whom I spoke was Denis Ablyazin. I showed him the plan, and asked for his thoughts - I gave him the chance to say no.  Denis decided that this is the right step. With Aliya I also spoke. She is a smart girl and an adult. And I will also be vigilant of this.

- Sergei, you are known as a coach who knows how to create the best acrobatics, jumps and somersaults. Ablyazin has some of the world's greatest difficulty on floor exercise and vault, but also Olya Ugarova was the best "prygushkoy" (tumbler) on the team. Aliya Mustafina is focused on all-around. How will this affect things?

 

- Out of the four apparatus that women compete, acrobatics is a crucial element in three. As for the bars, senior coach Evgeny Grebyonkin has worked with Aliya since childhood. I'm not going to interfere with that. This does not mean that I won't work on bars, but I will leave the final word to Evgeny.

- There is a delicate issue. In the men's gym there is a good working environment but in the women's things are more difficult (Note : Natalia uses a word which translates into English directly as 'scandalous').  How are you going to overcome this problem?

 

- Firstly, I am not afraid of scandal. I go to work, and do not make a fuss. So I am not really worried about this. And secondly, perhaps, psychologically, and it would be a good influence for Aliya to experience the atmosphere of training in the men's gym.  But I think maybe not. The gymnast must not break away from the team. We have talked, and I explained how important it is to listen and react correctly. Once again I emphasize: Mustafina is very clever.

- How did the team leaders react? - Andrei Rodionenko and Valentina Rodionenko?

 

- Oh! Andrei Fedorovich and Valentina responded quickly and with joy. I didn't expect this, and had a few sleepless nights.

 

- Aliya is now having treatment in Munich. When will you begin work with her?

 

- Early on the morning of December 18 I will fly to Germany. I will visit the clinic with Aliya and talk with the doctor. After that, we will plan our work. First of all, Aliya has to get better.  If, in order to do so, Aliya needs to miss Russian and European Championships, then we will skip them.  Our task is to return to the level of the strongest gymnast in the world. This may take a long time. Possibly up to six months.