 |
| David Belyavski during the All Around final at last month's European Championships. Courtesy RGF |
Last week, Natalia Kalugina interviewed European All Around Champion David Belyavski and his coach, Valeri Lomaev, on Radio Moscow Echo. The gymnast is back in training after a short post-European Championships break, working hard in preparation for July's Universiade at a national training camp in the German Olympic centre. He talks about upgrades to his routines (including a triple twisting Yurchenko second vault), his team and his rivals. Lupita here provides a summary of the key points :
Valeri Lomaev: Training is going well. All the gymnasts are training well.
David Belyavski: We will fight. I have gained experience.
Natalia Kalugina: I am happy for your medal on parallel bars. They require schooling.
DB: It was unexpected for me. Some of the best parallel bars specialists used to come from amongst the Russians.
NK: We used to be the best (for example, Nikolai Kryukov [ed: Kryukov was 1999 World All Around champion and won medals on parallel bars at European level in 2007 and 2008]). These days we are happy with a bronze medal. David has one of the best routines. We have to find better execution.
DB: The all around is the most important for me. I have to develop my D scores. This is more important for the team. We can upgrade the routines.
NK: How do you overcome fear?
VL: Through training.
This year is more complicated for us than the year before the Olympics. The Universiade is important for the Federation, for Russia.
NK: The team is very young.
VL: We have to keep the team. Now, we have reserves.
NK: I was asked to invite David to my programme [ed: assume she is referring to the Federation]. We have a question from a listener: On which apparatus can you win medals? Parallel bars, of course ...
DB: Floor, Pommel Horse. Next, I am going to bring back a second vault.
NK: These events require different skills…
DB: They are all indispensable for the all around performance.
NK: Do you want to compete at the Universiade?
DB: I really want to. I want to prove that what I achieved at the European Championships was not by chance.
NK: It’s the first time in 20 years that the Universiade has been considered the most important competition. The best gymnasts seldom compete there.
 |
| David with coach Valeri Lomaev |
DB: I don’t know what the level is at the Universiade.
VL: The Universiade will allow David to prove again he is a first-class gymnast.
NK: Is it easier to train for big starts by competing at the World Cup?
VL: We don’t have much experience. Time will tell.
DB: We’ll train in Germany until the end of May. At the German Olympic centre. (I think Hambuechen was not very well prepared for the European Championships.) There’s a good atmosphere in our team. We were all members of the Junior team.
NK: Belyavsky and Ignatyev are good all around gymnasts. Does the team need more all-arounders?
DB: Of course. Kuksenkov is a very good gymnast. We have competed together and so far he has always beaten me. We’ll see what happens. He didn’t train for the European Championships.
Concerning Verniaiev, I only read his statement where he said that he learned on the Internet that he had approached Russia wanting to join the team :-)
VL: We are upgrading the routines little by little. We then stabilize the routines for four-five months.
DB: I didn’t choose gymnastics. Gymnastics chose me. There was a school near home.
VL: He came when he was 14, he was very smart. His High Bar was weak in 2005. He proved he was willing to work.
DB: The Olympics gave me experience. My D scores were not enough to fight for medals though.
NK: Why are we behind the other teams (gymnasts?)?
DB: I also have my own element on Parallel Bars. Other gymnasts are also trying to catch us.
NK: We have often said that we lack difficult elements.
VL: We have to follow a certain pace, we cannot run risks.
DB: The Korean Olympic champion is clean. I can’t say the same about the other Koreans.
At the Olympics I went out of bounds on floor (in answer to a question).
I had a cold before the European Championships. My victory was unexpected.
VL: During the warm up, he agreed not to perform his new elements.
DB: I don’t have an idol in gymnastics. We have to fear the Japanese, the Chinese. From the Ukraine, Stepko, Verniaiev. They are my age. Verniaiev’s D score is higher than Uchimura’s.
You become more confident with time. All the members on the team are young.
VL: [About the new Code of Points]It’s always difficult. We need good execution.
DB: At the European Championships I was very nervous before Pommel Horse.
VL: He is confident, this is a feature of his character. According to my experience, I didn’t want to force his preparation. I wanted to polish all the elements.
DB: We agree on the elements we want to try.
VL: I help him technically.
NK: A young team went to the Olympics.
DB: Everything went well.
DB: I have to learn new elements on Parallel Bars, Rings and High Bar. I still don’t feel I am leader. My second Vault will be a triple twisting Yurchenko. Matvey Petrov can fight for medals on Pommel Horse.
We can beat the British gymnasts.