Alexandrov on Brazil, Russia and Mustafina ... Lupita translates

Alexander Alexandrov speaks to Elena Vaitsekhovskaya in Sport Express.

Alexander Alexandrov.  Photo : Alexander Vilf for Sport Express

The World Championships came to an end last Sunday in Antwerp. We had agreed to meet with the former head coach of the national team and personal coach to Olympic champion Aliya Mustafina at the beginning of the summer, when Alexander Alexandrov accepted the proposal to coach the Brazilian team.

Yelena VAITSEKHOVSKAYA
Antwerp, 08.10.2013

–  I know that in Brazil they promised you pots of gold, but later it became clear that there was not even a gym to work in there. Do you regret having signed the contract?

–  What can I regret now? Nobody thought that the new gym complex just built in Rio was going to be destroyed. The Brazilians tried to convince me to be their head coach, again and again. In January they assured me that a new gym would be finished in the spring. Until now, it has not been built, and this is why we have to travel a long way to train. They keep promising that the gym will be built soon and I think it will.

–  Before accepting the Brazilian proposal, did you have the chance to see how you would have to work?

–  Of course, and I was impressed. For instance, on vault girls born in 1999 perform the Amanar, the vault that in Antwerp was performed by only few gymnasts. Obviously, the training conditions are not as good as in Europe. But the Federation has a very serious approach.

–  What were your feelings while watching the World Championships?

–  This year was difficult for the gymnasts, not only for the Russians. You could see for yourself that the Americans have a new leader. Gabrielle Douglas was not able to fight for a medal. Yet, in the US, unlike in our country, there’s depth.

–  During the years you worked with the Russian team did you find an explanation for our lack of depth?

–  First of all, not so many coaches are ready to work with kids in the peripheral regions. The specialists earn very little, compared to the national team’s coaches, even if their work is not less important. If we remember the Soviet period, gymnastics coaching was a prestigious profession, mainly because sports specialists earned good salaries. It’s as simple as that: to prepare an athlete for the national team a coach has to spend his days in the gym. Financial problems cause family problems. I don’t think the situation will change until the Government solves the issue.

None of the coaches working with the national team right now are young.  I was in my thirties when I became an honoured coach of my country, and so were many of the coaches who began their careers with me. The problem is to attract people to become coaches.

–  How did Mustafina’s performance in Antwerp impress you?

–  I am very happy that Aliya is still the team’s leader.

–  Let’s be honest, in the spring you decided to leave because you didn’t believe that Mustafina would train for another quad.

–  We had a serious talk after the Olympics. I told her that if she had a serious goal to stay in gymnastics, she should begin to upgrade her routines, with a new functional and physical preparation. In other words, she would have to work a lot. Aliya said she would try.

Not everything went fine. For the European Championships Aliya didn’t train new routines. She just wanted to compete. Then she was in hospital right before the Universiade.

Alexandrov says Mustafina was not ready to compete in Kazan

–  I know that Mustafina was dying to compete in Kazan ...

–  She is always dying to compete!  Even after her knee surgery in 2011. It was very difficult for me to convince her that she had to wait and not train too hard. Otherwise she would not have competed at the Olympics at all.

If it had been my decision, I would have forbidden her to compete at the Universiade, regardless of what she wanted.  Mustafina should not be allowed to compete when she is not ready. Even Sergei Arkhipov, the doctor responsible for her recovery after surgery, said this. He said that we had to check all the time the muscles and their tone, and the general organism. In the year after the Olympics, the consequences of stress and overload appear. Almost the whole American ‘old guard’ is not on the national team.

–  As a coach you have worked for many Olympic quads. Did you ever feel sorry for the athletes who must work for years to the limit of their strength?

–  The athlete, especially in women’s gymnastics, has a short career.  Even without the Olympics, the start of a new season is incredibly difficult. Even more so if you are the team leader. We train to win. Мustafina is a unique athlete from this standpoint. Even when she is at the limit of her possibilities, she is able to overcome herself thanks to her willpower. This ability is not common. Sure, I was always aware of how difficult it was for the girls. Very often you want them to rest for a longer period of time, but it has a double effect: the longer they rest, the more difficult it is to get back to their previous level.

The same thing happens after an injury. Mentally you rest from gymnastics, but coming back to your previous physical status becomes more difficult.

An elite athlete’s preparation is never simple. How many times in a season should an athlete compete? Two? Тhree? Five? It all depends on the preparation. In theory, Mustafina had to be “preserved”, but to the contrary she competed more than anyone else.

–  Did you talk to her in Antwerp?

–  Sure, although not for long. I know that she had severe knee pain, the coaches told me. Aliya herself didn’t say a word about it. I was very worried for her. Arkhipov used to tell us the same thing before the Olympics: "Preserve her leg!". Conditioning the joint is monotonous and unpleasant work.  Aliya didn’t always tolerate this work. The same happened to Bilozerchev. I remember how difficult it was after the accident ... Training is always hard. It always was, it always will be.

I am really happy that Mustafina maintains a very high level. Her routines are not the most difficult ones, but even bronze at Worlds is an excellent result. Nevertheless, frankly speaking, I would like her to put up a more impressive performance. Mainly on bars. Frankly speaking, on bars I liked the Chinese gymnast better.

–  In which aspects can Mustafina improve?

–  Everywhere. It only depends on her physical preparation and if she trains seriously.  Mustafina’s potential has no ceiling.

–  Now, a few months after your departure, do you have the feeling that the separation with your gymnast didn’t happen in the best possible way?

–  We said goodbye very well. Aliya and I never had serious conflicts. There were small things. The relationship between an athlete and his coach naturally involves a lot of conflict: you are forcing someone to do what he or she doesn’t want to do, they are reluctant. When I started working with Mustafina, I adapted quite quickly. I knew that when things heated up, I had to stand aside and wait for her to calm down.

–   Aren’t you sorry that you cannot be a personal coach to anyone?

–  I don’t want to be. I discussed this issue with the Brazilian Federation. My task is to improve the coaches’ professional level. I have to explain how to coach, how much and what to do.

–  Do you have any issues making yourself understood?

–  All the coaches I work with in the gym listen carefully to what I say. The only problem is language. Some adults understand a little English. The kids don’t know English. We don’t always have an interpreter.

–  How do you manage?

–  I learned a few words; I try to remember new ones. Furthermore, in Brazil there are Russian coaches who have worked there for many years. We manage somehow ...