Interview with Artur Dalaloyan

 Artur Dalaloyan on the competition in the national team, performing at the BRICS Games and the desire to rest

❓After performing in the all-around, Nikita Nagorny admitted that he did not devote much time to training before the BRICS Games. Accordingly, his physical fitness left much to be desired. What can you say about yourself in this regard?

- I can say with absolute certainty that performing in the all-around requires 100% preparation and, accordingly, a large training volume. I did this volume, so I calmly went out on the platform, realizing that I was capable of completing the all-around.

❓Didn't you lose heart when it became known that the Friendship Games might be postponed until next year?

- Of course, we expected that the Friendship Games would take place on time. They, like the BRICS Games, were quite a big additional incentive: after all, they are international competitions. Therefore, I tried to work in such a way as not to lower the level of the all-around.

❓Do you sometimes ask yourself: what's next? What to prepare for?

- Of course, in this regard, it feels like training and performing is becoming more difficult every year. But what I do is not just training and competitions, but a way of life that has developed over many years, and now I support it. When I have a clear confidence that I am ready to end my career, an understanding of where to go, and some kind of foundation for starting a different life, I will think about the decision. For now, gymnastics is my bread and butter, like every professional athlete. It is an opportunity to feed my family. This is the work that I must do, regardless of whether there will be European and World Championships in this life or not.

The above is a shortened version.  Below is the full text: 

"They are following us, they want to beat us": Dalaloyan on competition in the national team, performing at the BRICS Games and the desire to rest

Gymnast Dalaloyan spoke about competition in the national team and performing at the BRICS Games

June 17, 2024, 19:01 Elena Vaitsekhovskaya

The main motivation in connection with the impossibility of competing at the Games in Paris is to set an example for young gymnasts. Olympic champion Artur Dalaloyan said this in an interview with RT. According to him, it is important to maintain a high level in the national team and remain a benchmark for those who are hungry for victory. The 28-year-old athlete also explained why he enjoys training at the Ozero Krugloe base, shared his impressions of participating in the BRICS Games and admitted that the last two years of his life have been extremely eventful.

— After performing in the all-around, Nikita Nagorny admitted that he had not devoted much time to training before the BRICS Games. Accordingly, his physical fitness left much to be desired. What can you say about yourself in this regard?

— I can say with absolute certainty that performing in the all-around requires 100% preparation and, accordingly, a large training volume. I had done this volume, so I calmly went out on the platform, realizing that I could complete the all-around.

— What was most upsetting?

— The rings final (Dalaloyan took second place, losing to Turk Yunus Emre Gundogdu by 0.033 points. — RT).

— Two-time European champion Emin Garibov noted in his commentary that you can reduce your score for one of the initial elements. As I understand it, this is exactly what happened.

— Of course, I am not in peak shape. Considering that the all-around was played the day before the final, it is clear that my functional condition is declining. After all, the all-around is three hours of almost continuous and very heavy workload. But still, the score for the performance on the rings was disappointing. Perhaps because this combination was well received by the judges at many previous competitions.

— After Ilya Zaika, who competed in Kazan out of competition, showed the best qualifying result on the rings, it was said in your gymnastics circle that the selection for the BRICS Games in your sport was not entirely fair. After all, Zaika is the current national champion, but they preferred David Belyavsky. Did such talk bother you in any way?

— Absolutely not. I cannot speak for others, but immediately after the all-around at the Russian Championships, where I came in second after Daniil Marinov, I approached the coaching staff twice with the question: does my result mean that I have won the right to represent the country at the BRICS Games? They answered that yes, all the criteria were met, there can be no doubt about it: the two strongest all-around athletes are 100% qualified for the team. The rest, as you understand, does not concern me.

— Did you lose heart when it became known about the possible postponement of the Friendship Games to next year?

— Of course, we expected the Friendship Games to take place on time. They, like the BRICS Games, were quite a big additional incentive: after all, they were international competitions. Therefore, I tried to work in such a way as not to lower the level of the all-around.

— You yourself admitted that there was an emotional decline after the Games in Tokyo. And soon it became clear that Russian gymnasts would most likely not go to the Olympic Games in Paris. How did you find motivation to continue training? For what?

— For me, motivation now is primarily to set an example. So that the level within the team does not drop, so that those who are just coming to our sport look at us and want to do gymnastics. For those same young athletes, we are a completely real benchmark. They follow us, they want to beat us.

Plus, it is nice to feel competitive. After all, my main goal after the Games in Tokyo was to not lose my position during the next Olympic cycle. Even when we were suspended, I understood that this could not continue for very long. There will still be some competitions.

— And what was the reason for the post-Olympic slump?

— I wouldn't even call it a slump. When you achieve certain goals, especially ones like Olympic gold, you just kind of let yourself go, switch mentally, you understand that for the first time in 20 years of virtually continuous training you can give yourself the opportunity to completely switch off from work, clear your head. Not be under the constant pressure of responsibility, the need to keep yourself in shape very strictly. Just a slightly longer rest.

— If it had been known from the very beginning of the suspension of Russian athletes from international competitions that no additional declarations would have to be signed to participate in the Olympic Games in a neutral status, would you have considered the possibility of going to Paris?

— Honestly, I don’t know how exactly the neutral status is formalized, but I have absolutely no regrets about not participating. And I’m not going to change my position at all.

— Do you at least sometimes ask yourself: what’s next? What should I prepare for? After all, artistic gymnastics is not the kind of sport where another four-year cycle is achieved with little effort.

— Of course, in this regard, it feels like training and competing is becoming more difficult every year. But what I do is not just training and competitions, but a way of life that has developed over many years, and now I support it. When I have a clear confidence that I’m ready to end my career, an understanding of where to go, and some kind of foundation for starting a different life, I will think about the decision. For now, gymnastics is my bread and butter, like every professional athlete. It is an opportunity to feed my family. It is a job that I have to do, regardless of whether there will be European and World Championships in this life or not.

— Do you have any thoughts about your life after sports?

— Of course. I just really don’t like to share plans prematurely.

— Is the regime now as strict as it was before the Tokyo Games?

— I’ll put it this way: no athlete gets to any competition without full preparation at the “Krugloe Lake” and without full coaching supervision.

— But before the Games, you were at the “Krugloe” almost all the time.

— I had the opportunity to get home from training camps before, since I’m a Muscovite, I live in the Moscow region and the road from the base takes a maximum of an hour. Of course, before the Games, the regime was much stricter: I was at the “Krugloe” from morning until late evening, worked two or even three training sessions a day, and only after that could I be released. Now the coaches give certain concessions, this is also due to the fact that, in addition to training work, I have other things to do: family, children, some projects.

— The BRICS Games showed that competition within the national team remains extremely tough. Do you feel any discomfort related to this?

— I perceive this as a normal process that greatly contributes to my own growth. Training in the gym, where you are alone, and training at the base are completely different things, like heaven and earth.

— I agree. But, you must admit, it is not always pleasant to train young people the hard way.

— That is true. On the other hand, I like to know that behind me there are guys who are absolutely ready to win, to challenge anyone. Who, at the very least, will not lower the bar that we have set. A change of generations, nothing more. And you need to be able to accept this with dignity, even when you lose.

— Does your current physical condition allow you to progress technically? I mean the difficulty of the exercises.

— Even in the process of preparing for these competitions, I tried not to stand still. I learned new elements, made up more interesting combinations. It is clear that any innovation in our sport requires 100% testing and, accordingly, time, but I still want to at least try something that for various reasons I could not do before.

— I asked at the beginning of the conversation what upset you at the BRICS Games and what pleased you.

— The atmosphere of the competitions themselves. In Kazan, gymnastics tournaments are always very well organized, there are always a lot of spectators, and most importantly, people do not just come to the stands and sit there silently, but understand very well what is happening on the platform. It also happens that there are a lot of spectators, but you do not feel any connection with them at all. In our sport, it is very important to feel this connection. In this regard, it was just great. As in the Games village. It was great to feel all this.

— Will you prepare for the Russian Cup?

— I want to take a short break, rest, recover for at least a couple of weeks, get my head in order. After all, the last two years have been extremely intense, and not only in terms of sports training. The Titans project on TNT was difficult — filming took a lot of energy. Much will depend on the final decision of our sports management regarding the Friendship Games. If they do take place, then plans for rest will have to be postponed.

The interview is by Elena Vaitsekhovskaya, link to original -  https://russian.rt.com/sport/article/1329160-dalaloyan-intervyu-igry-briks-motivaciya