At the European Aquatics Championship, which is taking place these days in Budapest , Russian swimmers have already won three gold and one silver medal. A considerable merit in this success belongs to the famous coach Gennady Turetsky, who is a consultant to our team. In recent years, he lives and works abroad - first in Australia, now in Switzerland. Recently, Turetsky came to Moscow for several days, where the correspondent of Izvestia Natalia Mescherikova met with him.
Question: On this visit, you were awarded the Order of Friendship, although the decree was signed back in 1997. Isn't it a shame that they dragged it on like that?
Answer: Not a bit. At that time I worked in Australia, preparing athletes for the Sydney Olympics. The Russian ambassador told me that I was presented for the award, but on delivery I had to specially fly to Moscow. It is not supposed to deliver such cargo to Australia. Then I generally forgot about the award, and only now everything worked out.
Q: In spring, the new president of the All-Russian Swimming Federation was the head of the government apparatus Sergei Naryshkin. Did you talk to him about cooperation?
A: As before, I will advise Russian swimmers. They can come to Switzerland to my swimming center. A year ago, Stanislav Komarova was there: if she wants to win the gold of the Beijing Olympics, she can apply again.
Q: I know that you were at an audience with the head of Rossport, Vyacheslav Fetisov. What was the conversation about?
about: It was on the preparation of the national team for the 2008 Olympics. Then we, with the head coach of the Russian national team Alexander Klokov, drew up a program and submitted it to Fetisov for consideration.
Q: How many pages did the program take?
A: I have no right to speak about this, since this is a document of the federation. And our ideas fit on two pages. You see, a good document cannot be on a hundred sheets.
Q: But can you say how many Olympic gold medals this program claims?
A: I already said once that it is not interesting to fight for two or three medals. Here 10 is serious. Now, of course, this is unrealistic. However, it is necessary to set high goals, the scale of the idea is important. You can’t put up with defeats.
Q: You are considered a unique coach. Is there a special secret?
A: The main component of success is a systematic organization of labor. When I worked in Samara for 9 years, the director of the sports center Yuri Prisekin provided me with everything necessary. The best doctor, massage therapist, biochemist worked with me ... After moving to Australian Canberra, I was assigned the best manager. We did not need anything, and I was engaged only in training. The Australian team at that time had 3 managers, 34 athletes, 10 coaches - and the whole mechanism worked smoothly. Everything was important: the meal time, the exact sending of the bus with the athletes ... That is why the Australian team had such successes.
Q: What should be an athlete for the great Turkish coach to pay attention to?
A: It is desirable that he has good anthropometric data. And the result at a distance should be based on: the world record time plus 3%.
Q: All six of your Olympic champions are men. Is something wrong with women?
A: You know, I trained the legend of Australian swimming Nicole Stevenson-Livingston, bronze medalist of the 1992 Olympics. Her name even called the ship in Sydney. Shortly before the 1996 Olympics, she came up to me and said: “I was offered a job on television. I guess I can’t train with you because I’m moving to Melbourne. ” I directly told Nicole: you will still receive your silver medal, since the Australian relay race will still not be lower than second place. If you follow all my instructions and sail 2-3 thousand kilometers a year, nobody will guarantee the win of gold.
I believe that sport should be considered in the context of a lifetime. Later, when Stevenson became a TV star, she was asked on a talk show: “How can you characterize Turetsky’s coach”? She replied: "We in Australia did not have such a mentor and will not." I understand why Nicole answered that way. Sport is just a part of life. I am very pleased that I did not intervene greatly in her fate.
Q: Will you help the Swiss national team at the European Championships in Budapest?
about: Yes. For three years now I have been working in the Olympic swimming center of Solothurn, I have a valid contract with the Swiss Swimming Federation.
Q: Do you have a large group of trainees?
A: Eight athletes are engaged with me, with whom another assistant of mine works. In the pool I spend only 16 hours a week, I also give lectures in different countries.