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Yuri Postrigay: «At the Olympics we have no fear»

The 24-year-old oarsman kayaker won for our area Olympic Games gold in London. The first Olympic gold in the Russian history, the first for 32 years, and in rowing – the first already for 52 years.

Thus the native of Yekaterinburg Yury Postrigay lives the last years and trains in Moscow. For Verkhnevolzhye he acts as parallel offset after with the Tver oarsman Maxim Molochkov in a kayak two achieved the first serious successes at the Russian and international level and really believed in the sports star.

After triumph in London Yury Postrigay arrived to Tver on August 17 on reception to governor Andrey Shevelev. Arrived together with mother Galina Mikhaelovna and wife Anastasia on that “A8 Audi ″, keys from which received the day before in the Kremlin for successful performance on Games.

As the athlete-instructor of the Tverskaya ShVSM, Yury Postrigay is awarded by the Government of the Tver region a regional award «For the good of the earth of the Tverskaya» and an award at a rate of 600 thousand rubles.

The Olympic champion was in time during this visit to Tver to answer and questions tverigrada.ru.

– Yury, with a victory and awards! Certainly, most valuable of them – Olympic Games gold …

– Yes, a gold Olympic medal – the highest step in sports. And I am happy! However, I can not still realize that became the Olympic champion.

– Last year you, probably, even didn't think yet, what act on the Olympic Games and the more so will win gold?

– I always had a dream to act on Olympic Games. However, several years ago it seemed inaccessible. Only when we with Maxim Molochkov started to show worthy results at the international level, began to realize that in principle it is possible to break through in structure of an Olympic team and successfully to compete to sharks of sports. Practically at the last minute at the Olympic selection competitions we with Sascha Dyachenko managed to win for the country one more license to London-2012 in a kayak two on 200 meters. But all the same till July still it was not clear, who will go on Games. Everything was solved only in the championship of Russia in Krylatsky where we became the first.

– Then in Moscow in sprint race of the two you with Dyachenko just struggled for superiority with the being partner Maxim Molochkov. As far as you had a basic and rigid competition?

– Only I in the championship of Russia also was afraid of Maxim, only in its crew and saw the main competitors. So we with it on life good friends, on collecting and at competitions lived together in one room much. I with it spent more time, probably, than even with the wife. Just now this ratio of spent time with Maxim and Nastya started to be leveled.

– And on the Olympic Games of whom were afraid?

– On the Olympic Games we already were afraid of nobody. Wanted to show that result which planned, to perform that work which did for the preolympic cycle. We understood that if all this we will make, as it is necessary, there will be a success. And it turned out.

– It is possible to tell, what you on the Olympic Games jumped above the head? After all said that your gold – the most unexpected: long ago in a kayak Russia on Games won nothing.

– This distance of 200 meters only to London was included in the program of Olympic Games. Before medals of the two in sprint simply weren't played. Now it is possible to tell that our trainers Alexander Stefanovich Samokhotsky and Yury Vladimirovichi Tizul understood, how it is necessary to prepare sprint.

– Started not very first. What happened? Or at you such tactics - gradually to gather a course?

– The starter in final arrival was the Belarusian. And on the chamber it is visible an unaided look that Belarusians started before others. Simply it under them started, and consequently we against the will gave in the beginning peculiar odds to the main competitors.

– Became puzzled?

– No. We knew that we will not lose much, and there we will catch up.

– When believed that will become the first: only after the finish or after all earlier?

– After the first fifty meters of a distance I understood that everything is all right: "motor" behind sits, and it disperses-disperses, we reached our "cruiser" speed. I lateral sight see rivals, and on a mark of 100 meters understood that all – we will win.

– After the finish you thanked the sky for a victory?

– I believe in God, and I thanked him that it helped with this situation because it very abrupt, it supports me.

– One of these days in the Kremlin to you presented for the Olympic medal expensive four-wheel gift. The car has by the way? You unlike the Olympic prize-winner-tverichanina Ilya Pervukhin already have rights?

– Yes, I since 2010 at a wheel. My very first car – «Honda the Chord» 1994 of release. I just also studied on it. In the first day drove in a fence about the house. Mechanics – it was heavy to operate. And then at the wife took the car and from mother so there was no personally the. This Olympic "Audi" has really by the way. Now will be to go by what on the affairs. Certainly, it is a cool gift. Thanks to Fund of support of Olympians and to the President of Russia for such encouragement of our successes. Very pleasantly.

«I during race squealed, howled, shouted, shouted, skipped …»

Certainly, correspondents tverigrad.ru should use a case and communicated to relatives of the Olympic champion – Yury Galina Mikhaelovna's mother and spouse Anastasia.

t.r.: Galina Mikhaelovna and Nastya, you for certain looked both preliminary arrivals, and Yury Postrigaya and Alexander Dyachenko's final race?

M: Naturally, looked all. Whatever there were starts, always worry. And here such responsible moment – the Olympic Games. Naturally, we looked completely.

t.r.: Final start was for you the most disturbing?

Anastasia: Yes, before the ending it was very difficult. Galina Mikhaelovna was somehow quiet. And I … I do not know, I had such experience! For half an hour to the ending simply it seemed to me that I now will lay down – and I will die. My mother (I together with the parents looked translation) said that I during race squealed, howled, shouted, shouted, skipped … I remember nothing. It seems to me, neither my receipt in university, nor diplomas to it won't be compared. Probably, only the birth of the child can be compared on pleasure to such feeling which was presented to us by Yura.

t.r.: What did you feel, when understood, what he became the champion of Olympic Games?

M: I in general was quiet. For some reason the first time there was such confidence. Even in the championship of Russia I worried together with Nastya more. Us simply shook, we very much wanted, that he won and received the permit to London. And there was any internal confidence that its hour of triumph now will come. And it really came. Certainly, then I already rejoiced, shouted and then the whole day cried because of happiness. It, the good fellow, made everything that could, for the parents. Huge to it for this thanks! And, of course, gratitude to his trainers: To Aleksand Stefanovich Samokhotskomu and the very first instructor in Yekaterinburg where Yura from 10 years started to be engaged in rowing, to Mikhail Petrovitch Kalashnikov.

t.r.: You now in rowing professionals?

Anastasia: Yes, certainly.

M: We try to be professionals.

Anastasia: And not only in the Russian rowing, but I, for example, knew all rivals, I knew, of whom it is necessary to be careful. And when they literally on the half of case overtook them, I know, whom they overtook, I know these Englishmen, I know Belarusians, I know Frenchmen who didn't get at all to the three. And understanding of what it as my grandmother speaks, «big uncles», does feeling of gratitude and pleasure still is a hundred times stronger.

t.r.: Nastya, you for the first time in Tver?

Anastasia: No, we with Yury already came here. First, I am the volunteer of Chistoye nebo charity foundation, and we in the Tver region very often happen. For example, personally I – two times a month, in Kashin, Kalyazin, Burashevo. And we with Yury here often come. There lives Yurin friend Maxim Molochkov. Therefore Tver for us already the city close and native.

Andrey Krylov
tverigrad.ru