"Everyone is playing the national anthem, but we just have a minute of silence"
The World Paralympic Athletics Championships in New Delhi started almost simultaneously with the decision of the International Paralympic Committee to reinstate Russian athletes. But in India, our athletes still had to compete in a neutral status, and at the next international competitions, the flag and anthem will return to them. The two-time champion of the Tokyo Paralympics, a sprinter competing in the T35 class (athletes with musculoskeletal system injuries), told Izvestia about how the long-awaited news was received in the national team Dmitry Safronov. In New Delhi, he won silver in the 200 m and bronze in the 100 m, where the entire podium was Russian.
When the news reached us, it inspired the whole team.
— Have you already moved away from the World Cup? What emotions did he leave behind?
— Contradictory. Somewhere it could have been better, somewhere I did everything I could. But I'll probably calm down a bit now and analyze my performance. Next, I will think about what to do and what to fix to improve the result. While the emotions are fresh. I'm a little euphoric.
— How was the preparation for this tournament?
— It was probably the best preparation in the last four years. Last year, before the Paralympics, I suffered a knee injury, which prevented me from giving my best in training. Nothing hurt this time, everything was fine. We were preparing as planned. I returned to the results I won at the Tokyo Paralympics, which is good news.
— How much stronger was the confidence that this championship would take place for you? After all, before the 2024 World Cup in Kobe and before the Paralympics in Paris, many had doubts about our participation.
— To be honest, there were doubts now, too, due to the fact that the General Assembly of the International Paralympic Committee was held in Seoul. They could have decided that we weren't going anywhere, or left everything unchanged. As a result, we were fully reinstated. But history knows different situations. For example, when our winter Paralympians arrived in Beijing in 2022, settled in their room, ate, practiced and went home. That's why it was a little bit of a limbo for me right now, but everything turned out well. When the news reached us, it inspired the whole team to show results even higher than they were ready for. Psychology still has a big impact.
— Has the news of the reinstatement been received in New Delhi yet?
- yes. I remember waking up, reading the news, and going to warm up. We discussed this event with the guys on the bus. Everyone was happy that we would have a flag. But then we were informed that we are still in a neutral status at these competitions, since everything has been declared. You won't be able to redo everything quickly. Probably, no one wanted to do it. It's still difficult to exchange neutral athletes for athletes from Russia in one day. It's probably not even possible. We hope that we will hear the anthem starting next year.
— The reaction of the Russian athletes is understandable, but was there a reaction from foreigners?
"Nothing at all. It seems to me that no one even knew. I only saw on the Internet that one country condemned this decision. I won't name which one. Everyone already knows what kind of country it is. Otherwise, I haven't even heard any talk about our reinstatement among foreign athletes. There was a lot of joy inside the team. Because the last time we competed under the flag was in 2021 at the European Championships. For an athlete, hearing the national anthem of his country playing in your honor is probably the best thing that can happen.
— Are there any restrictions in New Delhi?
- yes. You still couldn't say that you were from Russia, and so on. Our composition at the World Championships turned out to be about the same as at the Paralympics in Paris. Everyone is already used to these rules. Yes, back in the green uniform. But I won't say that it somehow limited us much. We also communicate with other athletes. The Brazilian came up to me there: "Come on, friend! Good luck!". My rivals are mostly from South American countries and from Russia. So I didn't notice any bias in my direction.
— But there is also a Ukrainian Igor Tsvetov in the competition.
— We don't have any communication with him at all. We're just performing on the same track. I'm sitting with my guys at the award ceremony, and he's with his guys. The fact that he doesn't take pictures with us is his business. It doesn't make me feel good or bad. Neutral.
— They said that it was wrong to say that you were from Russia. In what situations?
— Yes, you can not publicly demonstrate your nationality. For example, if you win, you can't shout "Russia!" at the whole stadium. It was also forbidden to wear tricolor colors on your clothes. But the uniform we were given was green and neutral, and the rest was left at home. Therefore, there were no problems.
— Is this being closely monitored?
— At the Paralympics in Paris, probably, yes. If you watch the video from the competition in France, you will see that many of our athletes had their white running shoes taped up. Because they said you can't wear white. So my white spikes were covered with a black stripe. But there was no such thing in New Delhi. India has proved to be a more loyal country in this regard.
The Ukrainian simply did not come to the start of the hundred-meter race.
— Were you in India for the first time?
- no. I went for the first time in March of this year. They were doing test launches back then. I decided that I should go and see. During these six months, the stadium has changed beyond recognition. When I arrived now and saw it, I thought that I hadn't been here at all six months ago. They have extensively renovated their stadium, changed the tracks, and created excellent conditions. It was probably just the heat that got in the way. But in general, India has done a very good job on the stadium, and in terms of organization too. There were problems in March. For example, the award ceremony was then expected by the hour. Now everything was clear. They fixed all the bugs that were on the test launches.
— The thrower Irina Vertinskaya wrote that she would not be able to live in India, and also that she had caught some kind of infection. Did everything go well for your health?
— I think so. My neighbor Andrey Vdovin got sick there and couldn't compete in the 400 m because of it. I always carry a bunch of pills with me. When Andrey got sick, I needed antiviral drugs. The disadvantage of India is that it is very hot there, and the buses are very cold. Here you need to take care of yourself very carefully so as not to catch a cold. But it can be everywhere. When the World Cup was in Doha, we went outside after the canteen to warm up. Because the air conditioners are very heavily turned on. This is a normal practice.
— What are the living conditions in New Delhi?
— Nice hotel. There was a minus — one bed in a double room. Maybe there just weren't that many separate rooms. It's not a big deal.
— We started our performance at the World Championships with silver in the 200 m. It turns out that this is the third time you've finished second in this race at big starts?
— Yes, it turns out that way. I won for the last time in 2021. After that, something was missing a little bit. It's even a shame. But it's the last silver that's good for me. Because in Kobe and Paris I didn't show the result that I could. Now I've run faster than the champion of Paris 2024. It's just that my teammate David Jatiev ran one hundredth of the world record. So I did everything I could, but David was better that day.
— How much competition do you have with David and Artyom Kalashyan?
— The top three in Russia is the top three in the world. We're just swapping places. So the competition is serious. This gives us progress. David has grown a lot. When he first came, he lost to us. Now he has become a champion.
— Tsvetov finished third in the 200-meter race. They said he wasn't photographed with you again.
— Yes, this is a normal practice. We didn't expect him to be photographed.
— Were there any statements from him this time? Because at all the big starts, he says something.
- no. Maybe he said something there. I don't follow his statements. All I know from the statements is that it was his last start and he is ending his career. Before the start, he didn't look like himself. As if, in my opinion, a little lost. Maybe he's really finishing his career and wasn't preparing for the start. Maybe he was nervous. He's usually more serious, with a determined look. Perhaps he relaxed after his successful Paris.
— I couldn't find out what happened to him at the hundred-meter race. Why was he disqualified in the preliminaries?
— He just didn't show up at the start. Most likely, he was injured. When we were warming up at the stadium, I saw him in a tracksuit. There's another young guy from Ukraine. He showed quite good results, but took only the sixth place. So there's still a rivalry ahead of us. Probably not with me, because I'm already 30 years old. My career won't last long — about three years before the Paralympics in Los Angeles. But David will have the same confrontation in the future as I have with Igor.
— When Tsvetov didn't show up for the start, did you realize that the podium at the hundred-meter race would most likely be Russian?
"Not at all. I understood that there would be a very serious fight with an athlete from Brazil. If you look at the 200m race, he was third. He just didn't have enough distance. I knew that the Brazilian was very strong. In the end, the fight turned out to be serious — I snatched my bronze medal in the last five meters. Artyom Kalashyan was very surprised. I didn't expect him to be so quick.
— Did Artyom finish with a record?
— With a World Cup record. He had it last year, but it wasn't counted because of the wind. Now I didn't expect that after the 200-meter race, where Artyom finished fourth, he would pull himself together and perform so well in the 100-meter race. Well done! Showed character.
— Didn't he break your record?
—No, not really. Tsvetov had the World Championships record, which he set in Dubai in 2019. In the meantime, mine are holding up. This is how David and I joked after the 200-meter final.: "At least you didn't break my record. In my old age, you still give me joy." We had a laugh with him.
— Is bronze welcome in such a company?
— I was generally upset with the result, because I can do better, but something didn't work out that day. And of course, I am glad to receive the bronze medal itself. He was ahead of the Brazilian, and the three of them and their teammates got on the podium. It turned out to be a beautiful photo of the three of us, just like at the Russian Championship.
— Standing on a pedestal with the three of us, wasn't it a bit insulting that the lifting of sanctions did not happen instantly?
— Of course, it would be interesting to see the three Russian flags on the pedestal. That's understandable. But I didn't think about it. Everyone understood. As a result, we stood on a pedestal in silence. That is, everyone is playing the national anthem, but we are just having a minute of silence. And so I stand in this silence and say, "Artyom, why don't you sing?" So I'm the main prankster in our three.
I would like to have peace of mind and go to the Paralympics in Los Angeles under the Russian flag.
— Three consecutive major international tournaments ended the same way for you: silver in the 200 m and bronze in the 100 m. On the one hand, stability, and on the other, don't you miss gold?
— Of course, you always want to win. I'm content with what I have. I've won prizes at all the world championships. The result is basically not bad. Now I am a four-time world champion, three-time silver and three-time bronze medalist of the tournament. I hope that at the next World Championships, which, according to rumors, will be in Uzbekistan, I will win my fifth gold.
— Now our national team has taken the third overall place, losing to Brazil and China. Is this a good result?
- yes. It seems to me that this is basically our result. We have always been inferior to China and Brazil. China is always the first, it is the hegemon. They have a lot of medals and champions all the time. The fact that the South Americans have now won the competition is due to the fact that the opponent arrived in a truncated squad, many were not there. But Brazil has also improved since 2016. They say that they have built a modern database and the results are growing strongly. Even in my form, there was a strong Brazilian, who became the fifth and fourth. Compared to Paris, he ran much faster and broke South American records at both distances. It is surprising that there are no strong Chinese in our male species. Because China wins everything for girls in these classes. For some reason, there are no boys. Maybe there will be more. I don't know. It seems to me that the United States will also pull up its squad for the home Paralympics. So in Los Angeles, if we go, it will be a very interesting fight.
— This was your fifth championship in your career, right?
- yes. He could have been the seventh, but because of the suspension, only the fifth.
— Does this start still evoke vivid emotions?
— To be honest, the last World Cup was about emotions. It seems to me that I have never been more worried than in New Delhi. This is probably due to my personal worries. When I used to speak, I spoke for myself. I wasn't as responsible as I am now. Because I understand that my child and my wife are looking at me and I can't perform badly. So it was my most exciting start. I was even a little panicked. I don't remember anything like that in my youth.
— They said that the Paralympics in Los Angeles remains in the plans. And after that, everything?
— After Los Angeles, I will be 34 years old. That's a pretty high age for a sprint. So the coach and I set the task to qualify for Los Angeles. To begin with, it is to qualify, because in Russia the competition is very high, as can be seen even at the World Cup. And if you qualify in Russia, you automatically become a contender for medals.
— In 2016, we were not allowed to attend the Paralympics, in 2021 and in 2024 we competed in a neutral status. Is there a dream and hope to finally perform at the main start of the fourth anniversary with a flag and anthem?
- of course. That's probably why I keep going. Somewhere inside, this desire is sitting. In 2016, I was suspended for two weeks, when I already had the form and attitude. In 2021, yes, neutral status, but for me this is the first Paralympics and the most memorable. In Paris, I was just glad that I was going, considering my injury. So now I would like to be calm and go under the flag of Russia.
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