"In the international arena, my results would be even higher"

The Russian Indoor Athletics Championships will be held in Yuzhno—Sakhalinsk in late February and early March. Among the participants is high jumper Danil Lysenko, who won the World Indoor Championships in 2017 and the silver medalist of the summer Outdoor World Championships in 2018. In an interview with Izvestia, the 28-year-old athlete shared his expectations of the Sakhalin Championship, spoke about the atmosphere at the recent Russian Winter tournament in Moscow, expressed hope for a return to the international stage and compared himself to the leaders in the world high jump.

— What will it be like to perform so far from the usual venues for domestic competitions?

— It's fine. I will perform in Sakhalin with great interest, I have never been there. Except that it was a bit insulting when I found out that the championship was moved there from Tyumen, because my brother lives in Tyumen. I wanted to see him. But now for another time.

We have enough time to prepare for the competition and adapt to the time zone. I'm sure I'll be fine for the start. Three weeks is the normal time between it and the performance in Moscow at the Russian Winter, in order to fit in good condition. I will try my best to perform as well as possible.

— Was there a special atmosphere at the Russian Winter due to the participation of foreigners at some of the latest levels in some disciplines?

— Yes, and this is good news. The feeling of an international launch was undoubtedly present, and it's cool. It's a pity that we had only one foreigner in the high jump section, Cuban Luis Enrique. It would be interesting if there were more. I hope someday we will come to this.

— Track and field athletes from cross-country disciplines note that competing with foreigners at this tournament gave a special impetus and spirit. Would it have affected you the same way?

— Yes, of course. Of course, we didn't have enough foreign jumpers in the sector. Although the pole girls didn't have any at all. They were unlucky in this regard. I hope there will be even more athletes coming to us in the future. And a similar atmosphere will prevail in all disciplines.

"There is a feeling that we will have international launches soon"

Track and field athlete Polina Tkalich — about her chances of being broken up on the world stage and her immediate goals

— Do you rarely see this in the last four years?

— There were also the BRICS Games in Kazan in 2024. They reminded me of the atmosphere of major international competitions like the Youth Olympic Games, in which I participated in 2014 in Nanjing, China. Besides, we lived in the Olympic village at the BRICS Games in Kazan, which reminded us even more of the atmosphere of the main international competitions. So I can't say that I've completely gotten rid of it in four years. But, of course, I want to perform like this more often.

— Do you believe that our athletes may return to the international arena in the near future?

— I don't know. I hope that soon we will be in a common system, that as other Russian athletes have been returning recently, so will we, the athletes. If not now, then in the near future, but I hope so. I will be 29 years old this year. I want to believe that I won't finish performing until I have the opportunity to go to international competitions. And I will be happy for our athletes if at least younger children are allowed to compete in youth competitions in the same athletics.

— Do you think that you will be able to compete at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles?

— I believe that this is real. I hope that everything will change. It is clear that little depends on us here. For now, we will demonstrate the results at domestic competitions so that everyone can see that in Russia the guys jump higher (smiles).

— Does it work if you compare it with the results at international competitions?

— Yes, it is possible to show comparable results. Last summer, I was beaten only by the reigning Olympic champion, New Zealander Hamish Kerr, who won the World Championship in 2025. There he jumped 2.36 m. I jumped 2.35 last summer in Russia. I'm watching it. And this correspondence competition with athletes from other countries is very interesting. I want to be better than them in terms of results.

— But now the competition is extramural. Will you be able to show the same results if you compete with the best in the world in the same sector?

— If I had the opportunity to perform alongside them, I think my results would be even higher. The atmosphere is completely different there. And everything else, probably (smiles).