"We need to keep up with the times — I hope the Ministry of Sports will hear us"
Alexander Maltsev, Russia's most famous synchronized swimmer, brought our team exactly half of the gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships, three out of six. After returning to Moscow, the 30-year-old athlete gave a long interview to Izvestia and Sport-Express, in which he shared his point of view on the development of one of the most successful sports in our country, and also spoke about his emotions at the tournament in Singapore, which made him a seven-time world champion.
A person who reaches heights often goes against the flow
— Alexander, three gold medals at the World Championships in 2025 is a unique achievement for a Russian athlete. Do you consider yourself unique?
— Hmm... in our sport at least. Because I am really a pioneer in this sport in our country among men. And I have proved on a global level that I am the best synchronized swimmer.
— Why did you work against public opinion? Are there any pioneers in other fields who have inspired?
— In my case, it was an inner core, although there are many people who inspire me. I don't have an idol, I look at people's actions, and I admire some specific things. Mainly in culture and art. A person who reaches great heights in his profession often has to do something for the first time, he is already going against the flow. I kept this in mind and went towards my goal.
— If we talk about art, we think of Baryshnikov, Nuriev...
— Including. Vaclav Nijinsky was also the first person in ballet who drew attention to men not as partners of ballerinas, but as self—sufficient units in this art form. Our coach Gana Maksimova staged the "Sacred Spring" program, inspired by the story of Nijinsky. He wasn't accepted at first either.
— So you go to the theater a lot?
— When training starts, we have a very busy schedule. But we try to keep track of when some festivals are going on, for example, Chekhov. We enjoy going not only to ballet, but also to dramatic performances. We try to get new impressions and emotions. I watch ballet on the record a lot. Because there are some names that you won't see on stage anymore. The same Nuriev, Nijinsky, Baryshnikov... there were great choreographers — Maurice Bejar, Jiri Kilian, Pina Bausch… We are trying to do something similar in our sport.
I am a proponent of democratic methods when a child is perceived as a person.
— Returning to Singapore, how did the foreigners perceive you after a long absence and how did you like the championship?
— From the very first day we arrived at the World Cup, we felt that we were being treated well. They were waiting for us. Those athletes, the guys who performed, they're my fans in many ways. (He smiles.) They said it was a great honor for them to compete with me. I saw many of them live for the first time at competitions. Some of the athletes who have already completed their careers were judges in Singapore, including Bill May.
There were not enough spectators in the stands at the World Cup. In 2019, the stands were filling up, there was a huge amount of support — this was not enough here. Moreover, I am sure that there would have been more fans if the organizers had done a better job and tickets had not been so expensive.
— Was your fourth gold in Singapore real?
— We understood that in this type of program we might not get all the gold. Our Spanish competitors have a really cool program, and we really like it. The judges have already given them the highest scores, "tens", during the season. This is very rare, but the referees showed that they like this kind of synchronized swimming. We followed the path of technology — surely the program could have been made no worse, or even better from an artistic point of view. But we could have been told that something was missing.
We won significantly in terms of technique and complexity, but the backlash that was already embedded in the artistic impression worked. We still can't get above the "tens". The matter was solved by some hundredths. But we weren't too upset, because for Olesya Platonova, this is her first World Championship and her first medal.
— Why should parents think about sending their child to synchronized swimming after the World Cup? Not even for the medals.
— I think most parents who send their children to sports do not do it for the sake of high achievements. They primarily pay attention to those sports that contribute to the harmonious development of the child. Synchronized swimming is probably one of the best sports in this regard. There is a very versatile training here. On land and water, physical, choreographic, acrobatic, mind-expanding. And it suits both boys and girls.
— You are a candidate of pedagogical sciences and you teach children yourself. Can you describe the approach? Can I slap you on the knee with a slipper? Shout it out?
— First of all, I always advocate that sports in no way interfere with the mental development of children and adolescents. It should become a tool for the further development of the child as a person. If there are any important subjects at school, they go to school first and only then come to training.
Secondly, I am definitely not a proponent of harsh methods, I do not use them in working with children and I try to convey everything to the child calmly. If a child doesn't understand something, then it's an adult's problem that he couldn't explain. Sometimes children need to repeat it a hundred times, and I will do it without resorting to harsh methods that are really found not only in our country, but also in other countries. Adults only show weakness in this way.
I trained in France myself for one year when I was 17 years old. There's a completely opposite approach. Our coaches stretch children by helping them to do exercises without violence, but with tactile contact. But in France it is not accepted and forbidden. Children should stretch themselves, but they are not taught to do it on their own. As a result, it turns out that they are not doing anything, they have no training. It's also an extreme. But I am a proponent of democratic methods so that the child is perceived as a person.
I just want to exhale a little and switch to rest.
— Why don't they want to include mixed duets in the Olympic Games program, even though it corresponds to the spirit of gender equality and discipline at the World Championships for 10 years?
— I did a lot to promote this discipline, as well as the men's solo, so that men would be allowed to participate in group performances. We had discussions about this, including with Lisa Schott, chairman of the technical committee, and thanks to these efforts, the men's solo was included in the program of the World Championships, and the men were allowed to participate in groups at the Olympic Games.
World Aquatics advocated that mixed duets be included in the Olympic Games program not only in Paris 2024, but also in Tokyo 2020. But the International Olympic Committee is slowing down here. It's hard to say what exactly this is related to, but it seems to me that lobbying, including financial lobbying, is of great importance. We miss it. Therefore, the IOC allocates only two medals to synchronized swimming. So far, we have found a compromise solution — to allow men to perform in groups in order to somehow maintain gender equality at the Olympic Games.
— Are you considering the option of playing in a group at the 2028 Olympics?
— Let's wait and see, now the world is changing so fast that it is impossible to predict such a prospect. Right now, I just want to exhale a little and switch to rest, forget even about training, about competitions, and not look ahead.
— Is everything okay with the development of men's synchronized swimming in Russia?
"Not really. We have a situation where today only one discipline is included in the official list, in which boys and men can participate, and that is the mixed duet. It has appeared since the moment of official recognition, that is, since 2015. What does it mean? Today, children can compete in this discipline, perform classes, receive awards, if they are provided at competitions, scholarships from their schools and regions.
Unfortunately, a male solo, as well as the admission of men to groups, is not allowed according to our official documents. That is, today boys can perform solo, but they will not receive all that they can receive by performing in a mixed duet. It's not profitable for coaches to do this, it's an additional load, but there's no exhaust. As a result, the mix duo is developing, but our solo is stalling. Meanwhile, the discipline has gained international recognition, several world championships have been held, and there is already a lot of competition. I really hope that she will also be recognized in our country and we will be able to prepare for an international performance. If we don't pay attention to this, we may fall behind.
The same applies to the groups, since the group has been officially mixed in the Olympic Games program since 2024. We need to keep up with the times and allow boys to participate in groups. This should be done officially, in all documents. The sooner we start introducing boys to the groups, the sooner we include men's solo, the better we will develop men's synchronized swimming. And we will be competitive, because in the future synchronized swimming in the world will develop in this direction. I hope that the Ministry of Sports will still hear us and take all the necessary steps for this.
The battle of the sexes is out of place here
— Do you remember the moment when you started earning money by synchronized swimming?
— It happened when I became an athlete of the national team. Up to this point, it was not possible to be a betting partner, because the sport was considered a women's sport. When the mixed duets appeared in the program of the World Championships (it was at the end of 2014), I was included in the national team, I began to officially receive a salary. From that moment on, I started practicing this sport professionally. I was already 19 years old. Six months later, I competed at the World Championships in Kazan and won first prizes.
— Was the salary enough to rent a house in Moscow?
— We lived in a hotel at the Lake Krugloye sports center, we stay there almost all year round. Although everything happened — I also lived in a dormitory when I was a student.
— If we arrange competitions for men's synchronized swimmers and women in the same category, who will win?
— I would not compare, because men in synchronized swimming perform their role, women - theirs. Competing is not quite right and logical. And nothing objective will come of it. Men have their advantages, women have their advantages. Everyone should compete in their own category, the battle of the sexes is out of place here.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
