"It was embarrassing that we couldn't walk around in our uniforms and listen to our anthem"

In August, the World Rowing and Canoeing Championships were held in Milan. For the second year in a row, Russians performed in a neutral status at the world championship in this sport, which began to return to international competitions after being suspended in 2022. Our rowers won two gold and two bronze medals. Zakhar Petrov won twice in the 500 m distance — in a single canoe and a double canoe paired with Ivan Shtyl. Sergey Svinarev and Ekaterina Shlyapnikova took the third place in the 200 m canoe.

In an interview with Izvestia, Kirill Shamshurin, the head coach of the Russian national rowing and canoeing team, assessed the results of his players, explained how the two-year ban affected the team, and also spoke about possible difficulties in qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

"They didn't give us visas, and they had to skip major competitions."

— How would you rate the results at the World Cup?

— We took the fourth place in the overall standings and the sixth, if we take Olympic disciplines. Overall, the medals were won where we expected. Except that the performance of the men's canoe four was an unpleasant surprise. We expected more from the guys, because the crew gathered at a very high level. He could count on a medal. Katya Shlyapnikova, who performed very consistently all season, took bronze at the World Cup and is gradually strengthening her position in women's canoeing, was particularly pleased. The overall result is not bad, but there is a lot to strive for.

— What results can we expect at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles?

— A lot depends on how the selection for the Olympics will be. ICF (International Canoe Federation. — Ed.) is going to change it. During the World Cup, I happened to attend a federation meeting where they explained how the selection process for the upcoming Games would take place. By December 31, the International Federation must provide the IOC with a ready-made system of selection and licenses for the Olympics. We are waiting for the federation's decision. I think in November we will already know what the final system will be. And we can build on it in assessing our prospects.

— What kind of selection system is the international federation going to implement?

— As it was announced to us, it is assumed that there will be five ranking competitions every year. And they should take place on different continents. And there are nuances here. Because not all countries now give Russians visas, and athletes are no exception.

Over the past three and a half years, we have repeatedly faced a situation in more than one sport when our people were not given visas, and they were forced to skip major competitions in these countries. Questions were asked about this at the meeting of the international federation. Moreover, this problem concerns not only us — for example, some African countries are not given visas to Canada.

In addition, if the Olympic selection extends to different continents, then many questions arise in terms of convenience and relocation. Our sport is quite expensive in terms of transportation of equipment and boats. Can you imagine what it's like to transport boats from one continent to another? The Australians asked questions about how to do this, given that such transportation is very expensive. That's why ICF is thinking about it. And its representatives said that maybe five or six ranking competitions will be introduced, but athletes will have to compete in at least three. This will allow them to choose where it is more convenient to participate.

In general, we are waiting for the final approved selection scheme in order to prescribe our own internal, internal Russian system that will correspond to the international one and help optimally select athletes for the Olympic Games.

— Does this give you a chance to avoid dependence on visa non-issuance stories?

— That's exactly the idea. But the implementation may vary slightly. For us, the obligation to perform on another continent in the current political situation is a problem. Let's say it's not clear yet how Canada will react to our presence. It is there that one of the stages of the next year's World Cup is planned. All this adds up to the recruitment of the team.

We will most likely have to deviate from the classic scheme of selecting candidates for the national team — through the Russian Cup and the Russian Championship. Because athletes simply won't have time to physically qualify again in the summer, when one of these competitions is taking place. But, again, everything will depend on which final program the ICF approves.

Boat race: Zakhar Petrov took half of the Russian medals at the World Rowing Championships

How our athletes performed at the World Championships in Milan

"Italians supported Russia"

— The Russian rowing and canoeing team has participated in the World Championships for the second year in a row. To what extent has the suspension from major international competitions from February 2022 to August 2024 affected the level of our athletes?

— Because of this suspension, the generational change in the men's kayak has been delayed a bit.

— Is that why we don't have a single medal among the kayakers after the last two World Championships?

- yes. Because athletes are also people, and they need to live on something, get paid. But our system is based on the fact that we receive salaries mainly due to results in the international arena. And the generational change dragged on. We will work on this now, and there will be further progress.

— So we can expect to win medals not only in canoeing?

- yes. We also have potential in kayaking. We will discuss further development with the kayaking coaching staff. Let's discuss the necessary adjustments, because if you do the same thing all the time, then the result will be the same. We need to develop and move on. I believe that we are able to improve in this area and compete for medals in kayaking.

— To what extent will the current team, which was at the World Cup in Milan, remain in place for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles?

— It is not necessary to change people every Olympic cycle. The sporting life in rowing is quite long. Ivan Shtyl was born in 1986. He is under 40 years old. But I know Ivan as a professional who will move on and prepare for Los Angeles. I'm sure Shtyl will make it to the Olympics. But he himself said recently, and I will support him, that our internal competition in canoeing is very strong. The young guys will support the experienced and titled ones. How Zakhar Petrov appeared a few years ago, who simply killed everyone from the previous generation, including me, who was in the boat back in 2021.

— Who among the young ones can support the leaders in the near future?

— It will be difficult for someone to do this next year. But by the 2028 Olympics, several interesting boys and girls should appear in the national team, both in canoe and kayak. The foundation is solid, so we have a good future generation.

— Does Zakhar Petrov, your main star at the moment, also have a risk that someone will displace him?

— No one is immune from this. If someone manages to win against Petrov in a tough competition, then he will be stronger. But at the moment, Zakhar is by far the strongest single skater in Russian canoeing. We don't have many of them.

Crews in Russia have traditionally been strong. For example, at the last Olympics in Paris last year, we could have had two high-level crews who had a chance to win medals and fight for victory. But politics played out in such a way that two competing athletes from different boats rowing on the right were suspended. And it is very important to row from both sides. As a result, there was a unique case when a boat rowing on one side was created for the Olympics in Paris. And the guys couldn't take medals just because of the weather. Alexey Korovashkov and Zakhar Petrov rowed on the left, while the wind blew on the right. It's a nuance in our sport that has a lot of impact.

— Did you feel any negativity from other participating teams and spectators at the World Cup in Milan?

— It seemed to me that the Italians, on the contrary, supported Russia. When our athletes were announced, the stands were chanting. Less, of course, than my guys. But there was no negative pressure. Absolutely healthy atmosphere. The only thing that bothered me was that we couldn't walk around in our uniforms and listen to our anthem. But there was no pressure from fans and delegations from other countries.