Healing sports and “Battle of the Sexes” – the world champion from Pskov gave a great interview

The sporting successes of Natalia Spiridonova are followed not only by residents of the Pskov region, but also by many citizens of Russia. In major national competitions, a girl started participating in 2017 year. In 2018, she became a master of sports of Russia. AND in 2019 and 2021 won “bronze” and “silver” European championships among juniors in the high jump. Further more. In 2021, Natalia managed to win at the World Junior Championshipsand in August 2022 – get another silver medal at the Russian Championship.

Natalya Spiridonova studies at the Velikoluksky Academy of Physical Education and Sports, lives in Pskov. Here, under the guidance of Ekaterina Stanislavovna Alekseeva, she trains and hones her skills, guided, probably, by the Olympic motto: “Faster, higher and stronger“.

One of the first competitions for the girl in the coming year 2023 was the “Battle of the Sexes” – the All-Russian high jump competition between men and women. It was held in the last days of January in Moscow for the sixth time. Light, incendiary melodies, applause of the audience, emotions of the participants… The atmosphere, according to the athletes and those who came to support them, was impressive.

Athlete, champion and just a beauty

The correspondent of MK in Pskov asked sportswoman Natalya Spiridonova about the impressions that the next “Battle of the Sexes” left behind and about the path to professional sports.

– Natalia, please tell us why you decided to do high jumps? How did you get into the sport in general?

– I came to athletics because my older brother (the age difference between us is 6.5 years) went in for sports. I also wanted to win medals. As a child, I was directly envious of him, I thought it was cool … Medals, diplomas, cups. And so my parents and I began to find out what sport I should go to, consulted with a doctor (I saw him, I used to have asthma). He advised me to go to athletics because there is a lot of variety – both jumping and running … And all this will be very good for health. That’s how I got into the sport. As a child, I ran sprints, jumped, shot put. Then, with age, already with the coach, they began to understand that jumps began to turn out best for me – first in length, and then came in height.

– It turns out that sports helped you beat asthma?

– Yes, I started playing sports, and I went into remission. And then another, at the age of 14, they began to go to the training camp. The sea, the mountains… All of this contributed to the improvement of my health, and now I feel great.

– You probably have training every day now … How long do they take?

“Now is the competitive season. So the workouts are light but more intense. They take two hours a day. And I train five times a week.

– Don’t you sometimes want to lie on the couch instead of training?

– No, such a thought never visits. Maximum when there is an early training (at 9 AM) I just want to turn off the alarm and continue to sleep. But this condition just needs to be overcome. Then you go with good thoughts and with joy to training. I mostly train at 11 am which is a good time for me.

– And how do you cope with this desire? What are you inspired by?

– Perhaps, it inspires the desire to improve your results, set personal records.

– You have won awards from both national and international competitions. It must be that this is not the first time you participate in the “Battle of the Sexes”?

– Yes, in 2023 for the fourth time. Not every year I managed to improve my results at the Battle of the Sexes. The first time, in 2020, I jumped 1.85, the next year, since I was injured, I took only 1.80. Last year I got win among womensince there was no Maria Lasitskene [российская прыгунья в высоту, Олимпийская чемпионка – прим.ред.], my main rival. I won with a score of 1.85. And this year it turned out, of course, to show a good result.

– With what general mood did you go to the “Battle of the Sexes” in Moscow this time?

– I had a task to show the best result this season. The goal that I drew in my head was to jump 1.90. And then how will it go.

– At the World Junior Championships in Nairobi, you jumped 1.91 in height. And at the “Battle of the Sexes” 1.85 was taken on the third attempt. The commentators who described what was happening on the channel suggested that something was interfering with you. What was it?

– This start was very nervous for me. Usually I’m calm and concentrated at competitions. And I don’t know what it was. I was shaking all over very badly, and because of this, the warm-up before the competition itself failed. And only by 1.90 I was able to calm down, concentrate and make a good jump. Most likely, it came, as they say, from the head, something was happening inside.

– And yet, you took 1.90 on the first try. But this is not your personal record …

– My personal record is 1.91 in winter, and 1.92 at the stadium in summer. In winter, we jump in the arena, in an indoor stadium, and in summer we perform outdoors.

– An interesting observation: each of the participants of the “Battle of the Sexes” included their own song before the start. Did the jumpers themselves choose these compositions? Why did you have the song “My hooligan”?

– Yes, each of the participants chose the tracks for himself. My choice fell on this song because in training, when I did technical work and listened to music from the playlist, this track turned on and turned me on. So I decided that I need to include it in competitions as well.

– What impressions did the “Battle of the Sexes” leave?

– A very interesting start. Emotions from him are only positive, even if I did not show a very high result. The fact is that the audience is sitting very close and there are a lot of them. You get clapped, shouted, music plays – you get such a return … And the fact that we compete in teams, men against women, is very inspiring. The girls were cheering. For example, when I entered the third attempt to jump 1.85, Masha Lasitskene told me: “Natasha, come on, take it“.

– And what competitions are you preparing for now?

– In winter, there are three starts left. The next one will be “Russian Winter” (February 10) – All-Russian competitions in Moscow among adults. There will be Maria Lasitskene and all my competitors. And then there will be the Russian Championship and the Russian Championship.

– Well, we wish you only good luck! Another interesting thing to ask you is this: at the beginning of the year, many people set goals for themselves for the next 12 months. Have you thought about what you would like to achieve in 2023?

– My goal is probably for a year – I want to get the title of master of sports of international class. My coach and I thought we could do it in the summer because I was ready. But then we decided that it was worth more work. In general, I set goals for myself gradually. This, they say, I want to jump 2 meters, no. I look at today, what I am ready for, and with an eye on this, I set goals for myself.

– And the question, as they say, “for dessert”: what three qualities, in your opinion, should a professional athlete have?

– Probably, this is diligence, self-confidence and … Probably, it’s not quality that comes to mind, but the main condition under which an athlete could develop. And this condition is trust between the coach and the athlete.

How many more starts are ahead in a sports career for Natalya Spiridonova from Pskov? We believe hundreds. Therefore, residents of the region will have a reason to be proud of their countrywoman more than once. Keep it up, Natalia!