Sports maximum of Timur Safin – MK in Kuban

The MK correspondent met with the owner of a full set of Olympic awards – gold, silver and bronze – foil athlete Timur Safin… no, not in the training room, but in the classroom. The famous athlete became a student at the Russian International Olympic University (RIOU) in Sochi. His desk neighbors are representatives of eleven countries of the world, Olympic champions, winners of the World and European Championships, sports functionaries, all those who dream of mastering the field of management in sports. Rio 2016 Olympic champion Timur Safin spoke about the secret of Olympic victories, how a foil differs from a sword and whether it is possible to get rich in sports in an interview with our publication.

– Timur, it’s not often that athletes are congratulated on the new school year. Why did you decide to become a student at the Russian International Olympic University?

– I learned about this university from my teammates who had already studied here. Nowadays big sport is going through unstable times, we have a reduced number of training camps and starts, and as a result we have a little time. And I decided not to waste it, but to gain knowledge in the field of sports administration and management. I applied to the Olympians Support Fund and was given a grant for training. It’s great that athletes have this opportunity, because many don’t even understand what to do after they finish their sports career. Today I am an active athlete, however, everyone’s professional life is not eternal. In order not to be left broke, you need to think about life after sports while you are still performing. I devoted 22 years to my career, naturally, the sports field is close to me, it is an important part of my life. Of course, it would be possible to engage in coaching, I have the appropriate education. But the management industry interests me much more. There are thoughts of opening your own fencing school, but even in this case you need to understand how to properly organize all the processes. I am sure that the knowledge I will receive at the Olympic University will help me in the future.

– With studies, everything is clear. Let’s get back to sports. Fencing is a very unusual sport, and suddenly in recent years we have a whole galaxy of Olympic medalists and champions. What do you think is the reason for this?

– Many people say that fencing is an unusual sport. Nevertheless, fencing appeared in the program of the very first Olympic Games and is still present there. It seems to me that the foundation laid in the USSR plays a big role in the real victories of Russian athletes. There was a very strong fencing school in the Soviet Union; many athletes today work as coaches. This provides support that helps achieve results.

– How developed is the infrastructure for fencing in our country? Or can you conduct training in any gym?

– Of course, not every room is suitable for fencing training, the track is 14 meters, so certain parameters are needed. Equipment is also required, it is not the cheapest. Naturally, there are often not enough conditions for training. But, after the Olympic victories, construction of a fencing palace began in Ufa. I think that in 2024 the complex will open its doors, and athletes will be able to use this infrastructure to the maximum. It will be available to both children and all fans who want to try this sport.

– Judging by the number of Olympic winners, fencing is very developed in Ufa. Which regions still have strong athletes?

– This is Moscow, Moscow region, St. Petersburg, Samara, there are many good athletes in the Kursk region. Naturally, Novosibirsk, where the president of the ROC, Olympic champion Stanislav Pozdnyakov, is from. The Krasnodar region, where we are now, is not yet among the top fencing regions. But it is already starting to gain momentum. Recently, my Bashkir team mates Askar Khamzin and Rustem Nisibullin moved to Sochi and started working as coaches, the kids are already showing good results.

– How did you get into fencing? And why did you choose the rapier?

– No one brought me into sports on purpose. I studied at a regular school, and one day coaches Farit Yavatovich Arslanov and Vil Varisovich Nagimov came to us, they recruited children for the section. They showed us masks and rapiers. It was very interesting and unusual. I started studying. I was nine years old. Motivation and victories are important for children. Very soon I won my first fencing competition, this energized me and gave me a kind of impetus for development in this sport.

As for the rapier, I didn’t really choose. Whatever the coaches suggested I do, I started. There are three types of fencing – saber, rapier and epee. The saber is a chopping type, the rapier and sword are piercing. There are differences in the area affected. When fighting with sabers – the head, torso and arms, in rapier – only the torso, in epee – the whole body.

– In the end, you reached the Olympic medals. What is the key to success? Talent? Persistence or some kind of natural ability?

– Let’s start with the fact that fencing, unlike many sports, does not require certain physical characteristics. Absolutely any child can practice – tall, short, plump, thin. In this sport, you can use any body features to your advantage. For example, a tall athlete increases the affected area, a short one takes certain stances, some are faster, some are slower, all this is taken into account when constructing battle tactics. Such training provides not only physical development, but also agility, reaction speed, and concentration. Our fight lasts three minutes, and all this time a person must be collected so as not to miss the injection. It’s not easy at all. You have to make decisions very accurately. It’s not for nothing that fencing is called rapid chess; there’s nothing to do in this sport if you’re crazy. As for achieving sporting heights, talent alone is not enough. You need to work a lot. And the most important thing is to set a goal for yourself.

– What goal did you set for yourself?

– As soon as I came to the first training session, I immediately said: “I will be an Olympic champion!”

– You are the winner of gold and silver Olympic medals in team competitions and bronze medals in the individual competition. Which one is more valuable?

– In the individual competition, you fight, as they say, for yourself. In the team – for everyone. Not only you are happy, but the people you train with and make friends with. For me this is very valuable.

– Three Olympic medals, three times prize money. Is it worth going to sports for the money?

– If you go into sports with the hope of making money, there is nothing to do in it. There must be an idea and a goal, and money is just an addition.

– In the current situation, one cannot help but ask about international starts. It is not clear whether Russian athletes will go to the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. How do you feel about this, considering that you are 31 years old, perhaps this would be your last Olympics…

– Of course, international competitions, especially the Olympic Games, are very important in the career of any athlete. They help you reach a new level. If you constantly fencing with those you know, then weak athletes gradually improve their level, but the top ones cannot move to a new one. Nevertheless, today we are faced with impossible conditions to participate in the Olympic Games. If in Tokyo in 2022 our team performed without an anthem and flag, but at least from the form it was clear that we were from Russia, now we are also required to sign certain papers that we are renouncing the country, the federation. In such a situation, everyone makes their own decision, but for me, as an athlete and a patriot, this is unacceptable.

– What do you see as a way out of this situation?

– I think that today we need to focus on the younger generation, to provide the guys with opportunities that will allow them to be competitive in the future. We need to focus on training young athletes and pay attention to their health. Unfortunately, all this is often done rather mediocrely. I see young guys who play sports, they have not yet started their big careers, but they already have injuries and operations. This is an indicator that more attention needs to be paid to personnel training in the children’s sports industry. If an athlete gets injured at an early age, then it will “follow” him further. As for top athletes, first of all you need to stay in shape with constant training, sparring, if possible, compete with foreign athletes, motivate yourself and those around you to work. Without motivation, it is difficult to give your best. For now, we can only proceed from what we have and do everything possible so that, when all the difficulties are over, we enter the international arena as prepared as possible.