No excuses: "Sport - my job" - an interview with Oleg Paralympic Baluhto

Oleg Baluhto - world-class athlete, a multiple winner of Championship and Cup ski racing world, a member of the Paralympic Games in Vancouver.

The other day we talked to Oleg about sports, sporting spirit and whether Russia upcoming Olympics in Sochi need.

- Hello, Oleg! Thank you for not looking "There are no excuses."

- Hello, Anastasia! Thank you for the invitation to the special project.

- Oleg, tell us about your childhood where you were born?

- I'm from the city of Klintsy, Bryansk Region. This is a small provincial town with a population of about 80 thousand people. Here I was born and grew up and studied.

He studied at an ordinary school. After the end of Grade 10, on summer vacations earned on a construction site. There was an accident - 11th grade to complete their education without the arms.

- Life has changed a lot?

- Yeah, pretty much. My first thought was: "What friends say?".

I was in the hospital and thinking how familiar perceive it, because still had 11 class to complete their education. And came home, friends came and talked. Of course, at first it was strange - me and them. But further communication went on an equal footing.

I'm not fixated on what happened: I went to school, attended various events began to go to the competition.

- What had to learn after the injury?

- were mostly domestic problems. For example, to tie shoelaces. Initially it had hard, but the person adapts to everything. Now, 10 years later, I live and I do not notice that I do not have hands.

- Who supported you the most at the moment?

- Parents. We did not have inward, put your hands down. I'm still in hospital, and they've phoned Bryansk universities to find out if there are conditions for learning disabilities - making plans for the future.

- By the way, what kind of education you have received?

- After school I went to study at the Moscow State Academy of Physical Culture. I graduated in absentia. He studied at the Department of cross-country skiing.

O Sport, you are - a life!

- Oleg, how did you get into the sport? Why skiing?

- I have tried a variety of sports to do - and football, and athletics. But it never developed.

13 years I came to ski section. It takes about a year, but the constant exercise rather severe stress - somehow I do not like it. I threw.

And in 16 years, when it occurred to me the accident, the former coach - Kireichev Nikolai - came up and said: "Oleg, you want to train again?". I said, "Let's try," although not imagine how this is possible without hands.

We tried. Happened.

- At this time, like skiing?

- Yes. :) I liked the variety of the preparatory process: the cross, and rollers, and simulation, and the bike, and swimming and skiing directly. In addition, it began to turn. Started to go to the competition, she took silver in the Russian championship. I was involved.

- What's your training schedule today?

- I train every day, 2-2.5 hours in the morning and 1.5-2 hours in the evening. But the duration depends on the type of training: speed, power, etc.

- And no holidays and weekends?

- From the rest, much depends. :) If you keep practicing, there is no progress, the body is overloaded. Vacations - one of the key moments of preparation. It is important to correctly calculate the recovery periods, so can not be guaranteed.

- Do I understand correctly that your return to the sport - is largely the merit of the coach?

- Yes. He coached me and to people with disabilities. In particular, Valery Pavlovich Cupcini, 9-times Paralympic champion among visually impaired. So, Nikolai familiar with Invasport.

- Oleg, and what is the difference from the usual sports Parasport?

- There is differentiation by categories. For example, athletes with hearing, vision, musculoskeletal system. Within the categories of athletes also divided into classes.

Each class a factor: standards of healthy athlete are taken as 100%, and for them, depending on the degree of disability, the norm is calculated for parasportsmena. For example, the I ratio is 96% (minus 4% of the normal time of the skier).

Disabled persons compete with each other based on their coefficients. With healthy do not run.

- And if you take a psychological component, there are differences?

It seems to me, in disabled sports spirit is more pronounced. Each of them has gone through a serious challenge in life - personal injury, accident, illness. They have already overcome themselves. Tempered. Therefore, the motivation a little bit more.

- What is the spirit of sport? :)

- The mood of victory. :)

Citius, Altius, Fortius!

- In our country, we are talking about Parasport after the Games in Vancouver. Themselves Paralympic noted that the biggest challenge - is to buy expensive spetsinventarya. What are the challenges facing you in professional sports?

- When you are in the team, you equips Ministry. All give: and skis and clothes. Cases when it is necessary to look for financial support on the side, are exceptional.

Therefore, the difficulties that I have encountered, were, once again, consumer character. The biggest problem - movement. When he went to the competition, there was no attendant, had the heavy bag with skis and a bag drag on itself, with one hand.

- A coach does not accompany the athlete?

- Coach rides only on the Russian Championships. On the domestic competitions it helps, ski trains, and international travel alone. Therefore, often have to ask your friends, classmates who live in Moscow - to meet, to carry out. Always respond.

- Strangers ever helped?

- Hardly ever.

- How did you get in the team?

- In 2005, he spoke at the Russian championship. He became second. According to the rules, who is in the money - get into the youth allowance. In 2006, at the Russian Championships I took silver and bronze. This allowed to get into the national team.

- Who are you - world-class athlete, a multiple winner of the Championships and World Cups. So?

- All right. With the World Cup I have a lot of different medals. At the 2009 World Championships - Silver on the long race of the classics; in 2011 - bronze in biathlon.

Unfortunately, it did not get what he wanted, in Vancouver. He claimed the prize. But there were problems with lubrication. It is not allowed to climb high up - only 6th place.

- 10-ka top - a good result. Especially in skiing a lot depends on the weather ...

- Yes, skiing, not only wheelchair sport, but also in general, not everything depends on the athlete. Grease, weather - all conditions wins. Often hear abused main national team, and who knows, maybe an athlete simply did not go skiing.

- You're going to Sochi?

- Not yet known. There is a selection. Now there are competitions, after which, in late January - early February, it will be clear, I'll go to the national team or not. But at the December World Cup in Canada, I spoke not - 7 and 8 seats. These results are usually not allowed to get into the team.

- Among the Paralympic strong competition?

- there is in the international arena.

Every year the level of athletes around the world is growing. But our parasportsmeny, anyway - one of the strongest. It showed and Torino, and Vancouver, where we have collected the most gold medals and became the first in the team event. Sometimes international competitions resemble Russian championship, as all our pedestal. :)

- It is a merit of the Russian character, or our guys are just better prepared, we have the best coach?

- Everything in bits. And the school is good, and good trainers, and equipment, we try to buy a good. But also the nature, of course, influences.

- Since we are talking about Sochi, I ask you "uncomfortable" question. A few days left before the opening of the Games, but the population is not pleased, and angry. That flame is extinguished, it burns to the ground - a lot of money spent, and there is nothing to be proud of. How do you feel about the Olympics in Russia?

- If I was not a professional athlete, I would agree with the opinion that exists in society, they say, would be better the money to invest in the development of regional sports, build in every provincial town at the sports complex and etc.

But, as an athlete, I would say - the Olympics needed. Let me explain why. Firstly, it is a very prestigious when this level of competition will be held at your home. No matter how banal sounded, walls help.

Secondly, it will help change people's attitudes towards the disabled. We have disabled sports to Vancouver almost no coverage. In Turin, occasionally flashed news reports that someone took the Paralympic medal, that's all.

If from Sochi will be broadcast live on the central channels parasportsmenov appearances, the situation will change. People will understand that a disabled person - a person who is professionally engaged in sports and increase the prestige of the country.

Third, the Paralympic Games can change the attitude to life of disabled persons. It should give them a boost. They look and see that it is possible to live differently, to go to the gym to train.

- Oleg, and the audience come to parasportsmenov event, except relatives and friends?

- Abroad, virtually none. You look healthy competition - full stands, fans with posters near the tracks. There is no such disabilities. Competitions are sometimes reminiscent of the workout. No ads - no spectators.

Even in Vancouver in the stands were only the official delegation accompanying the teams. Sometimes even brought children.

But in Russia the opposite. When in 2010 in Khanty-Mansiysk took place Biathlon World Championships, had a lot of fans. The stands were almost completely filled with people shouting, applauding, standing on the tracks.

- Seriously?

- Absolutely!

faith in the future

- Oleg, why many people try to ignore the disabled? Will take place on the street and past the hands are not served.

- Just have a stereotype: invalid - it is a beggar. Previously, people with disabilities are often left with no choice - it was not working. When a person acquires a disability, many hands go down. Thinking that life is over, people are sitting at home, someone becomes an inveterate drunkard ...

So, people with disabilities themselves in many breeds that stereotype. Society just reacted.

In fact, life goes on. It is only necessary to overcome itself.

- Are you married. Wife - a beauty. How will you raise children, in terms of communication with people with disabilities?

- Complex issue. Just I try to explain that anything can happen in life. People with disabilities - not aliens. It is necessary to treat them in the same way as healthy.

- I know that, in addition to skiing, you are indifferent to cars. I do not think more and motorsport?

- Cars - it's my hobby. They were thought to try. He served as Alessandro Nannini after an injury in the "Formula 1". Especially because I like extreme ride. In the city drive carefully, respect for other road users, but in covered areas like out of tight bends. But, unfortunately, we do not have to train tracks.

- By the way, why do you still have not moved to Moscow?

- Moscow a beautiful city, but there is too much of a fuss. In Klintsy - 2 minutes and I was in the gym, and there is traffic jams, rush. I like calm.

- You're somewhere else work, in addition to sports?

- Sports - my job. :) I work in a sports school sportsman-instructor, that is, at the same time I train and help in some matters coach.

- Comes youth in skiing?

- Comes. But the remaining units. It takes a set, there are 20 new guys 10-12 years, - "Oh, skiing! Cool. " But skiing - it's hard sport. Children come unprepared, and when the load starts, eliminated. A week - already 10 people left. Another week - even less. As a result, are 2-3 people who really like it.

Especially as a small town, and there are other section. Recently, here we built a modern football complex. Children easier to drive the ball - to entice difficult to ski.

By the way, it may also contribute to the Sochi to this - in the younger generation will be interested in skiing.

- What do you plan to do after sports career?

- I thought about it. Most likely, I will work as a coach. I have 10 years of experience in Invasport. I do not want him gone. I want to work with people with disabilities. I think even in my town can be found wanting.

- What you dream is sport?

- My wife is, so dreams of children. :)

- Our project is called "No excuses". How do you understand this sentence?

- To live and not to think that you are disabled. Go ahead. To know that, no matter how, everything will work out.

- Oleg, covet anything Layfhakera readers?

Enjoy life. She is one. Rejoice in the new day. Try new things. That, after years, I was not ashamed.

- Thank you, Oleg! New victories you!

- Thank you, Anastasia!