2015 ICF World Championships Slalom
 
1
2
3
K1M
CZ J. PRSKAVEC
PL M. POLACZYK
US M. SMOLEN
K1W
CZ K. KUDEJOVA
DE R. FUNK
DE M. PFEIFER
C1M
GB D. FLORENCE
SI B. SAVSEK
GB R. WESTLEY
C1W
AU J. FOX
CZ K. HOSKOVA
ES N. VILARRUBLA
C2
DE ANTON/BENZIEN
FR PICCO/BISO
FR KLAUSS/PECHE

Canoe Sprint

Aleksei Korovashkov - “I want to win gold at Rio 2016”

canoe kayak sprint aleksei korovashkov russia ukraine rio london olympic games interview sportscene ioc icf moscow 2014

Interview by Yuliana Salakhova | Proofreader: Katie Ellis - The 22 year old Russian athlete Aleksei Korovashkov triumphs at the world canoe championships in Moscow, coming away with 3 golds and 1 silver medal.

-Aleksei, congratulations! Please tell us your thoughts… – Thank you very much! I am extremely happy to have performed so well at these home championships!

-Your sport isn’t very popular in Russia, is it? – I was born in Zaporozhye, Ukraine and when I was 4 my parents moved to Pridnestrovye in Tiraspol, (Russian Federation) where I tried canoeing for the first time. I liked it a lot, and I think that is when I decided I would be a canoeist forever. I have never once regretted this decision! Now I live in Moscow and train at the regatta course in Krylatskoe, where there is a great atmosphere.

- Do you follow any special diet? What are your meal preferences during training camps or competitions? – We don’t follow any diets, we eat what we like. As for me – my meals consist of large amounts of proteins, mainly meat, which is essential for me. Taste is important too, however. I remember once, I ate a whole cup of oat porridge before my Olympic final in London. Incidentally, porridge is a very good meal for athletes – it’s hearty and tasty!

canoe kayak sprint aleksei korovashkov russia ukraine rio london olympic games interview sportscene ioc icf moscow 2014- Do you have a particularly memorable race? – Of course!  It was my first junior race. I was leading for the whole race but just before the finish line I capsized! I was distraught! I was lucky though, the race official saw my will to win and gave me the medal. Maybe that medal made me love this sport more. The senior level Olympic 2012 London race, where I was the bronze medalist, became the highlight of my career so far. I hope that I can win the gold for Russia at the next Olympic Games in Rio.

 

- You have been living in Moscow for a quiet a long time. Do you have any favourite places here? – I have many! Moscow is a fascinating city with some impressive architecture. Unfortunately, I don’t have much time to walk around because of the endless training. I go to the sport centre in «Izmaylovo» quite often and try to get a walk in Izmaylovo Park. It is a very quiet, tranquil place.

- How do you spend your free time? – I love rap music. I write songs by myself and sometimes show my compositions to my friends which they like. I also like camping in extreme places. I could spend all day exploring new places, it makes me feel really calm. I remember when I had some days off at my training camp in Portugal, I grabbed my backpack and walked to the mountains. It was such a beautiful place that I didn`t even want to return home.

- Do you have a dream? – I want to succeed in sport and family life, anything else is not quite so important!