Gold medal at the 2013 European Championships.

Yuliana Salakhova | Russian Canoe Federation - Ilya Pervukhin (born July, 6, 1991) is a Russian sprint canoeist. He was the winner of the World and European junior championships. He won gold medals at the European Championships in 2011 and 2013. Ilya Pervukhin won a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the C-2 1000m event. He represents the Tver’ region and the Republic of Bashkortostan.

How have you been working on the distance needed for the final part of the race?
To cater for the distance we’ve been doing “our planned paddling” in training sessions. The race weather had a fair wind which facilitated our good result. I always paddle well with Alexey when there is fair wind. So, this time I’m satisfied with our time result in this race. 

What result did you expect? Did you plan to get the European Championship’s gold medal?
Well, we were always aiming for our best result. Realistically though, all our rivals in the final race were very strong as the European paddlers always dominate on the international podium.  We expected at least a silver or bronze medal, and of course we dreamed about a gold medal. In fact it was very difficult to achieve this result. We had really strong rivalry with the Hungarian crew, but this time we were fortunate to get a gold medal for our national canoe team.

To whom would you dedicate this victory?
I dedicate this victory to all who cheer for us. As it turned out we have many fans and amateurs. I’ve been pleased to find out that many junior and master paddlers watched us carefully. Thank you all for your support. We really need it! I also dedicate this victory to all my friends and relatives.

That’s your first time racing on this venue. Did you like the venue and the competition organization?
The team accommodation was excellent; we had rooms with ocean views and they were very beautiful. I’m totally satisfied with the organization of the competitions. Unfortunately, the location of the canal is not very good. Most of the time there is wind from the right hand side and when it is a high wind the athletes have an advantage if they compete in the lanes closer to the bank. The winner is usually the athlete who is luckier with the lane in this race. So, it is not really fair.

Ilya, what are your plans for the near future? There are many important competitions you need to compete in this season. Do you plan to compete with Alexey in all the competitions or do you want to concentrate on the most important races?
We’ve already declined competing in the U23 Canoe Sprint European Championships. We plan to compete in Universiade. Then we are going to prepare for the Russian National Championships and after that we will compete in the U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Canada.

Your crew mate Alexey Korovashkov is also competing with Ivan Shtyl’ in the C-2 500m, are you concerned by this? Would you like to compete in C-2 500m instead of Ivan Shtyl’?
No, I’m not concerned at all. I know that Alexey and I can compete in C-2 500m, but I prefer the Olympic disciplines.  My aim is the 1000m, and I like to concentrate only on this distance.

Who will be your rivals in the C-2 1000m in the World Championships in Duisburg?
I think we will have much the same rivals but there will also be the Canadian crew who beat us at the 3rd World Cup in Poznan. There are very strong crews from China and Cuba who competed in the Olympics too. Of course there will be the German C-2 who are the Olympic Champions but they only compete in C-4 now because one of them has injured his shoulder. As far as I know, it will be selection races to the World Championships soon in Germany and they will try their best to represent their team in C-2. So, we have many strong rivals and that’s why we need to train hard.

Your coach is your father. Is it easy to work with him? Is your father always supportive of you?
There are definitely more advantages than disadvantages. My father always supports me because we have a good relationship. He tries not to pay more attention to me than to the other paddlers. At training we always discuss any problem and try to solve it together.

When I was a junior he always worried too much about me and he always expected much from me. Parents always expect much from their children, they want us to be the best. I understand him. Now everything is good.

Have you ever wished to become a coach, the same as your father?
No, till now I haven’t wished that. In future I would like to be connected with the sport. I would like to improve canoeing in my region – Tver’. Maybe I will open my own school of canoeing. I have many ideas, but I don’t want to be a coach. I know what it means to be a coach and I do not want to spend so much time away from my family. 

What would you wish for all your colleague-athletes and fans?
My wish for them is to live a healthy life, to enjoy the sport and to encourage their children to have a go at canoeing. Good luck to everybody! Thank you!