Article from Glos Wielkopolski | Translation to English by Monika Marczak - Interview with Tomasz Kryk, the Poznań coach of the women’s kayak team, which brought a gold, two silvers and a bronze back from the World Championships in Moscow.

The competitors take to the podium, while the coach is always in the background. It's not just that he's always in their shadow, but he also has to put up with their changing moods...
I've gotten accustomed to working with women. However, I'm not sure that they have gotten used to my thankless role. Simply put, sometimes I have to be their 'overseer'. I don't make it easy for them, but I hope that they know that without me meddling in some matters, there would be no medals at the Olympics or World Championships. Every day I teach them about competitiveness, paying attention to detail, and I do everything I can to prevent them falling into structure or monotony.

Last season you arranged a change of scene for them. There are already legends circulating about the alpine camp in Livigno...
The assumptions were that it was supposed to be a novel and important stage of preparations for the European and World Championships. In addition to this, we trained in good company, because at the same time a famous Spanish cyclist – Alberto Contador – was staying there. Before the actual start of the World Championships in Moscow, we went to Szeged in Hungary, where the weather conditions were very similar to those in Russia's capital. Therefore, the girls weren't surprised by either the temperature or humidity at the Krylatskoye course. 



Besides you, who else has contributed to the girls' success?
The national team has 11 people, including eight competitors, myself, doctor Andrzej Rakowski and physiotherapist Tomasz Wichniarek. However, we wouldn't get far without the people we collaborate with. I'm talking about the physiologist from the Sports Institute in Warsaw – Dr Dariusz Sitkowski – and two competitive sports specialists from Poznań's CityZen – Bogumił Głuszkowski and Dr Tomasz Garsztka.



The President of Polski Związek Kajakowy (Polish Canoe Federation) – Józef Bejnarowicz – has good reason to take care of the women's team, because in comparison with the men's team, it doesn't disappoint. However, this doesn't mean, that you can afford everything?
Of course we could expand the group to include even a meteorologist, who regularly accompanies the French, Germans and Hungarians at competitions, but I don't like to complain. As it is, I have reservations about Warsaw's media and the politics of the Ministry of Sport, which provides symbolic resources for canoeing in comparison to athletics or volleyball. In this respect, we have a long way to go to catch up to Hungary, where canoeing is one of the five national sports.



The undisputed star of the national team in Moscow was Marta Walczykiewicz from Kalisz, who won gold in the 4x200m relay and two silvers – one in the K1 200 and one in the K4 500. What happened to make her form explode at the most-crucial moment?
The camp in Livigno helped Marta. Her performance parameters improved slowly but systematically. That's why the poor results during training in Szeged weren't too worrisome. I was more worried about how she would deal with transitioning from a K4 to a K1 than about her form. In the end, she did great. It's good that Marta has ambitions to one day surpass Lisa Carrington, but we must remember that the New Zealander might be like Usain Bolt among sprinters on the track. She might be so talented that she will falter only occasionally. 



This season she was conquered by Ewelina Wojnarowska at the World Cup in Račice. Why didn't the girl from Poznań repeat this result in Moscow?
People only remember places and results, but in Moscow Ewelina paddled the first half of the 500m as a medal contender. Perhaps she hadn't yet mentally matured to great achievements, but she also has huge potential and might use it at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Until that time, however, a lot can change and not only in the hierarchy of our seniors. Our young talent, which won silver at the under-23 World Championships and gold at the Junior World Championships, is hot on their heels.
 

Also read: "Marta Walczykiewicz: I trusted the coach and after the warm up, my form exploded!"

For all Moscow 2014 results visit: www.sportscene.tv/flatwater/canoe-sprint/result-archive