Olga Barkalova started working as the head coach of the WAG national team in Azerbaijan this year. She was previously one of the coaches (and a de-facto head coach at times) of the Belorussian WAG team and part of the effort to revive Belorussian women’s gymnastics. She gave an interview to Sputnik about her first weeks in Azerbaijan and her hopes for the program.
Q: How did you react to the offer to become the head WAG coach of the Azerbaijanian team?
A: Honestly, it was a surprise to get the offer to head Azerbaijan’s national team. It was really nice that I was trusted with such a position and that with my abilities and knowledge, I can help Azerbaijanian gymnastics to get results.
Q: Can you compare the level of Azerbaijanian and Belorussian artistic gymnastics?
A: At the moment, the level of artistic gymnastics is higher in Belarus than in Azerbaijan. We had really good coaches, a good team was created, athletes won medals at big competitions, at World Cups. That is, there’s growth, youth gymnastics is streamlined, and many coaches are working towards the future, in order to have a long reserve bench and have additions to it all the time.
Of course, I want artistic gymnastics in Azerbaijan to develop in the same direction, so that there’s always a constant stream of young athletes, so that healthy competition is created and the team could compete with the favorites and perform at a high level. At the same time, I was very impressed by the conditions for artistic gymnastics in Azerbaijan. There are really good gym and equipment. There’s everything necessary, including recovery centers, saunas, and massages. That is, the gymnasts are provided with absolutely everything they need for proper training and recovery.
Q: How much time will the Azerbaijanian team need to reach the level of Belarus or even Russia?
A: In Belarus, we needed no less than five years in order to track and select the best kids and create a centralized training program, so that they would train together in one place, and also to bring together a team of coaches. It was very costly in terms of both time and resources. In order to reach Russia’s level, there is a need for large numbers of coaches and we’re talking about very qualified specialists. In any case, Russia has many regions, there’s a lot of competition and many good coaches. Of course, the Soviet school of gymnastics has a legacy and the coaches are not stuck in one place. Every coach is working on themselves, striving to achieve something. It’s hard to say how much time Azerbiajan would need to reach Russia’s level.
Q: Do you plan on visiting Azerbaijan’s regions in order to find talented gymnasts?
A: Of course, I want to visit the regions and sports schools and see what training plans the local coaches use. In any case I will probably need to correct something and steer them towards the current level of gymnastics in order for them to give the kids the right basics and techniques. Everything a gymnast learns as a kid will stay with her throughout her life. So, I would really like to see kids from the regions often in order to select the best. In Belarus, little kids would usually go to training camps and their coaches would get certain tasks to do with their athletes. Then there would be a local competition to evaluate their level and the progress they’ve made recently. In any case, I would like to do all that in Azerbaijan because you can’t raise the level of artistic gymnastics without basic training.
Q: Azerbaijan has one Olympic WAG spot earned by Marina Nekrasova. What do you think about her prospects at the Games?
A: Of course, we’ll hope that she’ll be able to make the [vault] final in Tokyo. Generally, she’s capable of it.
Q: Can she fight for an Olympic medal?
A: Of course, any athlete that gets to the Olympic Games hopes to win a medal there. That’s the biggest dream for any athlete. Marina is an independent athlete who has a lot of experience. I think she also set a goal for herself to win an Olympic medal. I think that on vault, she can fight for both making the final and winning a medal.
The past year affected many athletes. Due to the pandemic, there were no competitions and proper training was interrupted. Of course, the postponement of the Olympic Games also had an effect [on athletes]. In any case, Marina and I will do everything possible in order to make this dream come true. Everything’s possible, you need to give maximum effort and desire and it’s also necessary for the stars to align – to have the right level of preparation and for the health not to let you down.
Q: Were you able to walk around Baku? What do you think of it?
A: Before now, I’ve visited Baku three times but it was during competitions and, you know, it’s not ideal for sighteseeing, there’s never enough time. I saw from the bus window that there’s construction and renovation in the city, it’s clear that Azerbaijanians love their capital. I really like Baku, the people are nice here. I feel very comfortable here.
