After the Olympics, David Belyavskiy became very famous in the city of Yekaterinburg where he lives. In addition to multiple interviews with the local media, Belyavskiy also became an ambassador of the 2023 Universiade which Yekaterinburg will host. Belyavskiy talked to Stolnik about the Olympics, the increase in popularity, and why he doesn’t want to move to Moscow.
Q: A question from those who aren’t into sports – how come there’s an Olympic champion in our city? Why are you still in Yekaterinburg and not in Moscow?
A: Moscow doesn’t interest me. There are a lot of people there. And if I’ll live in Moscow, I’ll be one of the many Olympic champions. In Yekaterinburg, I’m the only one like that – a gold Olympic champion from Tokyo 2020. I like living here – I have my friends, my business, my people, and a comfortable life. I’ve been invited to move to Moscow many times, there are many people and opportunities there. But what for? I have everything here.
Q: Everyone knows great football or hockey players, or other players from other game sports, but you don’t even get recognized on the street by most. Does this upset you?
A: Actually, when I was walking to this meeting with you, two people congratulated me on the victory at the Games. I guess the Olympic uniform betrayed me, but still. Or, yesterday, I was in my car, and a man in a Mercedes next to me waved and honked at me. There’s usually hype for some time after the Olympics, I was recently on national TV. A couple months later, everyone forgets everything and no one remembers. You have to understand that it depends not on my personality, but on the sport in general. While gymnastics is shown [on TV] once a year, you can watch football, hockey, or basketball every week. That’s where the recognition comes from. Fortunately, artistic gymnastics is being shown on TV more lately. This is progress and steps into the right direction.
Q: How often people message you on social media and, most importantly, what do they write?
A: My wife started sorting through the direct messages on Instagram after Tokyo and in a few days, she managed to sort through only a week worth if messages. We are looking at them together, trying to reply to most people and checking out some offers. Sometimes, there’s negativity but I don’t react to it.
Q: Where is the negativity coming from? What can you be accused of? Surely not of getting millions in salary and being indifferent?
A: It can be absolutely ridiculous. People write: “You [compete] without the flag!” But does it have to do with us? I don’t even respond to such stuff. People are different and I don’t see the point in trying to change their minds. Some are throwing insults like “Wimp! You’re finished fifth at the Olympics!” But I’m thinking, isn’t the fifth place good as well? You’re among the best and strongest, it’s just that at the moment, someone is better prepared than you. There are such extremes – either incredible love, or incredible hate [towards athletes].
Q: What did you think of the Tokyo games? I’m not talking about the gold or your medal haul now, but about the atmosphere around them, considering the current situation.
A: The Olympics are usually a celebration for the participants and spectators. And it didn’t quite look like a celebration in Japan. You can’t go here, you can’t go there. We did PCR tests every day and had the same route – gym-village-gym. We didn’t see anything else. It’s hard to live according to such a schedule for 14 days, especially when you’re thinking about the competition and demand good results from yourself. We wanted more celebrations at the stands, support, so that there would be someone for us to wave at and to share the joy of the victory with. Although, Elena Isinbayeva was there who cheered hard enough for fifty spectators. And people from other sports who also tried to support us. Well, at least we had that.
Q: I’m a newbie in artistic gymnastics and my question might seem naive but what’s cooler – to win an individual or a team medal? Don’t say that it’s the same!
A: For me, team competitions were always the priority and my individual goals were overshadowed by that. We first had the team final, then the all-around, and then the individual finals. The guys and I agreed from the start that we would give our all in the team final and then whatever happens happens. It’s cool to win as a team because when you earn medals together, you’re a team of Olympic champions! There’s a feeling of unity, there’s someone to share the joy with and you’re responsible for each other. Even if we’re talking about numbers, there are 18 routines in the team final. Any mistake can cost the medal. So everyone has to be perfect. And we managed that! To commemorate this victory, I got an Olympic rings tattoo on my arm. Now they’ll always be with me.
Q: You have a silver and a bronze from the 2016 Olympics. It’s a major honor but still, it’s not a gold. How do you deal with this situation when you realize that you’re one of the best but there’s someone better than you right now?
A: If we’re talking specifically about the Rio Olympics, we did the best we could there. We went there to win medals and the third place would also be success. When we came to Tokyo, we knew that only the first place would satisfy us.
Q: You don’t have just Olympic medals in your stash but tens of other World and European medals. What will motivate you in the future?
A: Helping the team. If the team will need me, I want to and am ready to help. If there will be young athletes stronger than me, I will accept it. But if I’ll stay among the best, I’ll continue giving it my all and train to have the best competitions. I’d like to compete in Paris and take my daughter there. My wife and I planned to take her to Tokyo but it ended up impossible because of the pandemic. So, in three years, I’ll take her to the Games and to Disneyland.
Q: If we’re talking about your daughter, tell me about how she watched the Olympics.
A: My daughter is proud of me. She tells everyone in her kindergarten that her dad is an Olympic champion. She’s not much of a spectator but if you tell her that dad is competing on TV, she stops, watches, recognizes me and is happy for me. She doesn’t fully understand what’s going on but she always supports me. For example, before the Tokyo games, my wife and daughter gave me a piece of paper with their palms traced on it. Under it, they wrote that they’re with me despite the distance.
Q: And the last thing – what’s next, after a great sports career?
A: We’ll try to develop gymnastics here, in the Urals, in the Sverdlovsk region. I’d like to have a normal gym here in which high-level athletes could train. The current ones are not suitable. I, for example, can’t train there, the equipment is not of the right level and quality and there gyms are always fully booked, there’s not enough time for everyone. I think we’ll try to fix it somehow in the future. Perhaps, we’ll be able to do some work in this area by the time of the 2023 Universiade.
