Dmitri Lankin was one of the Russian gymnasts that were selected for the Friendship and Solidarity competition in Tokyo. For a long time, he had been seen as an event specialist which would limit his chances to go to the Olympics. He is now trying to establish himself as an all-arounder and to solidify his place on the Russian men’s team. While Nikita Nagornyy and Artur Dalaloyan went to Japan as the Russian team’s indisputable leaders, Lankin and Alexey Rostov were sent to test them and give them more competition experience. Lankin talked about the unusual competition to TeamRussia.
A: We landed in Tokyo on Thursday. Then, we trained for two days and tried the equipment in the arena where the competition took place. On Sunday, we competed, and on Monday, we came back home. Everything went rather quickly.
Q: Did you see the competition in Tokyo as a comeback after a long break in competitions or as a test before the Olympic Games?
A: Both. On one hand, we missed competing. On another, we were curious to see how Japan plans on organizing the Olympic Games with all the precautions. Also, the unusual competition format with two mixed international teams was interesting.
Q: On which events did you compete?
A: Floor, vault, rings, and parallel bars.
Q: And how did it go?
A: I did well on three out of four events and fell on bars but, in general, was happy.
Q: What place did you finish in?
A: Officially, there were no places. The scores for events were added together and then the men’s and women’s scores were added together. On some events, there were many gymnasts – eight from the team, on some – the minimum number. The three highest scores were counted. If we’re comparing scores, I had the best score on floor and also on vault where Nagornyy and I had the same score. I think, on rings, I had the third best score. So, my scores counted for the team on three out of the four events I did.
Q: Kohei Uchimura, the 2012 and 2016 all-around Olympic champion, was on your team. Do you think he plans to defend his title?
A: I am sure that Uchimura really wants to compete at the home Olympics. This would be a beautiful final of a great athlete’s career. But it will all depend on his readiness. He only competed on three events now.
Q: Meanwhile, Nagornyy got the highest score in the all-around, right?
A: According to the scores, yes. But the all-around scores didn’t matter for the team score.
Q: Were you given medals as the winners?
A: All participants got them no matter the results. And athletes were the ones giving medals to each other. We all got medals and then gymnasts from different teams and countries would step out in the middle – a Russian and a Japanese or an American and a Chinese. One would put the medal on the other’s neck. For example, I exchanged medals with an American gymnast. All the participants were considered winners! After all, the main goal of the competition was to prove that despite the difficult circumstances, athletes still meet and compete and the Tokyo Olympics should definitely happen next summer.
Q: How strict were the safety measures?
A: The organizers tried to exclude even the smallest risks. Before flying to Tokyo, we spent three weeks at the training center and did three tests. We took a private plane both there and back, so, only our delegation was on the plane. We did PCR tests daily. And, by the way, after landing in Moscow, we were also tested right at the airport. At the hotel in Tokyo, we got a separate floor where no one else was allowed. Other teams had their own floors.
Q: At least you weren’t quarantined in your rooms. In the beginning of the summer, athletes who came by plane, couldn’t leave their rooms at Round Lake until the second negative tests. Even their food was left at the door.
A: Here we got single rooms but we were allowed to see other delegation members and go down to the dining hall. At the same time, we weren’t allowed to leave the hotel. We only left it to train or to compete.
Q: Spending four days like that is one things but doing it for more than two weeks during the Olympics…
A: Everyone’s mentally ready that you’d need to stay in an enclosed area if you want to compete at the Olympics.
Q: Sometimes, international teams are created at the Youth Olympic Games in order for athletes who will later meet as adults to get to know each other and build trust. Did you talk to athletes from other countries?
A: It was prohibited during training. For example, while athletes from one country trained on high bar, the others were on pommel horse. Only during the competition, we got an opportunity to greet each other and talk.
Q: Did you see many people you knew?
A: Not really. Mostly among the Japanese, because the USA and China sent less known gymnasts to Tokyo whom they wanted to test them, I guess.
Q: Did you form an opinion on how intent Japan is to host the 2021 Olympics?
A: The contacts were very limited, there was no banquet after the competition, but after the medal ceremony, heads of the Japanese organizing committee gave speeches. They emphasized that the competition proved that Tokyo is ready to host the games in the set dates with minimal risks for people’s health.
Q: Were you happy with the trip?
A: I liked the competition. Of course, it would have been nice to see the city not just from the bus’ window on the way to the arena and back. But not this time. I hope I’ll have another opportunity to do so.
Photo: Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation
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