Alexey Nemov talked to SportExpress about his main gymnastics highlights of the year.
Q: What was the main gymnastics highlight of the last year for you?
A: Definitely the World Championships in Stuttgart where the Russian men’s team won team gold for the first time ever and Nikita Nagornyy became the World all-around champion. Imagine, for two years in a row, our guys have been proving they’re the strongest gymnasts in the world. It’s an amazing result. Especially, considering that only 10 years ago we couldn’t even dream of something like that. The women’s team did great as well – they won silver, losing only to the American team which is being carried by Simone Biles.
Q: Who would you give an award “Athlete of the Year”?
A: I’d like to acknowledge many people – Averina sisters, Alina Zagitova, Artem Dzyuba, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Daniil Medvedev. This year, I think, Russian athletes established themselves more firmly than ever and achieved great results. But for me, personally, the person of the year is Oksana Chusovitina who officially qualified to her eighth Olympics this year! It’s just a unique situation. I can only applaud her attitude towards the sport and her phenomenal character.
Q: What can you say about WADA’s high-profile decision to ban Russia from the Olympics?
A: It’s a tragedy for the whole Russian sports community. I feel extremely bad for the people whose Olympic medals are getting taken away right under their noses. The people who have been working day after day with no rest for the past four years, proving their superiority at World Championships, regularly being tested for doping. They are simply deprived of their dreams! It’s not fair. The problem of doping is not exclusively Russian but, for some reason, we are the ones punished to make an example. We’ve been through this whole story already. We were accused, banned, then re-checked, and it turned out there was no proof… All in all, I really hope that our Olympic Committee will manage to get justice and the athletes will compete at the Olympics in Tokyo under the Russian flag.
Q: How did this year go for you?
A: It was eventful which is quite nice. First, the project of open artistic gymnastics master classes in different Russian regions is actively growing. This year, we held such events in Saint Petersburg, Saransk, and Khabarovsk for the first time and, traditionally, in Moscow and my native Tolyatti. Second, there were several major sports events in which we participated actively in order to promote artistic gymnastics. For example, the “Moscow Sport” celebration and Moscow City Day at Luzhniki, there were special stands with autograph and photo sessions with our famous athlete. And third, holding the gymnastics show “Legends of Sport” which takes almost half a year to prepare.
Q: What are you feeling after the show, are you satisfied with the results?
A: I guess, as any athlete, I am never completely satisfied. It always seems that something could have been done better – to reach further here, to jump higher there. But, generally, I think that the project “Legends of sport” got to a completely new level. The show ended up being spectacular and vivid. Since 2019 was the Theater year in Russia, we set a goal for ourselves not just to show the athletic talents of our gymnasts, acrobats, and trampolinists, but to reveal their artistic talents as well. It was clear that the athletes also really like this creative component. And, most importantly, the spectators did, too. This year, we had a sold out arena on both days. For us, that’s the main indicator of the work we’ve done. And, of course, I would like to thank all our partners for their help and support. This project would not have taken place without them.
Q: Not everyone sees the importance of doing sports and, generally, living healthy. How do you think it would be possible to change this attitude towards oneself and one’s health?
A: The older a person is, the harder it is for them to change something in themselves, in their habits. There’s no magic way to make you wake up in the morning and decide: “That’s it, I’ll do sports from now on”. Everyone has their one “launch” button – some start thinking about their health, some – about their looks, some want company. Of course, it’s important to talk more about the benefits of sports in the media, to organize events, open talks. But the most important thing, I think, is developing children’s sports. If a child is used to doing sports, they will keep the love for it for the rest of their lives.
Q: I know that your children are also doing sports. Are you have with their results?
A: I’ve never set a goal of raising elite athletes out of them. But, as a father, I think that there absolutely should be sports in children’s lives. It’s not just the guarantee of health but also developing the willpower, character, and discipline. Aleksey has been doing modern dance for many years now. Dima started in gymnastics and does karate now.
Q: What’s the hardest part about raising a little athlete, in your opinion?
A: Patience and looking for balance. On one hand, you can’t put too much pressure or break the child, but you also can’t let the events take their own course. And, of course, you need to know how to let your kids go. The life of an athlete consists of training camps, practices, and competitions. I saw my coach more often than my mom. She would worry about me a lot but she understood.
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