TODAY.AZ / Sports

Oleg Stepko: Sport is my first priority in life

12 January 2015 [14:46] - TODAY.AZ

/By AzerNews/

By Amina Nazarli

Bringing together a variety of sports, the first-ever European Games will be held in Baku in the summer 2015. Men's artistic gymnastics is one of many disciplines that will be held during the Games.

Men’s artistic gymnastics began its development in Azerbaijan, in the 1930s of the last century. The country’s first championship was held in Baku in 1939, and Valery Belenky won the title of the most famous Azerbaijani gymnast of the last century.

Today, Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation continues to develop this sport. To this end, it holds various competitions among the junior gymnasts, and the opening of new gymnastics sections throughout the country gives reason to hope that in the future the country will have many strong gymnasts.

Just some months left to the games, the press service of the Federation has done an interview with the World Cup bronze winner and Azerbaijan’s champion Oleg Stepko. He is one of the contenders to represent the country in this large-scale sporting event.

Question: Tell us how you started to do gymnastics. Why did you choose this sport?

Answer: In fact, at first I did two sports at the same time - gymnastics and swimming. A little later, I had to make a choice - and I chose gymnastics. Maybe my body was more appropriate for this sport. Moreover my coach said I can achieve good results in gymnastics.

Q: How about other sports?

A: I think I could not. Well, unfortunately, I have no free time even to try other sports.

Q: How do you deal with your emotions on the competition day? Is there any special secret of self-control?
A: At each competition, I feel different. Each of them is perceived differently. It is impossible to experience the same emotions at various competitions. It also happens that there are no emotions at all. I am just doing my program and then leave.

Q: What do you view as the most important element in gymnastics?
A: I think that the inner desire is the most important thing in gymnastics. You can even make an athlete of an untalented man, if only there is a will. Physical abilities are another factor.

Q: How dangerous is it to engage in professional sports?
A: Each sport is traumatic, but I still think that gymnastics is the most traumatic one. From childhood, we are taught how to avoid the slightest injury, and even when the newcomers come, they are given the same instructions that the coach taught us earlier.

Q: Do you have any idol in the sport?
A: An idol is an exaggeration, rather there are just people who have attained great success and are well-known in the world for their achievements. They give me an incentive to achieve good results. For example boxer Vasyl Lomachenko, and other athletes. They are professionals who show good results.

Q: Tell us about your sports plans for the near future.
A: I do not want to think and talk about it in advance. An important year is ahead, many major events will be held; the next to be held in March is the Azerbaijan’s Open Championships and then - the European Championships, the European Games and World Championships, as well as the World Cup. Therefore, it will be a hard year and I do not want to plan any particular result. I do not want to say something but act another one.

Q: What do European Games mean for you and how do you prepare for them?
A: The European Games for me is the same event as the European Championships; it is just large scale and a grand event, as there are a lot of sports. Later I will begin to prepare specifically for the games, as there is still four months left and in addition there are other competitions.

Q: If you stay a little bit away from the sport - do you have any aspirations or dreams that you want to implement?
A: I do not know… in addition to sports, there is simply a desire to sleep. I have no more desire to be engaged in something else, as trainings take all my time and power. Regarding the plans for the future - I do not think about this, because sport is the main priority in my life.

Q: Are you able to harmonize sport with normal life?
A: It is hard, but sometimes I manage to do so.

Q: Do you have a loved one?
A: I have no time for a personal life and I believe that as long as one does a professional career, personal life is better to be sidelined. No one will tolerate a man who is constantly engaged in trainings. So, it is necessary to look for someone in the same career.

Q: What do your fans usually shout and what you want to hear from them?
A: I do not have any fan yet and I think the fans usually cheer for their country rather than the athlete.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/sports/138255.html

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