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17.07.07
ROMAN SADOROZHNY: "Just the real participation in the World fencing championship will show what our national team capable of"

During the preparation campaign of the Ukrainian national fencing team for the next World championship, which is held at the CSKA sports base, we managed to meet and to talk to Roman Zadorozhny. The point is that Roman Ivanovich is the farther and a personal coach of Olga Zadorozhna, the silver medalist of the European Cadets' championship in individual events and the silver medalist of the World junior championship in team events.

– In what mood do you prepare for the forthcoming World championship?
At the next World championship Olga is going to take part in the cadets' group for the last time. In 2007 an experimental championship of Europe took place for this category of fencers. We took part in it and were ranked second.
On the one hand, it was for sure a quite remarkable result. But, on the other hand, we missed a good chance to win against an Italian sportswoman in the final. I believe that at the next championship Olga will manage to fulfil completely her potential. It should be her exhibition performance at the last championship, in which she still will be able to take part as a cadet.

– How mach is Olga ready to take part in the world championship?
As a fencer and as a sportswoman Olga is absolutely unpredictable. Her chances to win depend on many factors. I hope that we will be proud of her performance. First of all, it depends on the training program to be realized at the CSKA sports base, on the presence of high-professional partners, etc. We pin our hopes on this cadets' contest, at which Olga, I guess, will be able to display her potential. But, she also should display her character at the junior events, in which she is going to take part as well.

– Don't you think that such loads may have a negative impact on her performance?
There is no need to worry about our training program. As a matter of fact, Olga is a combative spirit. Of course, fencing is not an easy sport. It is even more than a sport.
If it is hard for her, Olga tries to do her best to score a success. She always exerts herself to the limit. This girl is reliable in all respects. Olga is displaying not only high sports results, but also excellent school results aiming at gaining a gold medal.
At the coming World championship of cadets' age Olga should at least get into eight world-best fencers. Last year, when taking part in the Cadets' contest and fighting with rivals who where one year older than she, Olga at once got into the first sixteenth.
Now, she is faced with a more difficult task. Though this time Olga will have to fight in a team with girls who are by three and more years older than she, we all expect from her a better performance. When feeling an encouragement from her team, she can summon her strength and brace herself.

– What changes have been taking place in Olga's sports life for the last year?
Not every sportsman is able to show his or her worth at once. I am glad that Olga managed to do it. So, within the last year she succeeded in making a significant breakthrough.
To a large degree, she owes her success Dmitry Reislin. Last December we came for the first time to our team practice session. At this team practice session Dmitry Igorevich noticed that Olga was fencing and defending herself quite well. So, he decided to give her a chance.
In March Reislin took Olga to an adult contest in Germany and she did not let down. Originally, Olga's main task was to go out of her group. And she had done it and moreover she passed the next bout. When fighting with an adult French sportswoman, she lost only one hit. It was a pleasant surprize for all us because nobody expected from her such a result.
Thereafter, Olga became more self-confident and self-assertive. Then, there had been a contest of strong sportswomen - an adult event. I was carried out in two stages according the old non-Olympic program. This time Olga fenced so confident that according the results of two bouts she ranked fifth – it was a quite good result. Last year Olga just burst into the national junior team, as the saying goes, by catching the last train.
Today, Olga already fences both in a cadet and in a junior group. Recently she was ranked second in the national fencing team.
Another significant positive impact on Olga's sporting career has been made by Vadim Markovich Hutsait. He also managed to detect Olga's talent in proper time and gave her a chance to reveal herself.
Well, we received a powerful backing to make a good start and now we are to do a hard work with a final stable positive result.

– Are there any changes in the preparation of the national team for the championship to be held this year?
Team practice sessions before each event are carried out each year. In 2006 our training session took place in Koncha Saspa by Kiev. There are worse training conditions than those at the CSKA sports base. It has a smaller hall, so the sportswomen were not able to implement their training program for all fencing weapons. The sports base in Koncha Saspa proved to be too small for training of four teams. As a result we got a very inconvenient training time-table that finally had a negative impact on the level of training on the whole.
At the CSKA sports base we have modern training equipment, a spacious renovated hall and a required number of pistes or fencing mats. In other words, there are all required conditions for high-level training of sportsmen. Besides, we do not feel any lack of time because we have a free training schedule that provides for enough psychological adaptation. Nobody is in haste as we see that we have enough time and so we can concentrate on our training and make a good job.

– What can you say about our new national fencing team?
I am positive: today we have a very good and combat-ready team.
For instance, Olena Krivitska, a gifted fencer, is making progress. She got a chance to show her worth and she has not missed it. Olena displayed her great skills at two events of the World Cup (for adults) by demonstrating her fighting qualities.
Unfortunately, today our national team has not Katya Blokhina because she sustained a serious back injury and now she has to undergo a course of medical treatment and rehabilitation. It is not only her problem. The whole team feels Katya's absence, and we miss her very much.
All our sportswomen, who are included in the junior national team of Ukraine, have been medalists of World Cup events during this year. Just an example: Oleksandra Firsova, a pupil of Dmitro Reislin, was ranked third on the Golden Gate Tournament.
In this connection I would like just to remember our participation in other events of the World Cup. One of them took place in Bratislava where Olga Sadorozhna won the bronze medal.
Olena Krivitska took part in several fencing events for adults, inclusive that being held in Bratislava. She got into a group of sixteen and according to the rating she was included in the national team.
Remarkable is: the less time had been left till the next World championship, the more often the fencing events took place. It was really a king of trial. Those, who proved to have more stamina and enduring energy, were included into the national team.

– How can you forecast the performance of our national team?
It is really not easy to predict something for the World championship. Moreover, today we have not a stable team. Only Olga Zadorozhna is left from all those fencers who took part in the last World championship. Yana Shemyakina left for the adult sport. Katya Blokhina can not take part as well. As I mentioned before, they two have been most reliable and time-proved key sportswomen of our national team.
At the same time, the appearance of Olena Krivitska, who took part in the 2004 World championship in Bulgaria, at which she delivered a good performance, can be considered great success. Olena has a substantial potential and she can make further progress.
In principle, much pleasant words can be said about each member of our national team. Everyone has good prospects and chances for prize-winning places. But, only future fencing contests and the real participation in the World championship can show what our national team is capable of.

– Thank you for talking!

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