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| Photo from Nigel Chadwick |
Hence, it is hardly surprising that the recently concluded Russian National Championships in Chekosbary featured so much depth. The top six athletes all had personal bests of beyond seven meters. Yelena Sokolova Елена Соколова won gold with a best mark of 7.06m. Anna Nazarova Анна Назарова (6.88m), Lyudmila Kolchanova Людмила Колчанова (6.87m), Olga Kucherenko Ольга Кучеренко (6.81m), Darya Klishina Дарья Клишина (6.81m) and Kotova (6.66m) rounded up the next five places.
For all the advantages of having a solid field, it is also a selector's nightmare.
As a big Darya fan, I am particularly concerned about her Olympic prospects*. Nazarova, Kucherenko and Sokolova are amongst the very best long jumpers this season. Although Klishina is a veteran of several major championships and is the reigning European Indoor Champion, the credentials of the aforesaid jumpers are not particularly far behind.
Read: "Darya Klishina and Superb Senora"
Read: "Darya Klishina and Superb Senora"
I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for decision favorable to Darya. A healthy Klishina has what it takes to leap the winning distances in major events.
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So the decision has been taken not to take Darya in the Russian Olympic team, with statements from the Russian coaches that “the 3 strongest athletes will go to London” and, about Darya, that “it is high-time now that she becomes a grown-up athlete”.
ReplyDeleteFirst it is nonsense to say that Kolchanova is stronger than Darya on the basis of only one competition. Second, my opinion is that these people just hide behind principles a posteriori and that they wanted first to give a lesson to Darya, and this is not about sport really. Moreover, what are the rules ?? In the U.S. trials, the first 3 of the competition go to the Games and that’s all !! There is no debate or considerations about a young athlete needing to grow up !! So :
- If the criteria is talent, potential and experience of international competition, the choice for the 3rd athlete should have been Darya ;
- If the criteria is the best outdoor performance for 2012, the choice should have been Olga Kucherenko (7,03m) ;
- We were not in the US trial rules, and the coaches made the final decision.
Of course Darya failed to jump 7 m in Tcheboksary but she did the best job she could at the moment. The coaches did’nt : their job is to give the best chances to their country in the Olympics, and it is clear that they did something else for women long jump.
So what ? Darya will have to wait for 4 years, and perhaps it was the purpose : in this case the collateral victim is Olga and it is not fair. Darya has been training hard for 8 years now, since she is with Olga Shemigon, and she is dropped for 7cm on one competition, on a not-so-clear basis. Perhaps 12 years of training will be enough to consider her as a “grown up athlete”? And, if the sports rules were so clear, what was the need for such comments ?
I'm gutted for Darya. The good thing is, she's still young. And the 2013 World Championships are just around the corner.
DeleteYes, it’ only on year ahead……I hope that the Russian team will not suffer from this decision and that Nazarova and Sokolova will end on the podium !! I have nothing personal against Kolchanova, who at 33 has a long career at international level behind her, never went to the Games and this was her last opportunity for sure (probably and argument for the coaches who made the decision….). But she was absolutely nowhere in the charts this year; she comes back to Russian trials and goes to the Games on one jump. I sincerely hope for her that she will be also a finalist on August 8th.
ReplyDeleteYeah. The Russians have the luxury of a deep long jump field.
DeletePost-Olympic epilogue : Many thanks to Sokolova who won the silver medal in London. She saved the Russian team from a total failure by setting a new PB with 7,07m. But Nazarova and Kolchanova performed below 6,80m, with less than average series of jumps and never approached the podium. This leaves lots of regrets for Darya, and for Olga Kucherenko as well. Considering the national potential in the women long jump, the composition of the London podium can’t be considered as a great achievement for Russia. But damaging Darya’s rising career and reducing the “fuss around her”, as the chief coach V. Maslakov nicely said, has been clearly achieved with great success. There was a dispute among the coaches before the decision to drop Darya. The coaches who argued for her were not sponsored by IMG or Nike, or bewitched by her green eyes. They just thought that they should give a chance to the most talented athlete, and that a 6cm difference on one jump was not a serious argument against that. They were right.
DeleteGood luck Darya at Olympics in London. At WC NEWS we love you! Here is awesome gallery dedicated to Darya: http://www.wc-news.com/olympic-games-2012-in-london-darya-klishina-photo-gallery/
ReplyDelete