Last week, Kazakhstan's national team at the UCI track Cycling returned from the Asian Championships with 8 prize medals, two of which were won by experienced tanovic, participant of the Olympic games in Rio Artem Zakharov. He won bronze medals in the individual pursuit race and in his" crown " discipline – Omnium. The remaining 6 medals belong to juniors - they managed to Excel both in the pace and in the sprint, while in the elite Kazakh sprinters, despite the persistent struggle, did not achieve the podium. 

Recall that the sprint on the cycle track is a direction in Kazakhstan, though not new, but for some period of time unfairly forgotten. At the beginning of last year, being a promising sport - 3 types of sprint races are included in the program of the Olympic games - sprint disciplines again developed. Held in Malaysia, the championship gathered the strongest cyclists of the Asian continent, was the first serious competition for the domestic sprinters. Unfortunately, the prizes they win failed, but that's exactly the case when saying "the main thing – not victory, and participation", designed to cheer and comfort the athletes who returned without medals, the works in the literal sense. The coach of the Cycling team "Track Team Astana" Valentin Savitsky told in an interview to the press service of the Kazakhstan Cycling Federation why it is so important for our sprinters to "participate". 

*Valentin Savitsky-Russian cyclist, winner of the European Cup in 2009, in the same 2009, he took fourth place in the world Cup, and in 2013 set a Russian record in Gita at 200 meters and the highest world achievement in Catherine for the last 200 meters. - You started training our sprinters a year ago, and from the very beginning planned that the Asian championship 2018 will show how we look against Asian rivals. How do you assess the performance of your wards in Malaysia? Have the goals been achieved? "Rose" whether our sprinters for this year? 

- Let's start with the fact that I went to the Asian championship for the first time as a responsible coach for the national sprint team. I can't say I was surprised. Absolutely expected were all the positions that I saw in the leading Asian States: Japan, Iran, Korea, China and Malaysia. So everything was as expected. We went there "to shoot" not to the Asian racers, and to look at what our children are capable of, whether they are capable to compete with the strongest. And to say, I am very satisfied with the seconds that we showed, in terms of physical form and our speed. We're more than good. 

- The performance of our sprinters on the last CHA can be considered a turning point – for the first time in the history of Kazakhstan Cycling passed a 10-second mark in the Gita 200 meters from the course for 250-meter plain cycle track. Were you counting on that?

- Yes, the time that Pavel Vorzhev showed, 9,965 seconds, is a phenomenal time for the Kazakh sprint today. Nevertheless, it happened, although I had planned a little more restrained second order of 10.0. But it turned out so wonderful and 9.9. And, of course, in seconds it is worth noting team sprint – 44.4 in the first race. Although this was not enough for us, unfortunately, to get into the race for 1 and 2 places, because if we analyze the protocols, everything was very tight, we literally drive 0.2 seconds faster, we would go to the finals for 1 and 2 places. But it turned out the way it did. As a result, they started for 3-4 places with the Chinese, who could not beat, because in this race they showed the best time of the day. For Kazakhstan, 44.4 seconds is also a very decent time. I as a coach had planned, at least 45 seconds to change. Then in team sprint Sergey Ponomarev overcame a bar in 18 seconds in starting dispersal. The guys have overcome a kind of psychological mark. Proved they could. To overcome this psychological mark is very good for the morale of the whole team.

It makes sense to mark the git 1000 meters from the place, although we do not focus on this type and do not profile it, because it is not Olympic. But, nevertheless, in the Gita at 1,000 meters showed the time too, I was very pleasantly surprised – 1.02.3 minutes. This time showed Maxim Raids. My forecasts were – 1.3 minutes. So the guys exceeded all expectations. From the point of view of physical training they did a great job.

- What if our sprinters is not enough for the podium?
- We have just started to develop, we are in the ranks for just a year. The guys have a huge lack of experience – practical, racing experience. Not always we get to attend all events that we would like. A little bit we can not get tactical and psychological training in the framework of a full-fledged racing competition. Therefore it so happened that we frankly presented medals, gave in hands of the strongest rivals, that is the 4th place in a sprint at vorzhev is, of course, not his place. The races could be seen absolutely clearly that he is ready for at least a medal, and a maximum for the gold medal in the individual sprint. And semi-final race in which he met with the champion of the world (approx. author: Azizulhasni Awang, Malaysia), the first race he won quite confidently, and the second and third gave because of psychological and tactical unprepared. And fight he could.

With regards to keirin-there, too, check-in was somewhat chaotic. Enough initiative led Paul in the race, but, unfortunately, this initiative was early on his part, and some tactical mistakes that were made during the arrival, did not allow him to get into the top 5. Left in the-in the sixth.

Given the density of the results, today you can be the sixth-eighth, and tomorrow already and be the first. The analysis of this championship very clearly allows you to see it. The same Japanese, Kazunari Watanabe, in keirin was the tenth, before Sergei Ponomarev, Ponomarev was the 11th, and sprint Vatanabe has already won. Here is a contrast-1 place in the sprint and 10 in Catherine-this is the standard situation. Due to the density of the results, the sharpness of tactical and psychological moments in races. 

I work as a coach with a driver outside the canvas. In the race, he is already the owner of the situation, and only he makes decisions, which is why it is very important that he was ready psychologically and tactically and made the right decisions on the machine. And for this need experience. Of course, the guys have theoretical knowledge, but they need to be able to apply. In the sprint necessary to make decisions with lightning speed. This is not a 7-hour race on the highway where there is time to fix your mistakes. Here the eye is not blinked – and lost. 

The conclusion is – our physical form to the desired level, psychological and tactical training is lame. We learned a great lesson. Going to do some serious work on the bugs. We will understand what we need to come to this year to approach the Asian games in the best possible way. And go to the world Cup session well prepared to win licenses for the Olympic games in Tokyo. 

In General, I see serious progress on the part of our athletes, they are very well involved in the system, adequately digest new loads. For my part, I am grateful to the guys for keeping up, believing in the prospects and trust everything that we do from coaches, functionaries, Cycling Federation, Cycling track "Saryarka" and the center for Olympic training in Cycling. They are disciplined and motivated. 

Source: cycling.kz