Russian Coach Andrey Shishin: “When we Returned after Four Years of Suspension… there was a Bit of Euphoria”

Following a European Championships that noticed the Russian swimmers carry dwelling 19 medals, Russian National crew coach Andrey Shishin mirrored on the final 12 months of competitors and what could also be to come back for the Russian crew at main competitions over the subsequent two seasons.

In an interview with Sport.RU, Shishin touched on the championships and seemed forward to the 2028 Olympics, however couldn’t assist however draw comparisons to instances earlier than the Russian nationwide crew was suspended, together with the 2025 World Championships in Singapore.

“When we returned after four years of suspension and even managed to win some things, there was genuinely a bit of euphoria among many people. But the rest of the world has moved far ahead,” Shishin mentioned in an interview with sport.ru. “But overall, we won eight medals in Singapore (3-1-4), while in 2019, the last World Championships before the suspension, we won 16. So we all understand that there are reasons to be happy — we’re doing a great job by returning. But at the same time, we have to face reality: we won half as many medals as we did at the previous World Championships.”

He talked about that, getting into the European Championships, the crew’s aim was to complete with 20 medals, which they might finally fall one wanting, with 19.

“We wanted to get close to what we achieved at the 2021 European Championships, where we had 22 podium finishes, so that there would be less talk about us falling behind,” he added. The world actually has moved ahead. Look at what’s taking place in males’s freestyle: the highest three within the 100 are all swimming 46 seconds! But I don’t need us to spend years now utilizing the four-year suspension as an excuse for each downside. We ended up with 19 medals, kind of what we had deliberate.”

Shishin touched extra on the medal haul at Europeans, noting it was not precisely the full desired, nor the variety of golds, and even mentioning Krill Prigoda, who had a extra individualized coaching plan heading into Europeans.

“We didn’t get all the medals that we could have, and not all of them were the color we wanted,” Shishin mentioned within the interview with sport.ru. “Kirill had an individualized preparation plan. I accommodated him and gave him the number of meets he wanted — and they overdid it. Plus, perhaps there wasn’t enough of a super-focus. It’s not about a lack of desire to work or commitment, but rather the willingness to put absolutely everything else aside. And if you choose to train individually, you have to take responsibility for it.”

Another title he talked about was backstroke ace Kliment Kolesnikov, who shockingly didn’t make it out of the semifinals of the 100 backstroke, including that Shishin and Kolesnikov had an actual dialog about what was wanted as we strategy the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

“We also had a conversation after the Russian Championships that made me happy. Kliment came to me himself. He was in a pretty broken state, but we had a real, man-to-man conversation. The message was: “I need to change something, because since 2023 I haven’t improved my personal best even once. And he’s absolutely right. He has a very clear-eyed view of things.” Shishin mentioned. “If a result stays unchanged for more than two years, that’s a fire. More than three years — that’s a collapse.”

Shishin additionally talked about arguably the most important breakout Russian Star this summer time, Egor Kornev, however famous that whereas his instances had been very quick and spectacular, He doesn’t suppose they’re sustainable over the subsequent two years.

“Perhaps [Kornev] shouldn’t be swimming so many distances. He needs to choose his event schedule for the Olympics now. Egor won’t be able to maintain all of them at that level. It isn’t the European Championships anymore; the competition and average results are much higher. And if we’re talking about gold medals, you can’t lose quality anywhere.” Shishin mentioned. “[Three individual events] seems manageable, but you have to approach it analytically when you factor in the relays. Although Egor is very good… Egor is similar to a young Kolesnikov. His speed potential is insane. And when you have that, you can build everything else around it.”

He made certain to say that, whereas nonetheless an vital season, this previous 12 months was very experimental, contemplating the European Championships had been the large meet of the summer time for the Russian crew.

“I gave the personal coaches a lot of freedom. I gave them the opportunity to qualify through several meets, although I also left recommendations. But some people decided to go all-out at both the Cup and the Russian Championships. And some of them were really flying! I understand what that means: a decline in July. I approach them and ask. “What are you talking about? We’re training under load.” Shishin added. “And what was the point of that? At the end of the season, we’ll have an honest conversation behind closed doors.”