The young Belarusian commented on leaving the podium after winning the junior championship. Violetta Skvortsova: I beg you, don’t make me a hero - There were those who condemned

It rarely happens that an athlete becomes known to a wide circle not because of his victories, but because of a misunderstanding that is indirectly related to his professional activities. Belarusian Violetta Skvortsova succeeded, although she herself did not pursue such fame. During the European Junior Championships in Grosseto, Italy, the 19-year-old athlete won a gold medal in the triple jump, simultaneously setting personal and national records (14 meters 21 centimeters. —RT).

At the award ceremony, Skvortsova, of course, expected to hear the anthem of Belarus, but the organizers made a mistake by playing the anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina instead. After listening to the introduction, Violetta descended from the podium and waited for the end of the melody next to it. This gesture quickly made her a news heroine. In an interview with RT, the athlete explained that she committed a significant act out of emotion, does not regret anything, but is not happy about the fame that unexpectedly fell on her.

“I wasn’t going to listen to the anthem of a foreign country”

— How does a person feel who breaks national and personal records at the age of 19?

- Of course, I was very happy. I didn't expect to jump so far. I planned to fly away 14 meters. At first I thought it would happen with a small tail, but the numbers 14.21 appeared on the scoreboard. Of course, I was surprised in the first seconds. On the other hand, I was preparing for this championship and wanted to win.

— When did you realize that you could fly so far?

— At the same championship, I jumped 13.94 and then I realized that everything is possible, that the notorious 14 is very close. Plus, then a girl from France, Ilionis Guillaume, surpassed my result by several centimeters, so I had to pull myself together and demonstrate my maximum. In the end, she jumped so hard that she set a record.

— What are your plans for the near future?

“Unfortunately, I’m not going to the World Championships because I didn’t meet the standard. Of course, now I dream about the Olympic Games in Tokyo and prepare for them.

—Who do you look up to in the triple jump?

— Of course, I always had great respect for Olympic champion Tatyana Lebedeva, who still holds the planet’s indoor record (15.36. —RT). But I can’t say that I had idols. Of course, I always watched athletics with great pleasure, but without much fanaticism towards anyone.

— Do you feel increased attention to yourself after the story with the anthem?

— Interest in me grew very strongly, but I in no way wanted this. I explain the same thing to everyone. Standing on the pedestal, I succumbed to emotions. I dreamed so much of hearing the anthem of my country, I was preparing for it. I understood that my action could lead to serious sanctions, I understood that I was violating the procedure of the award ceremony, but I could not help myself. I didn’t intend to stand on the highest step of the podium and listen to the anthem of a foreign country, so I quietly went down and listened to the rest of the melody next to the podium.

I didn’t expect such a resonance at all. I didn’t think that my action would cause such a heated discussion. Internet, newspapers, television... I didn't do anything heroic. These were just my emotions at that moment. And I am absolutely not happy about this increased attention to my modest person.

- So now, with a cool head, you wouldn’t repeat your act?

“I can’t calmly analyze that situation.” These were pure emotions. I probably would have done the same. Would you repeat your action, knowing what resonance it would all cause? I can not answer this question. I repeat, these were emotions, not an informed decision. I think I did everything right.

“Some write that I wanted to promote myself”

— Did they support you at home?

- Yes, I received a lot of thanks. In principle, nothing unusual. However, due to the increased attention, I feel discomfort. Everyone in the team only supported me, including the head of the Belarusian Athletics Federation Vadim Devyatkovsky (Olympic silver medalist in hammer throw. —RT). The partners also said only warm words.

— Were there those who condemned?

— Well, people write different things in the comments. I try not to read so as not to get upset. They say that I did all this on purpose to promote myself. This is complete nonsense. I know what emotions I really experienced then. I don't even want to make excuses. Did you have any desire to answer? Everyone has the right to a personal opinion. At first it bothered me. After all, I am only 19 years old, and this is the first time I have found myself in such a stressful situation. On the other hand, why answer? The main thing is that my family, friends and colleagues support me.

— After what happened, you apologized to your rivals who stood on the podium with you. Did they understand you?

“At first they didn’t understand what happened. And then the organizers realized their mistake. And the fans heard that it was not the Belarusian anthem that was played at all. The girls were understanding, because they are athletes like me, and they also dream of hearing the anthem of their country while standing on the podium. The next day the ceremony was repeated with the correct anthem, and I apologized to them so that they would not think that it was some kind of disrespectful gesture on my part.

— Is it true that the organizers tried to return you to the podium under the threat of disqualification?

- No, as soon as they realized that they had made a mistake, they immediately apologized and offered to hold the ceremony again, which was done.

— When did you find out that the anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina was played instead of the Belarusian anthem?

- The next day, I think. Or maybe that same evening. To be honest, I don't remember. I respect any anthem of any country. It was just not my anthem and it was not played in honor of my victory.

Photo: vk.com/Violetta Skvortsova

AS A SIGN OF PROTEST

The action of the Belarusian athlete Violetta Skvortsova recently shook the entire planet in a positive sense. This is how you should love and defend the honor of your Motherland!

The 19-year-old Vitebsk resident, in a bitter struggle, won the gold medal in the triple jump at the European Athletics Championships only in her last attempt. But trouble happened at the awards ceremony. When Violetta stood at the top of the podium with “gold” on her chest, the anthem of... Bosnia and Herzegovina sounded in honor of her victory. The girl, without thinking twice, left the site.

This is a precedent in world sports history. There have been plenty of mistakes with melodies, but for an athlete to defiantly leave the ceremony as a sign of protest is the first time. Violetta instantly became famous. The video of her patriotic act was viewed online by more than three million people on the first day.

“I CAN’T DO IT OTHERWISE”

The champion decided to take a break from the hustle and bustle and endless calls at home in her native Vitebsk, where SV correspondents stopped by. Mom and grandparents are very worried about Violetta, and six-year-old brother Maxim is happy:

Violetta admits: she did not expect that an act in which she herself did not see anything extraordinary would raise such a stormy wave.

Well, how should I have acted?! I received a medal and was preparing to listen to the Belarusian anthem. And suddenly from the speakers - a completely unfamiliar melody. For the first few seconds I was confused: what is this, a mistake, malicious intent? You know, when an athlete stands on the podium, he is no longer on his own - the whole country, millions of fans are behind him. Any award ceremony is a symbol of the triumph of my Motherland. And we, athletes, spend so much energy for this triumphant moment. And then... I waited until our flag rose on the flagpole, and then simply stepped off the pedestal.

- Did you go off without thinking?

It was an impulsive move. But I am still sure that I did the right thing. I simply couldn’t do it any other way. If the situation happens again, I'll do the same. I believe that you need to respect and love your homeland.

- Who did you dedicate your victory to?

Of course, mom. And also coach Vladimir Shagun, without whom I would not have achieved success.

- Do you feel the support of the fans?

Not that word. They still send me dozens of messages with words of gratitude. But, I beg you, don’t make a hero out of me! The real heroes are the parents who take their babies from the orphanage, or those who save animals thrown into the street.

IN AN HUG WITH THE “LITTLE PRINCE”

According to Violetta, as a child she could not even imagine that she would become an athlete. She was interested in dancing and playing the piano. Everything was decided by chance. In the sixth grade, the coach came to a physical education lesson and called me to the stadium.

Violetta has a very valuable quality for an athlete - perseverance. If you decide to do something, you will definitely achieve it! And she will defend her opinion to the end,” she speaks proudly about her pupil. the champion's first coach Tatyana Storozheva.

I have never regretted my choice,” adds Violetta. - Now I’m studying at the Republican School of Olympic Reserve. I have been training with Vladimir Shagun for four years.

- What are you dreaming about?

Win the Olympic Games. Junior “gold” is a start. Sometimes I train, clenching my fists and smiling through all my might. But to win you must always give your all and go to the end.

- Do you have time to rest?

I don't like to idle. And there’s no time, training all the time. But after the competition I can take a day off. I just wander around parks and squares, and if it’s raining outside, I sit at home with a book. Most often with “The Little Prince” by Exupery. I have loved this fairy tale since childhood. She helps me believe in miracles, true friendship and love.

HELP "SV"

This is not the first mistake at major international tournaments when scores are confused when awarding athletes.

• In 2011, at the World Speed ​​Skating Championships, in honor of the victory of the Russian Ivan Skobreva the orchestra suddenly started playing the Bulgarian anthem.
• Often, Glinka’s patriotic song is played in honor of Russians. It sounded in honor of the skater's victories Yuskova, gymnasts Mamun, fighter Vlasova, before the match of the Russian women's junior hockey team and many, many more times.
• At the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the anthem of Uzbekistan was played in honor of the Ukrainian Oleg Vernyaev.
• Chinese diver Zhang Finhua congratulated with the Venezuelan anthem.
• An egregious incident occurred recently in the USA. Before the Fed Cup tennis match between the USA and Germany, the organizers greeted the German team with the anthem of the Third Reich. The Germans were embarrassed, but stood and patiently listened to the chords from the speakers.

OPINION

I watched the video of the awards ceremony in Grosseto. What can I say: Violetta is doubly well done. She is a real fighter, a girl with character. And she won the competition, and in a situation with someone else’s anthem, she showed herself as a true citizen of her country. You know, sometimes they say that a good person is not a profession, or that talent counts for everything. But an athlete performing at such a high level not only represents himself, he personifies the country and his fellow citizens. It is joyful that the world saw Belarusians like this in Violetta: honest and proud.

Last weekend, Belarus was at the epicenter of world sporting events. In Minsk, at the European Championship in modern pentathlon, Anastasia Prokopenko took first place, and at the European Judo Cup, Daria Skrypnik, among others, distinguished herself, taking first place in her weight category. However, the main newsmaker was young Violetta Skvortsova. In Grosseto, Italy, at the European Junior Athletics Championships, she first confidently won the competition in the triple jump, and then showed a strong civic position and enviable integrity during the award ceremony: having heard that the organizers mistakenly included the anthem of another country, Violetta decisively left the podium. Here it is, an object lesson in patriotism. Well done, Violetta!

Where does the Motherland begin?

As of yesterday, the video with Violetta Skvortsova’s demarche has already received almost two million views on the Internet and collected about 10 thousand comments, in which total approval prevails for such a strong manifestation of character in a charmingly young age (Violetta is only 19 years old). Skvortsova, of course, risked disqualification, a fine, or even the loss of the award she had won - sanctions that could follow such a bold act. However, as she later admitted, the athlete simply could not do otherwise - her conscience did not allow it. However, we must pay tribute to the organizers, who admitted their mistake, apologized and decided to correct everything: repeat the award ceremony the next day - with the correct anthem. The case is unprecedented!

Against this background, the recent decision of the captain (already, presumably, former) of the Belarusian hockey team Andrei Stas looks even more incomprehensible. An athlete and a man in his prime, whom young people looked up to, we recall, considered it possible to refuse to play for the national team and accept Russian citizenship in order to receive an increase in salary and the opportunity to play for Avangard Omsk. What can you say about this? Everyone in life has their own priorities and views on what is good and what is bad. The girl Violetta justified her position on this matter more than clearly:

- In the first fractions of a second, I didn’t understand at first, there was an introduction. I thought, probably, a different version of the anthem. And then I became very upset for the country, for myself. This was a huge oversight on the part of the organizers. I waited until our flag was raised, and then I stepped off the pedestal. So she stood on the sidelines until the end of some country’s anthem. I understood that I was violating the procedure of the award ceremony and that sanctions could follow, including deprivation of the medal. But at that moment I was very unpleasant that the anthem was not being played for my Motherland, for which I stand. Still, we spend so much energy for this moment. It is very important for me. I was getting ready. I really wanted to run with the flag, which I did after the performance. I believe that you need to respect and love your homeland. And I would like to dedicate my victory to my mother and, of course, to my coach, Vladimir Shagun.

Who is this girl and where does she live?

Honored coach Vladimir Rakovich has a keen eye for talent. Over the years, he has brought many athletes into high society, many of whom have now become coaches themselves. Among them is Skvortsova’s mentor Vladimir Shagun. It is interesting that the athlete Shaguna herself was “wooed” by Rakovich, who, by his own admission, recognized her as a future champion at first sight:

Photo bfla.eu

And now I remember how I saw her for the first time. At children's competitions, she performed an attempt and prepared a run-up. It would seem, how to understand? But from the way she set herself up and then ran, it was clear that she was a girl with character and capable of revealing herself very brightly. I started to look closely: which of the coaches gathered in the stands would she pay attention to? I saw where I went for advice and went there myself. Meet. It turned out that she was working with a young coach from Vitebsk, Tatyana Storozheva.

Rakovich's intuition did not disappoint. Tatyana Alekseevna fully confirmed her mentor’s assumptions regarding Skvortsova’s potential, saying that already in the sixth grade the girl stood out not only for her height and ease of movement, but also for her perseverance:

- Violetta immediately supported the invitation to try herself in jumping, and there were no problems with her during training afterwards. She has this quality: if she decides something, if she likes something and wants it, she will definitely achieve it! And he will defend his opinion to the end.

As a result, at the first opportunity, Vladimir Rakovich suggested the idea to Shagun and he went to Vitebsk to persuade him. Which turned out to be quite difficult. The easiest person to “give up” was Violetta herself: the ambitious girl wanted to conquer new heights. The athlete’s father, who himself trains skydivers in DOSAAF and participates in competitions, also supported the idea. It turned out to be more difficult to reach an agreement with the coach.

“That’s what I told Shagun then: here you are, Volodya, girl - I’ve never seen anyone like him before!” If you can cope with her character, you can raise a serious athlete. True, getting her turned out to be difficult. Like any mentor, Tatyana Storozheva very reluctantly agreed to transfer her pupil. She said that she was not ready yet, that she needed to be brought to at least the UOR. But in the end, Vladimir Shagun still found the necessary arguments. Storozheva agreed that the conditions for growth for her ward in Minsk would be much better, and Skvortsova left for the capital. As it turned out, it was not in vain.

BY THE WAY

Skvortsova’s success at the championship in Italy is not the only one for our team: Belarusian athletes won 7 awards! Maxim Nedosekov won gold in the high jump with a result of 2.33 meters (world level!). Our athletes won silver medals five more times: Karina Taranda (high jump), Alexey Kotkovets (javelin throw), Tatyana Shabanova (3,000 m steeplechase), Alexander Shimanovich (hammer throw), Gleb Zhuk (discus throw).

Belarusian Violetta Skvortsova, who won the European Junior Athletics Championships in the triple jump on July 21 in Italy and during the award ceremony, when the anthem of another country (Bosnia and Herzegovina) played, commented on the awkward situation in an interview with the official BAF website.

The next day, the organizers decided to make amends for the embarrassment by organizing a repeat award ceremony for the medalists in this discipline. And the organizing committee apologized for the incident.

After the repeated award ceremony, which took place today, July 22, the young champion shared her impressions.

“The feeling of patriotism overwhelmed me very strongly. I sang the anthem. I was pleased that this time it finally sounded. Yesterday, when my emotions had not yet subsided, it was unexpected for me to hear what I heard.

In the first fractions of a second, I didn’t understand at first that there was an introduction. I thought, probably, a different version of the anthem. And then I became very upset for the country, for myself.

This was a huge omission on the part of the organizers. I waited until our flag rose, then I stepped off the pedestal. She stood there until the end of some country’s anthem.

I understood that I was violating the procedure of the award ceremony and sanctions could follow, including deprivation of the medal. But at that moment I was very unpleasant that the anthem of not my country, not my Motherland, for which I stand, was being played. Still, we spend so much energy for this moment. It is very important for me. I was getting ready. I really wanted to run with the flag, which I did after the performance. And, of course, standing on the podium, I wanted to hear the anthem of my country.

I believe that you need to respect and love your homeland. I am a patriot of my country. I was born in Belarus, which is very beautiful. My love for the Motherland cannot be expressed in words. I always miss home, no matter where I am. I have visited quite a few countries, traveled around the world, and every time I return to Belarus with joy. I would like to wish the athletes, my peers and everyone to love their country, respect the place where we were born, honor history!

Firstly, I would like to dedicate this victory to my mother, who always supports me. And, of course, to the coach - Vladimir Vladimirovich Shagun, since this is our joint work. I believe that all my merits are equally his,” said the athlete.

— To be honest, I myself was pleasantly surprised. The girl was not at a loss, she was not even afraid of the threat of disqualification. This is an act! The act of a young man with a core,” Vadim Devyatovsky, head of the Belarusian Athletics Federation, told Pressball.

At the Junior European Championships in Grosseto, Belarusian athletes already 5 awards. After Violetta Skvortsova in triple jump and Alexander Shimanovich In the hammer throw on July 22, the piggy bank was replenished with 3 more awards.

Maxim Nedosekov became the champion in the high jump with a result of 2.33 m, in a dramatic struggle setting a personal best, a national record in the U20 category, a record at the junior world championships and the best result of the season in the world in the U20 age category!

Maxim’s result is only 1 centimeter lower than the adult national record of Belarus, set 24 years ago Andrey Sankovich.

Tatiana Shabanova won silver in the 3000m steeplechase, setting a national record (10 minutes, 3.32 seconds).

Alexey Kotkovets became a silver medalist in the javelin throw (76.91 m), setting a personal record.