In early June, the International Federation of Modern Pentathlon announced a list of the lucky ones who can take part in the main start of the four years - the Olympics. A Kazakhstani athlete Paul Ilyashenko, among others, found his name in the report.
Dossier
Pavel Ilyashenko – a member of the national team of Kazakhstan in modern pentathlon.
Born on June 23, 1990 in Ufa (Russia).
Achievements: a silver medalist of the Junior World Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina (2011), a winner of the championship of Kazakhstan among adults in 2012, a winner of the Championship of Kazakhstan in 2010 among juniors, a silver medalist of the championship of Kazakhstan in 2010 among adults, 9th place at the Asian Championship in 2011, 11th place at the world championship in 2011, fourth place in the World Cup in Rostov (2012).
It is remarkable that the only license for our country in this sport was given to the youngest member of the national team of Kazakhstan. At the moment he is 21 years old. Despite his young age, he has demonstrated consistent results at all international competitions, and thanks to that was able to accomplish his task, that is to win a trip to London. Pavel ranked 20th with 142 points in the Olympic and world rankings. In the Table of Ranks of the World Cup, he scored 92 points and ranked three positions higher. Now, the license race has completed, and pentathletes returned home. Meanwhile we decided to ask Pavel what he thought of his performances, the license, as well as prospects for his first Olympics.
- Before we start a conversation, let me congratulate you, Pavel, on winning a ticket to London.
- Thank you, this is the result of my productive work.
- Among members of the national team of Kazakhstan you are the only one who managed to win a license to London, what do you think about this?
- I am very glad for this fact because I worked hard and strove to this result the whole year.
- If you go back to the beginning, was it a hard path for you?
- Actually not very hard, I just have never had experience of performing at such high level. But as it turnes out, everything is real. However, for this I trained hard and tried to give my best at every start in order to win the maximum number of rating points. As you can see - successfully.
- What do the rest of our boys from the team think about this? Are they happy for you?
- I think they are very happy for me. It is a pity that they could not go to London with me. I am sure, Rustem Sabirhuzin and Andrei Soldatov would also worthily represent our country at the Olympics.
- Have your friends and relatives congratulated you already?
- Yes. My mother was the first; she is always abreast of the situation. She actively monitors my performances on webcasts. Thanks to her all my other relatives and friends found out about the good news.
- What were their parting words to you?
- It is still too early to say anything. I think I will hear their parting words closer to the start of the Olympic Games. So far only congratulations on the license.
- What do you think you can expect in London?
- I'm not used to answer like that, just will try to do my best. As for the final result it is too early to talk about or to guess.
(1).jpg)
Show-jumping at the World Cup final.
- What was your first reaction when a list of athletes who have received a license was announced?
- I was very happy, and then, not clear why, I had a great desire to train even more.
- How and where are you going to prepare for the Olympics?
- Here in Kapshagai for now. Closer to the Games we are going to the Training camp in Drzonkow (Poland).
- Could you tell us more about the base in Kapshagai? Does it meet world standards?
- It is unlikely to meet international standards. But it is well suited for training camps in the summer. That is why we actively use it during this time.
- How does fencing go, were there moments when you were not getting along with this part of pentathlon?
- I think that in order to bring up my fencing to a world level, I need to practice more and compete in the company of leaders of modern pentathlon.
- Have you become accustomed to laser weapons, do they create any more problems?
- More or less, though you can expect anything from it, so I'm always very carefully attuned to the combined event (running + shooting).
(1)(1).jpg)
In anticipation of a fencing joust.
- This year you managed to participate in four World Cups. Could you tell us briefly about each of them?
- I have never participated in so many competitions, and even more so in such a short time. This required a large supply of power. And with each new start I had fewer and fewer.
- Why do you think you could not break through to the final stage in Charlotte?
- Prior to this start we trained at the Olympic base in Colorado Springs (USA), which is a highland. Previously, I have never trained in such environment. As a result, my body has not had enough time to digest the entire load. I think that's why I could not break through to the finals. Additionally, due to the influx of a large number of participants the rivalry has increased several times.
- In Rostov, you managed to take a high 4th place. You were in such a brilliant form then, what was your recipe for success?
- First, the fencing did not give me away, I managed to get into the top five, and secondly, I was lucky with the horse (from ed. Pentathletes do not carry their horses to the competition, the organizers provide them). Mine was one of the best there.
- How would you evaluate your performance at the World Championship in Rome and at the World Cup final in Chengdu?
- I did not particularly tune up to these competitions, there were no instructions. At the World Championship in Rome I was the third in fencing, and after the three types I was the seventh, it was possible to count on the result in the top three. But the shooting gave me away, in the end - only the 14th place. At the World Cup final fencing did not go well, because there was no training, no one to fight. As a result, I ranked 21st, and after the second shooting and a kilometer run was on the 10th position, but candidly failed the third shooting. I was overly anxious, and the result is - the 18th place.
- The Russians and the Italians were able to get four athletes in the preliminary list of qualified for the Olympics. Why do you think we could not do the same?
- They even exceeded the quota by rankings, as from any country only two athletes among men can be delegated, and same for women. In the nearest future, all participating countries will announce their compositions. As of today, we still can not perform as stable as they are.
- Do you already feel that you can fight on equal terms with the Russians?
- Yes, I feel it, and it makes me very happy.
- Can you tell us the reasons for the change of citizenship from Russian to Kazakhstani?
- I wanted to continue to engage in modern pentathlon, and in Russia I did not have such an opportunity. I did not get into the national team.
- You have been living in Kazakhstan for a few years now, how do you like it here? Do you regret moving here?
- Eighteen months have passed since then. In general, I do like it, and there is nothing to regret.
- In case of failure at the Olympics will you continue advocating our country?
- I will continue to play for Kazakhstan in any case, no matter what results I will show at the Olympics.
Comment on the subject:
The senior coach of men's national team of Kazakhstan Dmitry Tyurin:
- During the spring season the main candidates to win Olympic licenses participated in six tournaments, where the main objective was to gain rating points. Only the real professionals can get through such a rigorous selection process, as only the strongest 36 pentathletes can get the right to perform in London. The main point of this selection was the fact that only three of the best competition results go to the credit rating, and until the last competition every athlete could improve their position. It happened so that our athletes simply did not have any passing starts. On June 1 the International Federation of Modern Pentathlon announced a preliminary list of participants in the Olympic Games, where Pavel Ilyashenko received a license for the number of rating points. Our athletes, coaches and management team did their best and, I think, accomplished the objective. Little time is left until the announcement of the final composition of the participants in the Olympics (June 15). In this regard, we do not lose hope for our second athlete to get a ticket. Olympic Games is a special event, which is full of surprises and there are no vice-champions. Making reliable predictions is practically impossible, however from the level of preparedness of our athletes we can expect a worthy performance, and they are not going to be extras.
Performance of Pavel Ilyashenko this year
|
p |
competition |
round |
points |
|
20 |
UIPM World Cup in Charlotte (USA) |
Qualification C |
1 |
|
32 |
UIPM World Cup in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) |
Final |
16 |
|
20 |
UIPM World Cup in Százhalombatta (Hungary) |
Final |
28 |
|
4 |
UIPM World Cup in Rostov (Russia) |
Final |
48 |
|
14 |
World Championship in Rome (Italy) |
Final |
44 |
|
18 |
World Cup Final in Chengdu (China) |
Final |
38 |
Егор Ильин