Olga Vlasova: I believe I will be ready to win the Universiade in Kazan 16.01.2012

Replace «a Komsomol member»  with «a student», and you get an exact image of Olga Vlasova. She’s a singles gold medallist at the 3rd All-Russian University Sports Festival, a winner of the Russian Youth Championship and European Table Tennis University Championship in team standings (as part of Kazan Federal University team) and doubles champion at the latter championship. A charming blonde lady, undefeatable on the table-tennis table.

— Tatarstan table tennis athletes had quite a few chances to showcase their talents last year. One of them is the European University Championship that took place in Madeira, Portugal. Do you think it was your success at this championship that allowed to bestow the Best Tennis Player of Tatarstan Award upon you?

— I’m not quite sure. I think that I demonstrated a better performance at the Russian youth championship. I placed third in individual events and I had the best result in the team. Although, team and mixed double gold medals that I earned in Madeira are also a pleasing experience.

— Citizens of Kazan got acquainted with the European university championship in 2010, when we had the first table tennis test event for Kazan 2013. Did you feel any difference between the championship in Madeira and the one hosted by Kazan?

— Well, maybe in my performance only. I had nothing to boast about in Kazan, I took only team bronze medal. In all other things the championships were similar. Even our opponents were almost the same, they didn’t have time to update their rosters in the preceding year. It’s a university championship after all and athletes that have graduated from university are not eligible to compete there. Except, perhaps, the French delegation that has acquired skilled players that play for the national team.

— You have had a considerable change in Kazan Federal University’s team. Anastasia Voronkova claimed all possible medals in 2010. But she did not compete in Madeira this year.

— Yes, it’s true. Besides, we’ve travelled to Portugal with a different team from Moscow, not the one we travelled with in 2010, since they lost to us in the qualifying matches. Only two university teams were allowed from one participating nation. Notably, starting this year it will be even more difficult to qualify for such championships. Instead of a university championship, we will have European University Games that will be hosted by Spain, if my memory serves me right. Don’t confuse it with World University Games. And only one Russian table tennis squad will be delegated there.

—  There is a significant difference between Kazan’s university and adult table tennis teams, as certain athletes perform under Tatarstan’s banner only at university tournaments. Were you among those?

— Yes, I was. Several years ago I entered the law department of Kazan Federal University, as I transferred here from Ural Federal University. I was born in the Chelyabinsk Region, then I moved to Ekaterinburg, known for one of the strongest table tennis schools in Russia. And I was сompeting for Ekaterinburg, of course. Then I moved to Kazan. And I represent the Republic of Tatarstan at all competitions, regardless of their scale and status: either university or professional ones. As far as our squad is concerned, we have only one non-local tennis player that competes for the university team only, it’s Polina Mikhailova. And the rest of the team: Vika Lebedeva, Elza Sharipova, Katya Osetrina play for Tatarstan everywhere.

— Well, it figures. Sharipova and Osetrina are both alumni of the local table tennis school. Speaking of Portugal, this country have been among outsiders in table tennis for a long time. Is the situation any different now? Have people started paying more interest to competitions in Portugal?

— Due to attracting skilled tables tennis players from China to Europe and granting them a citizenship, any country may become strong nowadays. More than that, the Portugese team has Russian athletes that study at local universities. Don’t forget that it’s not a competition between national teams but a university tournament that allows international students studying in foreign univerisities to compete as well.

It’s true that local citizens pay an increasing attention to table tennis now. At present Portugal boasts strong athletes that draw local fans into sports venues.

— So, it turns out that you’ve managed to draw local table tennis fans getting a tan at the beach into sports halls?

— I doubt that. The weather for the period of the competitions was not hot at all. It’s not a hot climate zone, there are mountains and mountains everywhere…

— Well, while you were playing in Madeira, it was extremely hot in Kazan instead. Both outdoor and indoor, in the Boxing and Table Tennis Centre, where European junior and cadet championships were running. By the way, apart from individual events, our men’s team also plays in the Russian club championships. Is it the same for the women’s team?

— Yes, as part of Kazan Federal University’s team we compete in the Premier League. To make it clear for you, it’s the highest league in Russia. Then there is Superleague, Major League and so on. It’s just because the women’s table tennis team is not so talked about as the men’s team that also performs in the ETTU European championships. The competitions have a four-round system. We finished third in the 1st round and fifth in the 2nd one. The strongest team is from Vladivostok, it is composed of experienced international athletes from Ukraine and Belarus. Some other table tennis squads have Chinese table tennis players. We have a few non-local players as well, but they are from Moscow.

— You were not ready for Shenzhen 2011?

— The thing is table tennis players have always taken the University Games seriously, that’s why only experienced athletes were delegated to China. And I, being a little over 20, think that my biggest challenge, Kazan 2013, is still ahead of me.  I’m in my fourth year and I’m to graduate in a year, but I plan to proceed to postgraduate studies. Then, I hope, I will be ready to win the Universiade.

— Kazan Federal University’s law department and Tatarstan’s table tennis squad are almost the same thing. You, Marsel Valeev, Elza Sharipova and other lawyers-to-be. Is there anybody of your level at university championships?

— Of course, not. Just judge for yourself, we’ve reached a certain level in table tennis and currently we are improving our skills having training sessions twice per day, do you think there is someone of our level in the republic? By the way, we’ve recently moved to the new Boxing and Table Tennis Centre, we used to have our training at the children and youth sports school in Otradnaya street. I like our table tennis complex, we have a lot of tables, a well-lighted room. All is great!

Djaudat Abdullin

Special to kazan2013.com