Zadneprovsky, who has “blinked” for his wife’s fine: we are at the bottom, athletes will not glue tiles themselves

Laura Asadauskaitė-Zadneprovskienė, the star of the modern pentathlon, presented Lithuania with its first medal in Tokyo on Friday. After a perfect driving performance and an impressive run in the combined running and shooting match, the 37-year-old Vilnius took silver.

“The faith in the medal was great. 300 m before the finish, I realized that there would be a medal for Lithuania and I would not give it to anyone,” he said.

L. Asadauskaitė surpassed her husband A. Zadneprovskis in the number of medals won at the Olympic Games. The latter won silver at the 2004 Athens Games and bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In his fifth Games in Rio de Janeiro, A. Zadneprovski has already worked as a coach, and in Tokyo he attends the competition of this sport as a member of the Executive Committee of the International Union of Modern Pentathlon.

“I will not hide, I am very happy for Laura and Gintarė Venčkauskaitė. Impressive performance, although the beginning was difficult. The first day we planned it differently, but it was. I believed that if I managed to drive, I would definitely get a good result. fencing, I said that the six was real, and then how God would give. And God gave me a silver medal, “said the multiple world and European champion.

– When did you think there would be a medal? – we asked A. Zadneprovsky.

– After riding. I started to count, to look. Of course, I was waiting for that German woman, because if she had ridden well, she might not have escaped, there was a gap. For her yesterday a real drama happened with a horse, everything turned around, three places appeared and Laura was close.

– You also saw Laura’s early start …

– I have my opinion. All competitions must be organized as in the cup stages. Laura said she heard the signal, but the Belarusian, who was supposed to start before her, was delayed. And then Laura got confused, the misunderstanding came out. Sorry, of course. I saw that premature start and immediately a chill went through my body. I think how it will be here now … I thought, maybe they didn’t realize it, but they realized and punished everything.

– What was the mood before the Olympics, after all, Laura was injured?

– Normal. That trauma took us out of the rhythm of preparation, we went into economic mode. But maybe everything is fine, because we also planned to participate in the European Championship. Laura didn’t go there in the end.

– Did you see Laura’s departure not from the coach’s podium?

– No. I’m accredited here as a member of the executive committee. We had discussed that Laura’s coach, Jevgenijus Kliosovas, would supervise. However, he was also willing to advise, we talked a bit before running and riding. When there are too many coaches, too … We communicated briefly, but said what was needed.

– Was it difficult to watch the competition?

– I won’t hide, I tried … I could help as much as I could. I experienced that 10 second fine as a shock. He was a great person who caught and fired five clean shots at once. Then I realized that there was a possibility.

– Did you understand why the judge holds Laura and doesn’t shoot?

– Yes. And I explained to the president of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee, Daina Gudzinevičiūtė, that I was fine here.

– That famous Laura career – A gift from God?

– She is training. Of course, it was created to run, here is your “horse”. Everyone has seen, she can fight and give up everything. Of course, and it depends on the person. Feeling was important. I was ready to run really fast that day.

– This is the first medal won by Lithuanians in Tokyo. What does this mean for you?

– It’s hard. Laura says here is the All Lithuanian medal. Fun. Although one, but won.

– Laura did not answer directly if she will play until the Olympic Games in Paris?

– I have no answer to this question. Let’s hope. When these Olympics are over, it will be clear.

– How much did your daughter Adriana get for following this route?

– Adriana keeps calling, asking. I say: watch TV, but she likes to listen.

– Many congratulations and promises await me when I return to Lithuania. Will those conditions start to improve this time?

– Lithuanian sport is now at the bottom. It is time to stand up and resist. If it weren’t for Laura’s medal, it would be very painful. Officials and those responsible for sport should think about this first. I have to seriously think about bases, conditions. Before the Olympics, we drove to Estonia, such a city. There are two houses and such a base: swimming pool, stadium, fencing hall. Everything in one place. We have been building a base in Druskininkai for 13 years or more.

– Modern pentathlon athletes have become something of a life saver. Nobody in Tokyo managed to win a medal. Perhaps it is worth paying more attention to the modern pentathlon and doing everything possible to make those medals verifiable?

– There was no mass in our time either. Some of us. Laura, Justin is coming out, but if we still have girls, it’s sad for boys. There are no athletes of the caliber like Justin Kider or we were with Edwin Krungolc. The manege is messy, there are no conditions, there are no technical things. The athletes will not come, they will not glue tiles, they will not paint the walls …

– What children have to come to the pentathlon?

– Of swimming. Swimming takes a lot of work. If it is suitable for swimming, that child will also be useful for the pentathlon.

– There is a lot of talk about horses, a lot of anger at these Tokyo games about them. What do you think about that?

– The horses are very tired. The height is such that some see it for the first time: 120 cm high and very wide obstacles. After four times, the horses leave at night, and if they get somewhere, something does not come out, it is a lot of stress for the horses to calm down. Some take about two days and others up to a month. We don’t have that much time, the competition doesn’t wait: what you get, you get.

– J. Kinder’s performance was also disturbed by the horse …

– Really very unfortunate. I wouldn’t wish a horse like that on anyone. Challenging, tiny, definitely not for this route.

For L. Asadauskaite-Zadneprovskienė, who became the Olympic champion in London in 2012, and the vice-Olympic champion in Tokyo in 2021, this is already the fourth race in the game. He was ranked 14th in Beijing in 2008 and 30th in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Vilnius is also a world record holder (1417 points), holder of full planetary awards, European champion and winner of the World Cup final.

We remind you that the L. Asadauskaitė-Zadneprovskienė medal won two days before the closing of the Olympic Games is the first trophy of the entire Lithuanian delegation in Tokyo.

Milda Valčiukaitė and Donata Karalienė, the crew of the female sister ship, stayed closer to the awards stage, taking fourth place. Track cyclists Simona Krupeckaitė and Miglė Marozaitė were fifth in the women’s team sprint competition, discus thrower Andrius Gudžius and single-seater rowing representative Mindaugas Griškonis were sixth in the final, pentathlete Gintarė Venčkauskaitė was seventh in and Danasš Rapysyskaitė was seventh in the final.

The Tokyo Olympics, which began on July 23, will end on Sunday.