During the Soviet Union, many sports societies were organized on the basis of labor collectives. For people to be able to work, they need to be healthy and motivated. Those who reached sporting heights were given extra bonuses and valuable prizes at work. Sports societies paid fees at which additional training for Trudovik athletes was conducted. Today’s athletes run almost naked enthusiasm. Abroad, football clubs are taxed heavily. But when they take track and field athletes under their wing (paying them fees and various household needs for training), the state significantly reduces taxation for them. This is a natural process when the “king of sports" - football takes care of the "queen" - athletics. In our country, this practice is still lacking, and athletes who are only very lucky to find sponsors can at least somehow appear and represent the country in the international arena.
Our hero today - Valentin Smirnov, to become the winner of the Universiade and European championships, has passed a difficult life path.
Athlete's childhood
Once, on February 13, 1986, a boy was born in St. Petersburg, who was named Valentine. Like many schoolchildren, Valya hung around the city, climbed the roofs of construction sites and garages. There was nothing from the sport, except for hours of fascinating football yard fights. With her mother (a native of Mordovia, who at the age of 20 went to work in St. Petersburg, got married there and left to live) and her brother went to their grandmother in the summer in the village of New Badikovo, located in the Polyansky district. There Smirnov Valentin and his uncle grazed cows (woke up at 4 in the morning and arrived at 8 in the evening). Fresh air, sun, swimming in the river, constant mobility, healthy food in the future played an important role in the athlete’s sports career. Summer trips continued until the age of 15.
First steps in sports
Smirnov Valentin, being in the 10th grade of high school, following the example of his four friends, began to go skiing in the town of Sestroretsk near St. Petersburg. The trainer was Voronov Valentin Konstantinovich. While studying in the first year at the institute, Valentine ran his first half marathon in 1 hour 15 minutes. And the coach advised him to continue to run, since the youth did not have conditions for full-fledged skiing then.
From track to track and field
Learned who is training the runners. Valentin was advised to turn to the champion in the 1,500-meter run, Honored Trainer of Russia - Shibaev Valentin Evgenievich. He did not refuse to watch any of the guys, and took Valentin Smirnov to his further classes in the running section. Young Smirnov Valentin, having shown decent results at that time (1500 meters - 4.11 seconds, 1 km - 2.42 seconds), in 2013 began his sports career in running.
Achievements
Two years later, in 2005, Smirnov became the Russian champion in cross-country. Then he repeatedly wins the championships of Russia in various distances from 1000 to 3000 meters. In Bergen, 2010 wins gold at a distance of 1,500 meters in the European Team Championship and repeats this success three times: in 2011 in Stockholm, 2013 in Gateshead and in 2015 in his native land in Cheboksary. At the world level, the struggle is already much more difficult because of the performances of Kenyan and Ethiopian elders, which our athletes cannot yet run across. But Valentin Smirnov at the World Universiade 2013 in Kazan won the final race of 1,500 meters with a result of 3 minutes 39.39 seconds. In a difficult tactical fight, Valentin managed to pluck gold, where 5 athletes fit in at the finish line in one second, but of all, only Smirnov managed to cross the coveted line faster than anyone.
The memory of the best coach
2013 is a year of success and sadness for Valentin Smirnov. On December 16, at the 82nd year of his life, this legendary coach Valentin Evgenievich Shibaev leaves this world. According to the athlete, it was not just a coach, but a loving grandfather. And in many ways, athlete Valentin Smirnov (athletics) owes him much in his life. The champion’s biography is saturated with instructions given by Valentin Evgenievich to his ward, helping not only in sports. And he taught him to run no longer with his feet, but with his head. He gave advice on how to listen to your body, how to wisely conduct a tactical struggle at a distance and at the finish. He asked Vali at each training session (as his coach called him) how he felt, how he felt, what questions his mind was worried about, what goals and how to achieve them. He always helped with advice and believed in his ward. The coach himself came late to the sport, at the age of 17 (Valentin Smirnov at 18). This inspired the athlete very much and inspired hope. Valentin Smirnov (1,500 meters in 3.37.55 minutes) was not enough for just 0.9 seconds at the Russian Winter competitions to break the record of his mentor in 1998 at this distance indoors.
Future plans
Now mentally supported by Valentin Smirnov, his wife, who is also involved in athletics and knows about running firsthand. The wife always accompanies Valentine at training camps and competitions. Support in the sport of loved ones plays a very important role. After the trainer leaves the life, sometimes Valentin and his teammates help train. But basically now the athlete writes his running training programs and shares them online. But still it is impossible to achieve serious victories without a coach. Therefore, Valentin Smirnov looks west in search of a new mentor due to the lack of such in his homeland. Conditions for training in the highlands of Kislovodsk are not ready. The athlete goes to the training camp in the northern mountainous part of Italy (fortunately, the sponsors help). It is difficult for our athletes to perform now also because of the doping scandal and the fact that the Russian team did not allow the Olympics in Rio. Russian athletes hope that the country's leadership will create conditions for them by improving their bases and financing.