Multiple Ukrainian champion, World and Europe championships’ winner Yehor Martynenko continually and proudly represented Ukraine for triathlon and aquathlon contests. He is positive, smiling and sincere, makes everybody well disposed.  Our conversation has quickly started to remind friendly get-togethers: jolly crowd has gathered for half an hour and the interview turned into funny stories from Zhytomyr citizens’ lives. We’ve been laughing a bit, grieving a bit and even created plans for coming spring.

“In my childhood I was always sick and I was sent in sport section for heart murmur to pass off. My father had a friend whose wife is a coach. I didn’t meet the age requirement, I was only 6 years old but the criterion was to be at least 7.  Despite this fact, I was accepted and as the years passed by trainers were changing until 12 years of age for the moment I started to do triathlon.”

“Woman-coach is more like… “Do you want some chocolate bar? Honey-bunny, kitty-catty, let’s swim? But I needed motivation.”

“The title of master of sports is the most significant. I was selected to participate in European Championship, but I fell and broke my collarbone. I’ve been training for only one and a half month, and then I got the total pass by three criteria at once! I didn’t even have any CMS (copy-editor’s note – Candidate in master of sports), from the first echelon straightaway to master. That is how I was motivated.”

“From race to race the experience comes. To my mind, psychological attitude of mind is more important than physical condition. Even though you’re knocked-down, untrained but strike to get the result, everything is possible. It depends on your feelings when it comes to training. It all starts with the mind!”

“People must be different for rounding each other out. Life without family would be gloomy. There’s a need in somebody to brainwash.”

“My mom and I live together, she needs some support. Seeing her rarely, mom is often sad. So I’m in Zhytomyr for one and a half month.”

“Tastes and views are changing with time. I used to like working with telephones, Iphones and installing programs. These days there is no more time for doing this. We train sport-amateurs to participate in races, marathons by online-trainings, provide with trainings’ plans, and communicate with different people.”

“All rewards I give to my mother. She has got a fluffy toy where all the medals are saved.”

“There are lots of competitions, races. People ask: “How was the game? How did it go?”, but I am completely mixed up. Were we driving straight there?  No, we weren’t. Were we turning the corner there? No, we weren’t.”

“Money is not a goal, it’s more the way to buy something necessary, travel anywhere you want, e.g. to training camps. It’s great when there is always enough of finances. But if there is a lack, it’s not a big deal. So that the time to earn them.”

“I’ll not force my children to go in for sport. They’ll have to decide where to go and what to do themselves. But for the good of sanitation, it’d be better at last to learn swimming. Not just to jump and sink, but king of dangle back and forth! Because when you go to the seaside with your girlfriend, she’s swimming, but you’re standing on the shore washing your belly – it’s pretty not cool!”

“There are two types of people. The first type is someone who wants to improve, who is looking for new knowledge and is going forward. And there is a second type. You got it. It’s bad that people who are working on themselves want to go to other cities, countries.”

“Having already travelled a lot and seeing a lot more developed places, you watch the slow growth of Zhytomyr, e.g. in supermarket. When you greet some person, but instead people dart their eyes, they’re rude…That’s all, you’re free. The situation in the USA or Europe is different: they’ll ask you “How are you?” , people will smile at you, help with adding products up, offer a trolley, wish to have a good day. But there is no visible development in our country. (It’s sad). It’s also bad.”

“If you get down to the business, you have to be aware of it, you should provide service. When a client comes to you, you must do everything in the best possible way, but not brush dullness and rudeness aside.”

“Sport engrains a temper and sets for a fair battle. You have to act according to rules and prove that you’re the strongest. Having a character, it’s to achieve something by the most sensible way.”

“Of course, there is a desire to get as much as possible and as quick as possible. Yet for everything there is a season.”
Translated by Aliona Matushevich