Ukrainian shot putter Yury Bilonoh earned international fame as Olympic champion in the final days of August. At the cost of superhuman exertions he managed to outdistance US athlete Adam Nelson and snatched the gold medal from him in the sixth and final attempt. Yury Bilonoh already ascended the podium in 1997 as the world champion. Now, after a long break, the athlete from Odesa has brought Olympic gold to Ukraine.
At age 30, Yury Bilonoh is a master of sports in athletics and a lieutenant colonel in the border troops. He is a native of Odesa. He is married with a son and daughter. The Day’s correspondent interviewed him after his return home.
“At what cost has Olympic gold come to you?”
“Above all at the cost of tremendous effort and seventeen years of persistent training. As a boy, I dreamed of becoming a champion. Later in life I saw everything: both victories and disappointments, but the dream persisted. I knew that some day it would become reality.”
“The dream has come true. What did you feel when you were standing on the podium?”
“Frankly, nothing special. I was standing there telling myself, ‘I’m an Olympic champion,’ but I didn’t feel anything — no special pride or emotion. All this came later, after I came home. It suddenly became clear that hundreds of people know me; they recognize me on the street and ask for an autograph. I find such attention very unusual. At first I didn’t feel like going outside, unless it was really necessary.”
“Is it difficult being a superstar?”
“I have never felt like a star. Neither now, nor when I became world champion. The boys and girls over at the training ground tried to address me respectfully as Yury Hryhorovych, but I told them not to. It’s a different thing in official situations, but at trainings I have always been and still am just Yura to everybody. In general, I’m not proud by nature. Being a celebrity is not for me.”
“Perhaps hard work and desire alone are not enough to become a champion? You also need talent, good training, and a coach to teach you the fundamentals of mastering your sport. How is the training of young Ukrainian athletes coming along?”
“As I see it, not all that well. For example, there is a shortage of coaches in my native Odesa. Most of the coaches are retired; young instructors are shunning sports schools because of the low wages. Meanwhile, becoming a real master and finding and cultivating your own champion may take ten or even twenty years. But aside from finding an athlete, you have to keep him from quitting. Young athletes need stimulus. For example, when I was a boy I trained in order to receive free sports outfits. This was a matter of great prestige. I remember how in 1990 someone offered to pay me fifteen hundred rubles for a tracksuit with the USSR Team logo. In those days you could buy a car with this much money. But today not every nineteen-year-old young man can afford to live at his parents’ expense and do nothing but train, because sport will become financially rewarding only after he achieves certain results and wins champion titles. In my case this happened at age 25. But I got lucky, because I married into a sporting family. Both my wife and father-in-law are athletes, and they wereunderstanding. Meanwhile, many of my friends were forced to leave sports in order to provide for themselves and their families.”
“What solution would you offer to fix this situation?”
“International sport is based on a club system. Clubs look for sponsors, cultivate their athletes, and support them financially. I see this as the only solution. Ever since Viktor Yanukovych became the chairman of the Olympic Committee, the Ukrainian sports scene has been improving. Before, training funds for the Olympic team would arrive three months before the beginning of the games. This year we began training for the Beijing Olympics immediately after the Olympics in Greece.
“In the past ten years we have also had no medical rehabilitation outings. Today athletes are being offered free trips to the training camp in Koncha-Zaspa. The camp is under renovations and has a new director. Now it offers food to suit every taste. We’re not used to so much attention.”
“Getting back to the Olympics, what distinguished the Ukrainian athletes from other athletes?”
“Their low level of patriotism. As far as performance is concerned, we are no worse than the Europeans and Americans. But national pride and team cohesion are something we should learn from them. We support our athletes silently, with our mouths shut. When our rivals are performing, we sit still, afraid to whistle. The French, Greeks, Italians root for their athletes from the grandstands and support them in every way possible. They understand that an athlete’s performance also depends on the way their fans behave.”
“How do Europeans treat Ukraine and what do they know about it?”
“I believe Ukraine is known the world over, primarily because of its sportsmen: Klychko, Shevchenko, et al. And their attitude is warm and friendly. Meanwhile, Americans are not popular in Europe because of their haughty attitude. This is why the spectators were booing and whistling when my American rival came up for his sixth shot.”
“Lately no international tournament has taken place without a doping scandal. Greece was no exception. In your view, how impartial is testing, and why have the anti-doping officials been toughening doping control requirements every four years?”
“The reason for such meticulous doping control of athletes from Ukraine, Russia, and other East European countries is quite obvious. Doping control is a convenient way to manage the number of medals. If you pop an aspirin-it’s game over. It thins the blood, which makes it a stimulant. And it’s no use proving the contrary. At some competitions I would have my blood tested three times in two days, but they couldn’t catch me taking anything. Others were not tested at all. In essence, this is no longer doping control, but doping blackmail. The organizers themselves realize that they have carried it to the point of absurdity.”
“What was most special for you about the Olympics in Greece?”
“Most of all it was the arena where I performed: it dates back 3,000 years. It was the site of the 2004 Olympics for the first time since the days of ancient Greeks. That’s why local journalists joked about me being the second Olympic champion after Heracles. When you perform in such a historic place, you feel a special excitement, as if all the heroes of Hellas were watching you.”
“Yura, word has it that many athletes are very superstitious and carry talismans, lucky caps, vests, etc. Do you believe in omens?”
“Yes. Whenever I’m on my way to a competition, I keep looking at four-digit number plates on cars, looking for numbers like 20-97 or 21- 15, that is, for numbers close to the distance of the throw.”
“Does it help?”
“Sometimes.”
“Who in your family is your biggest fan? Your son, daughter, or wife?”
“My mother-in-law. My father-in-law is by my side during competitions. As you know, he’s my coach. My wife never watches televised coverage because she worries too much. My son and daughter watch and cheer. Meanwhile, my mother-in-law is a real fan.”
“Before your departure for the Olympics, the mayor of Kyiv Alexander Omelchenko promised apartments in Kyiv to all the medalists. As a gold medalist you are entitled to a three-room apartment. Did the mayor keep his word?”
“Not yet. But in any case, I do not intend to relocate to Kyiv. I love Odesa more.”
“Finally, a time-honored question. What are your plans for the next Olympics?”
“Just like at these Olympics, I will compete for first place, for gold. Sport is my calling and my life. I will make every effort to achieve the highest results.”
