NIKITA PANASENKO: “AT THE WORLD CUP IN POLAND I WAS A DARK HORSE”

13.11.2017

In early November, Poland hosted the first stage of the Track Cycling World Cup, where Kazakhstani cyclist Nikita Panasenko brought the national team a medal of the highest dignity in the points race. Just a week later, the 25-year-old rider from Talgar managed to win another gold medal at the second stage of the World Cup, held in Manchester, this time in the scratch race.

In his interview Zakon.kz Nikita Panasenko spoke about what inspires him to win, what an important question every athlete should ask and what is the advantage of "dark horses".

- I think you will agree that winning the World Cup in Poland was your best result in your career. However, you didn't stop there and a week later you won another gold medal at the World Cup in Manchester. Is this the result of good preparation or did something really inspire you?

- The victory at the World Cup in Poland was a surprise for me. The fact is that this season my preparation was completely new, I reviewed many factors of my preparation, everything changed to the smallest detail. And it gave its results. A huge desire to win, to climb the podium, to raise our flag, to hear our anthem also played a role. I think this is the main motivation for every athlete, as we devote our whole lives to these moments.

- You said that you have radically revised your training. What are its main changes?

- This year, for the first time, I consciously looked at my shortcomings and weaknesses from the outside, which, frankly, I have never done in my life, how much I train. Before that, there was a stamp preparation, which had been developed over the years. This year, I focused on my weaknesses and tightened them up.

- Was it more about physical training or psychological training?

- More, of course, it touched on the physical aspects. Such as individual walking, sprinting, and other meals. Psychologically, I also went through a turning point. I've learned to enjoy what I do. It used to be just a job for me. At a certain point, I wondered why I was doing cycling and why I wasn't getting the satisfaction I would like to get. With these thoughts, the revision of my entire training began. The main question I asked myself was why I was doing this, for what purpose, and what I wanted to achieve. If I don't enjoy it, then I either have to quit or change something. No matter how corny it may sound, but you need to do what you love, only then can you achieve results. It would be great to ask this question earlier. But all in good time.

- Tell us about the race in Poland. You had strong opponents, some of them occupy top positions in the world ranking. Was it difficult to fight them?

- I was a "dark horse" in the race in Poland. Unfortunately, Europeans still forget that Kazakhstan is a worthy rival. We are not always regarded as the main favorites, they do not respond to our every attack. But that was my advantage, which I took advantage of. So the main task was to have enough strength to develop their potential. I attacked at the right moment, when the main favorites were focused on sprints and showdowns among themselves. By attacking at the right moment, I achieved a one-lap advantage. After that, it was enough to just "hold on" and score points. It is much easier to fight from the position of a leader. The main thing is not to overdo it, not to climb to every finish line in order to win. It was enough just to get into the top 4 in each intermediate finish.

- That is, in sports you are a supporter of a rational approach rather than the method of "brute force". Or is this not always the case?

- Tactics are important in cycling. "Take it in a hurry" rarely comes out.

- And how was the race in Manchester?

- Let's start with the fact that it was a different race and there is a completely different tactic. The Manchester race was a bike poker game – whoever plays the game wins. The strongest athletes rode, all the favorites. So again, my task was to realize my potential at the right moment. I tried to do it, and I succeeded. The victory in Manchester was an incredible success. To be honest, I still don't believe that this happened. Compared to the race in Poland, it was more difficult for me in Manchester, even though the points race was longer, even though it was more aggressive, more expensive. I made the last scratch attack at the limit of my abilities. Go all in. I took a chance. Either I have enough strength, or my rivals do. It turned out that they spent much more effort than I did.

- Your contract with the Astana City continental cycling team is coming to an end soon. Are you planning to return to Track Team Astana?

- I have been playing for Track Team Astana since 2011, since its inception. My move to Astana City was due to the fact that there are fewer road races on the track team's calendar. As part of Astana City, I got a large highway base, thanks to which I was able to correct my weaknesses. In December, the contract ends, I return to Track Team Astana again.

- What is the situation with track cycling in Kazakhstan? Share with us as an athlete who knows the situation from the inside.

- There is certainly a development. The picture I saw of adult athletes when I was still a junior was very sad. It's much better now. We have trips, competitions, and training camps. It's nice that a lot of attention is paid to cycling on the track. All conditions have been created for full-fledged training and successful performances at competitions. We feel great support from the federation. I am sure that cycling in Kazakhstan has a great future, it is a very promising sport. Today, there are many talented racers in the country both on the track and on the highway.

- What achievements do you dream of achieving in your sports career?

- The athlete who does not dream of becoming an Olympic champion is bad. It's worth living for.

Link to the material: https://www.zakon.kz/4888455-nikita-panasenko-ploh-tot-sportsmen.html


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