Solo action has helped Alina Talai reach the next level, but her quest for fresh knowledge is a race that never ends. In sports, as in life, highly educated people are constantly striving for self-improvement. This is a kind of bottomless sea of desire to learn new things. After, where Alina won a confident victory in the 100 meters hurdles, an interesting interview with our athlete was published on the site. We have saved its Russian version, which we hope you will enjoy!
Interview prepared by Cathal Dennehy:
When Alina Talai picked up the phone, she was sitting in one of the Minsk cafes after a German lesson. Over the past month, the 29-year-old athlete has been undergoing a kind of language retraining. (author's note: we are talking about June).
“My head is about to explode,” she said. – I lived in Austria for two years and never learned German well. I’m a little ashamed, so I go to beginner classes.”
Alina Talay instantly absorbs new knowledge like a sponge. In athletics, it is rare to find a world-class athlete who has the desire to train himself. Especially in such a technically complex form of athletics as the 100-meter hurdles.
At the European Team Championship in Lille / Photo: Marina Kachan
Alina has traveled all over the world, working with some of the best athletics gurus. And all the while, she was watching, absorbing knowledge, so that one day she would take full control of her career and head for the top.
Photo: TUT.BY
“It was not an easy decision,” Talai said. – But I have a lot of experience with different training systems. I trained in Austria, so I know how German athletes build their training. Then I lived in the USA for about a year and a half. During this period, I trained at a sports academy in Florida (IMG Academy). But after a recent not very successful season, I said that I would try to train on my own, combining various systems. ”
DREAM SPEED
Last month (author's note: May, since the interview is dated June 28) in one magical evening in St. Pölten (Austria), she rewrote her personal record twice. She literally flew the distance in 12.61 in the preliminary race, and then, running away from the European champion, Cindy Roleder, annulled the previous achievement. The athlete could not believe when she saw her time - 12.41 (=NR).
“I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought it was impossible to run so fast. Expected around 12:60. It was crazy."
Photo from the personal page of Alina Talay in FB
Everyone who had doubts about Alina's result received an answer in the following weeks, when the athlete confirmed that it was not an accident: Talay finished 2nd in Oslo - 12.63, then 3rd in Stockholm - 12.55, and then won at the home arena during the International match - 12.50. And all this at an acceptable wind speed.
Photo: Alexander Shelegov, Directorate of the II European Games
“Until last week, I couldn’t believe my result - 12.41, but when I ran 12.50 in Minsk, I really realized that I was ready to run fast.”
CREATIVE PROCESS
Imagine that 100m w/w is an art. A twelve-second performance that, from a scientific point of view, can be evaluated with the methodological precision of an engineer.
In fact, as far as her sports career is concerned, Alina is an object, a scientist and an architect of her own destiny!
“Honestly, I don’t know how many hours I spend watching exercise, running, breaking barriers, everything, on my phone. It's difficult because you have to shoot yourself, watch all the videos, analyze your performances that have been throughout the year, and find your weaknesses. It's not easy, I get really tired of it."
“But on the other hand, it's great. I know what I should do, what's best for me. You are part of the creative process."
It's no secret that Talai's running experience spans two decades.
Alina is from Orsha. This is a small town in the north-east of Belarus. A local physical education teacher noticed the athlete's talent when she was 13 years old. At that time, she was running short distances, hurdles and jumping. But after Alina suffered a back injury at the age of 15, she had to give up her sports career as a jumper.
As a teenager, athletics for her was nothing more than a hobby. But in 2008, the athlete finished 4th at the World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, showing a result of 13.31 in the 100m s/b final. And then she began to dream.
“I thought maybe sport could be my profession and I could make money from it. Since then, I have seriously thought about it, ”said Alina.
At the European Team Championship in Cheboksary / Photo: Vadim Devyatovsky
AT THE CROSSROADS
In 2014, Alina found herself at a crossroads: burdened with injuries on the eve of the European Championships in Zurich, Talay finished only 5th there.
“I decided that I had to either change something or end my career, because it was hard to train with injuries,” she shared. – Then I decided to move to Austria. Started training with a new coach. And you know, my career has changed for the better.”
With Phillip Winfried at the ceremony of presenting the special award of the NGO "BFLA" "Athletics"
Alina spent two years under the guidance of Phillip Winfried and reached a new level by winning the bronze of the 2015 World Championships in Beijing: “It was important for me to realize that I can compete with the best athletes in the world,” she said. “It motivated me to continue my career.”
Photo: getty images
This medal predicted good results for the next year. But at the biggest start in Alina's life - in Rio, her Olympic dream collapsed.
In the 100m s/b semi-finals at the eighth hurdle, she lost her balance and barely managed to keep it on the remaining two. As a result, Talay came running last with a score of 13.66.
Photo: getty images
“You can imagine my disappointment,” Alina shared her emotions. - For an athlete who has been grueling for this start for four years, and then suddenly, after 12 seconds, all your efforts go nowhere. This became a big disappointment. I took a two-month break, did absolutely nothing, just forgot about the track. But then I decided that I needed to change something else.”
“After that, I moved to Florida to train with a new coach. That's all I am - in these crazy decisions. I knew that I had to do something different to make my dream come true. So I didn't hesitate."
Photo: getty images
The athlete spent a year and a half training under Lauren Seagrave before returning home to train for the 2018 season. Although Alina trains on her own, she is not alone. Talai coaches and trains with a 21-year-old hurdler at a base in Minsk. And at foreign training camps, she regularly cooperates with other European athletes who also specialize in 100m hurdles. They train together.
With Lauren Seagrave/Photo: Vyacheslav Patysh
“In competitions we are rivals, but in everyday life we are friends,” said Alina. - It's nice to see each other. See what others are doing, what technique they use. It helps me train."
Photo: european-athletics.org
Talay also works on behalf of her peers within the IAAF Athletics Commission, where she has been a member since 2016. In recent weeks, she had to take some time off work for family reasons.
“These were two great years. We have been heard,” she says. – It was cool, and I really hope that in the future it will be even better. It would be very nice to see athletics among the most popular sports in the world, because now we are changing.”
ON THE WAY TO BERLIN
Alina is the owner of a special award of the NGO "BFLA" "Athletics-2017" / Photo: Alexandra Krupskaya
To date, Alina has two medals of the highest standard of the European Indoor Championship, a bronze medal of the World Championship, a bronze medal of the World Indoor Championship, gold and silver of the European Championship.
Photo: getty images
In August, she plans to replenish her collection with another medal at the European Championships in Berlin - the culmination of the athlete's season.
“Like every athlete, I want to be the best,” Alina shares. “I will try to show my best form and a good show in Berlin.”
The road to Berlin will most likely pass through the Diamond League rounds in Rabat and London. In between, Talay will study the video on his phone, scanning his performances for imperfections and nuances.
“Even in my best run at 12.41 I see a lot of mistakes,” said Alina. "Sometimes I just can't look at my running technique, 'Oh my God, what am I doing!'"
"But it's good because I can improve and improve my result."
Alina Talai is a well-known sportswoman from Belarus, a participant and prize-winner of the World Championship.
Childhood and youth
Alina was born in March 1989 in the Byelorussian SSR. She grew up as a rather active child, and therefore the parents decided to send their daughter to the sports section. They decided that she needed to do athletics. The future athlete did not resist and attended the sports section with pleasure.
After some time, the coaches noticed that the girl stood out from her peers. Since then, she began to pay a little more attention than the rest.
Alina Talay successfully performed at children's and youth competitions in the domestic arena. Time passed, and the girl gradually began to run professionally.
Youth career
At nineteen, she went to her first competition, which took place outside her native Belarus. It was the youth world championship. Few believed in the success of the athlete, but she managed to qualify for the final. Unfortunately, she only finished fourth in the final. Despite this result, the girl continued to work hard.
A year later, she goes to the European Championship. Alina again approached the tournament as a "dark horse". Despite everything, Alina returned to her homeland with a bronze award.
In 2011, Alina Talai participates in the European Youth Championship for the last time and this time wins a gold medal. Thus, at the age of twenty-two, Alina won her first serious award.
It is worth noting that back in 2011, she took part in the Military World Games and won the 100-meter hurdles.
adult career
In 2012, Talai travels to Turkey for the World Indoor Championships. The runner takes third place in the sixty-meter hurdles. In the same year, the athlete becomes the second at the European Championships.
2013 was not a very successful year for the young athlete. She won only at the Universiade, which was held in Russia.
In the spring of 2015, Alina became the European champion in the 60m hurdles, and just a few months later she won bronze at the World Championships in China. The Belarusian also competed at the London Olympics in the 100m hurdles, but left the tournament at the semi-final stage. She also participated in the relay, where the Belarusian team lost in the first round.
Unfortunately, the Olympics brought disappointment: Alina Talai did not win anything. Photos and videos from those competitions show all the intensity of passions and how the athlete tried, but, to the disappointment of the fans, she did not win. But to her credit, later, during many conversations with journalists, she did not look for excuses, but honestly admitted that she was not sufficiently prepared for the competition.
Personal indicators
As you can see, quite an interesting personality is Alina Talai. The biography of the athlete shows the following personal records:
- In open space, the girl ran a hundred meters in 11.48 seconds.
- She covered two hundred meters in 23.59 seconds.
- A girl runs one hundred meters with obstacles in 12.66 seconds.
As for the indoor results, they look like this:
- Sixty meters in 7.31 seconds.
- Sixty meters hurdles in 7.85 seconds. It should be noted that this is the best result in the history of Belarus.
Since 2008, Alina Talai has been training under the guidance of Viktor Myasnikov, who is a famous Soviet track and field athlete.
Perhaps if the girl was a little taller, she could win more awards. It is very difficult to compete with tall runners when they are only 164 centimeters tall. Despite this, Talai is always focused on winning and tries to fight to the last. It was due to the stubborn nature that the girl was able to achieve certain heights.
Alina Talay's parents spoke about their daughter.
At the World Championships in Athletics in Beijing. Journalists of the newspaper went to Orsha to meet with Alina's parents - Gennady and Elena, as well as the girl's first coach - Alexander Gutina. We present to your attention the text of the material.
If Comrade Saakhov from the “Prisoner of the Caucasus” knew Alina Talai, then he would certainly have stolen her. You flip through the Internet pages and only manage to catch messages about her bubbling life: she starred in a video, held a master class, jumped with a parachute, rode a bike, took part in a charity event ... And with all this, she also won medals of the most succeeds in prestigious starts. For example, the hurdler returned from the recent World Championships in Beijing with a spectacular bronze medal, which prompted us to visit Orsha. Here live her parents and the first coach, with whom we met.
Student
Alina was not a tomboy girl in her early years, she did not turn everything upside down in the house. There was enough discipline. And besides, since childhood, her interests were not limited to sports. Mother Talay Elena Anatolyevna is proud of her daughter: - Alina knew how to organize her life herself, she started cooking early. Since childhood, she loved history, astronomy, literature ... At the age of four she already knew the letters and learned to read early. She is still with books to this day. Now Alina is a certified manager in the field of tourism. But actually, she has a whole story connected with getting an education, which would be quite suitable as a plot for some expressive film. With an average school certificate score of 8.9 and decent test results, she did not enter the Pedagogical University. I ended up in a medical college, where I studied nothing and took the documents. And then the curve of fate led her to the ZhES - Alina became the controller of measuring instruments. Those who worked in this position do not laugh at the circus. Climbing through the cellars, Alina had to see a lot of unpleasant things. But she endured everything steadfastly. Her father Gennady Petrovich, however, is not surprised: - Homeless people, rats, dead cats - in the basements that Alina had to bypass, she happened to get a real school of life. I said that if the house is very problematic, I can go together. But she never asked for it. She wanted to test herself. To some extent, this hardening helped in sports, because in it you often have to endure - trauma, illness, disappointment ... Let's say, last year, just before leaving for the World Indoor Championships, she fell ill with chickenpox, all the eyeliner went down the drain him. Alina, understandably, was upset. But she didn’t cry into our vest. Character!
Sportswoman
12.66 - in the final race at the World Championships in Beijing, Alina Talai repeated the record of Belarus in the 100-meter hurdles, which was set a quarter of a century ago. The result is very decent by any standards. But the athlete, of course, does not want to dwell on it. She says that for her, even 12.40 is by no means an exorbitant landmark. Alexander Gutin, who has worked as a children's coach in Orsha for 40 years and fostered Alina, is sure that such a result, if she shows it, will bring her an Olympic medal in Rio de Janeiro. True, he does not want to guess: - Something to plan in sports is a thankless task. But the fact that Alina is included in a small pool of our athletes, from whom much is expected at the next Olympics, is a fact. She has a golden age for sprinting, and she loves and knows how to work. Somehow Alina jumped in training over barriers - such massive, Soviet ones, with an iron base. I stumbled, caught one - I look: she has drops of blood from her knee drip-drip-drip on the floor. I say: "Enough, probably for today." And she: “Alexander Semenovich, I haven’t completed all the tasks yet - let's continue ...” Or another example: when I left for Moscow for courses, Alina trained in Grodno. So after that I was told that the coaches at the training camp had to literally kick her out of the arena. - How did you find Alina? - At the stadium "Locomotive" competitions were held among secondary schools of the city. I was then told that some girl showed a very decent result in the long jump. I studied the protocols, went to her school, offered to study. - How long did you think? - Yes, I didn’t even ask my parents for advice! Literally immediately blurted out: “Tomorrow I will!” I know from practice that they agree so quickly, as a rule, when they want to unhook and forget. And the next day, from the very early morning, she was like a bayonet at Lokomotiv. I put a couple of barriers for her - she easily jumped over them. Showed potential. I sent her to our city dispensary.
Alina had heart problems, but they did not become a black mark - a sentence for her. And now Alexander Gutin, of course, is extremely glad that Alina's parents did not hit the table with their fist and did not take their daughter from his group: - After she was examined at the regional diagnostic center, her dad came to me and begins thoughtfully: “Alexander Semenovich I want to upset you." I'm already thinking, well, that's it, that's it, there will be no more training! And he: “In Vitebsk, we were told that Alina can train, but only with moderate loads - she will never become a champion.” Wow, at these words, it was as if a stone had fallen from my heart. The main thing is that she doesn't quit... - You were probably offended when Alina was "stolen" from under your wing to Minsk? - I think that with proper approaches it was possible to bring it to a high level. But here, alas, sometimes the meaning of the word “optimization” is misinterpreted. In Orsha and other similar cities, there used to be branches of regional schools of the Olympic reserve. Children were given food and fruits in comprehensive schools. They slept in their own beds, lived with their parents. And the coaches did not need to pay anything extra - only what they had in their sports schools ... In this system, we in Orsha grew up a lot of strong athletes (including Talai), cyclists, judokas, wrestlers. But then everything was covered up. Why, you ask? Why not use such a form in the field, if it justified itself? Why pull everyone to Minsk and regional cities?
Alina's father notes that, especially at first, her daughter's training conditions were spartan: "Cinder and rubber treadmills, a basement that terrifies, an old playing sports hall." But she never murmured herself. And she always flew to training with great enthusiasm: - My wife has the first category in volleyball, I went to the gym, played football, table tennis, mini-football. He often took Alina with him, because of which she grew up in a competitive atmosphere. However, we did not think that our daughter would become a high-level professional athlete, when we sent her to a sports school. More regarded her classes as a health benefit. - As far as I know, Alina began to seriously engage in athletics already in her teens ... - That's right. But she perceived the loads that were offered at the sports school normally, as she was always mobile and energetic. A bicycle, a river, a forest... I was very fond of tourism. Beauty Beautiful both externally and internally - this is just about Alina Talay. If she wanted to, she could well be shot for the covers of glossy magazines. And her inner world is a feast for the eyes. She has a clear civic position and does not belong to those who can indifferently pass by someone else's misfortune. Recently, for example, she took part in a special charity run, and also visited a children's hospice with valuable gifts. Elena Talai says that her daughter has been like this since childhood:
I remember that, together with some other girls, Alina washed and saved the chicks that fell out of the nest and got into some kind of fuel oil, and in general she always knew how to be compassionate and was never tight-fisted.
Does he shower you with gifts? - Two years ago I bought myself a car, and gave me my old one. And this is just one example.
Surprised?
Alina generally knows how to surprise, - picks up her father. - Last year, for example, he calls and says: come to me in Minsk on such and such a day, we are going to the concert of the Piknik group. Or one more time he calls: dad, write me down there so that I can open category “A” in my driving license. I wrote it down, arrived, went, passed the exam, and then takes out a smartphone and shows it, they say, look, I bought myself a real Harley-Davidson, how do you like it?
Does she put you before the fact more often or does she still advise?
We, of course, discuss many issues. But most often Alina makes decisions herself. She is very independent.
Alina is the only child in your family, and besides, due to her busyness, you cannot see each other often. Grandchildren, probably, would you like? Maybe hurry up?
We are consistent on this issue. As in her childhood, so now we do not impose any of our desires on Alina. When the time comes, she will decide everything herself. And we will accept her choice.
When will that time come?
We'll see, but now Alina is focused on sports. He trains several hours a day. She dreams of an Olympic medal, which, in my opinion, is quite achievable. Let this be a hurdle sprint. Blacks rule the sprint. But Alina Talay, who is sometimes called the "Great White Hope", knows how to refute stereotypes. Let the pretty girl from Orsha succeed once again in Rio. Run, Alina, run!
Alina Talai is a well-known athlete from Belarus, a participant and winner of many competitions, including the World Championship. Her specialty is the 100m hurdles. It is considered one of the fastest Europeans. And besides everything, she is just a very pretty and smiling girl.
Biography of Alina Talay
Alina was born on May 14, 1989 in the city of Orsha in Belarus.
As a child, the girl was very active, a real fidget, so by the joint decision of her parents, she was sent to the sports section for athletics.
Alina liked their decision, she began to study with great zeal and enjoyed learning a new path for herself.
The girl began to develop rapidly and soon the coaches noticed that she was better than many of her peers. Since then, she has received as much attention as possible.
In childhood and adolescence, the girl won many domestic competitions. Alina grew up, studied, constantly trained and decided that running would become her life's work.
Career
Alina Talai went to the first serious competition at the age of nineteen in 2008. It was the World Junior Championship.
The athlete was unknown to anyone, so no one really believed that she would succeed in such a serious competition, but the girl was able to get into the finals and took fourth place.
The fact that she could not achieve a prize only spurred the girl to do much more seriously than before.
A year later, Alina went to the European Youth Championship in the city of Kaunas. There, the girl was able to win third place and returned home with a bronze medal.
Two years later, in 2011, the Belarusian athlete Alina Talai participated in the European Youth Championship for the last time and this time returned home with a victory. At 22, Alina won her first gold medal.
In the same year, the girl participates in military sports and wins the 100-meter hurdles.
In 2012, Alina takes third place in the World Championship in Turkey.
In 2013, the girl won a silver medal at the World Summer Universiade in Kazan.
In 2015, Alina Talai again became the European champion, now at a distance of 60 meters hurdles.
At the World Championships in London, the girl performed without much success, she was able to take only sixth place. She admitted to reporters that she was very to blame for the fact that she was not sufficiently prepared for the competition.
In 2017, Alina won second place at the European Championships in Belgrade.
At the beginning of 2018, she was named one of the best athletes in Belarus for 2017.
2018 was a year of victories - Talay won two international tournaments - in Manchester and Berlin.
One of the main achievements of Alina Talai is that she has been considered the fastest European runner since 1992. At the Liese Prokop Memorial in Austria, the girl ran the 100m hurdles in a record-breaking 12.41 seconds. The girl was happy that she had broken a record that no European woman could break since 1992.
Personal life
Alina spends most of her life in Austria - she lives and trains there.
Alina does not particularly think about her personal life and family. She has a young man, but she is in no hurry to get married, she wants to achieve a lot in her career first.
The girl loves fast driving and bought herself a motorcycle "for the soul" - Harley-Davidson.
Alina Talai has visited many countries of the world, but almost never brought back souvenirs. As she says, the main thing is to collect not things, but impressions. As a gift to relatives, the athlete brings exotic sweets.
If she has free time in an unfamiliar city, Alina prefers to just walk.
The girl loves various music festivals. She is always trying to make her way to the stage itself, not at all afraid that she will be crushed by one of the beer drinkers.
Alina Talay dreams of visiting Lake Baikal.
Parents about Alina
Alina's mother is very proud of her daughter. She says that the girl learned to cook and organize her life early. At the same time, in childhood, Alina was a very kind and compassionate girl. Mom recalls that once a daughter and her girlfriends washed the chicks that had fallen out of the nest and got into fuel oil for a long time.
Mom says that for some time Alina worked as a inspector of measuring instruments. She had to climb the basements, see the homeless, dead cats, birds and rats, but she never complained, thanks to her persistent character. Perhaps such a harsh hardening helped the girl in sports.
Alina usually makes all the important decisions in life herself, she does not run to her parents for advice.
The father considers his daughter an athlete with a great future. In addition, he is sure that she could well take up a modeling career and look great on the covers of elite magazines.
Coach about Alina
Alina's coach considers her his most talented ward. He says that despite the constant workload, the girl is always smiling and friendly.
Her least favorite exercise is deep squats at the gym. The coach works with Alina for 4-5 hours a day and believes that this time is quite enough for an athlete of her level.
She was born on May 14, 1989 in Orsha. She studied at school number 4. Achievements: 2011 European Youth Champion, 2011 World Championship bronze medalist, 2012 European Championship silver medalist, participant in the London 2012 Olympic Games. She first became famous outside of Belarus at the age of 19, when she finished 4th in the 100-meter hurdles at the World Junior Championships in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz - the bronze medal was very close, but they still started talking about Talay. In 2011, in the Czech Ostrava, she became the European champion under 23, showing a result of 12.91 seconds and breaking the 13-second milestone. From the record result of Swede Kallur in 2003, she was separated by 0.03 seconds. In 2012, Talai was recognized as the best athlete in Belarus. Alina is currently training with 1976 European Indoor Hurdles Champion Viktor Myasnikov. Before moving to Minsk, she trained with Alexander Gutin. It was the coach from Orsha who brought Talai to the first serious international success. Talay is one of the few white sprinters capable of winning medals at major international starts.
Alina Talay is well known even to people who have nothing to do with Orsha or sports. In a detailed interview for the newspaper "Pressball" Alina showed her clear position in life, which most Belarusian athletes do not do. She stated that she often argues with Russian athletes who praise the Russian Empire, the monarchy and cites the great history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as an example. Talay considers Grand Duke Vytautas to be his favorite historical character, whom he characterizes as an extremely cunning and intelligent politician. In addition, the athlete advocates a return to the origins of Belarusian statehood, she supports the installation of a monument to Stanislav Moniuszko, and she would also like a monument to Kastus Kalinovsky to appear in Minsk. Orshanka considers Soviet names of squares and monuments to communist leaders, who often did not even visit our country, to be absurd and unnecessary for Belarus. Moreover: Talai has an absolutely definite position regarding the national flag. Here are her words on this matter: "I grew up under a red-green flag, and I like it when it is raised in my honor, but let's not kid ourselves - our color is white-red-white."
After the World Championships in Moscow in 2013, Talai made quite a few enemies in Belarusian sports. She openly criticized the country's athletics team. Despite the fact that she herself did not make it to the final, taking only 9th place, Talai became one of the best Belarusians in the world championship. She stated that the Belarusian team was "in the ass". The athlete wrote out a pharmacological program for herself, risking running into doping, despite the fact that, with a normal organization in all foreign teams, all pharmacology is handled exclusively by the team's medical workers.
Alina speaks English. By his own admission, not as much as we would like, but enough for a conversation. Often performs in various charity events, for example, in 2014 she took part in a charity run in honor of a seriously ill Ukrainian gymnast. From music he likes Soviet, Belarusian and Russian rock, groups DDT, Kino, Aria. "Lyapis Trubetskoy". Here are Alina's words about music: "From Belarusian I love - "Lyapis Trubetskoy", "Give me a favor!", "Akute". And before the competition itself, I usually listen to metalcore to get excited." The popularity of Talay did not bypass the attention of musicians. So, Alina starred in the video of the famous Belarusian group "Amaroka".
Despite the fact that at one time she herself wanted to move to the capital of Belarus and finally did it, Alina considers the best way to relax to come to her native Orsha. Here are her words: “I don’t feel comfortable in the capital. You can absolutely relax only in your native Orsha. When you sit in the kitchen with your parents, drink tea, listen to the news, you yourself tell something. We talk about everything in the world - about sports, politics, history, literature. And I feel so good with my dad and mom that I want to talk with them until the morning. And it's really cool!" Since the end of 2014, he has been training in Austria with Philip Winfried. In early 2015, she won the gold medal of the European Championships in the halls in the 60m hurdles and became the champion of Belarus in the 60m and 60m hurdles.
