Natalia Valeeva competing after 6 years: master title and European record

Natalia Valeeva is not used to leaving anything to chance. It is not a mystery, considering that we are talking about an athlete who boasts two Olympic podiums, 10 world titles and countless other international laurels. For her, who currently holds the role of coach of the national team, a month of training to present herself to the Italian Master Cup held at the municipal stadium of Pistoia with the intention of not betraying the expectations that such a curriculum will always carry with her. It was not easy, even if in the end Natalia took home the class title on the 72 arrows at 60 meters with a lot of new European master record with 653 points that improve the previous record of the German Elke Heins of 647, achieved in 2016. . And on Sunday the absolute master title also arrived in the ranking that brought together 50-54 years, 60-64 years and over 65, at the end of the eliminatory rounds that saw her prevail in the final over her teammate of the Castenaso Archery Team Stefania. Franceschelli for 113-104.

First day of school

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“It was the first official race I played in 6 years, since I stopped shooting in 2016”, explains the former Italian athlete who also competed with the Soviet Union and Moldova, his country of birth, during his career. “To come to Pistoia I did a month of preparation, which for me means at least 5-6 training sessions per week. As far as I’m concerned, twice a week is not enough to go to the competition with a good prospect. So in the last month I stepped up my work. It goes without saying that when I entered the field I was very excited, everyone was looking at me and were curious to know how it would go. And so was I. I had to reassure myself, because I was experiencing the return to the shooting line as if it were the first day of school, with heartbeats too high and a strong tremor of the arms. At that point I realized that I had to concentrate only on the technical gesture and move all thoughts on what I needed for the race “.

As per tradition, Natalia eased the tension between one volley and another by reading a few pages of the book. As she did while she was involved in the Olympic Games or in the world championships. “It’s true, I didn’t want to lose this habit that breaks the concentration between one volley and the other. But I didn’t have reading glasses. When I compete indoors and I have less light, I’ll have to remember to wear them,” he says with a smile.

record performance

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As for the European record, it certainly wasn’t sought: “They told me the next day, I didn’t even know what the score to beat was. I just wanted to do my best for myself, then if the European record arrived. and the Italian one makes me very happy. Am I nine points from the world championship? Well, it means that I still have to grow and I am confident of being able to improve “. After a first day with records and podiums, on the second day the second gold arrived at the end of the qualifying heats.

Strong sensations? “The lack of technical training made me commit a few mistakes too many and brought me some insecurities that I tried to buffer with the experience and the competitive nastiness. For this in the end I managed to win despite the difficulties. I tell the truth, after this victory I resented Natalia Valeeva and probably managed to do what the others expected of me. It was not easy to bear the expectations of others and all the more reason I say that without training you cannot have a high level performance. I say as a technician what I am now: it takes a lot of consistency to achieve results and with this return I have confirmed in practice the technical advice I give to my students “. Someone like Natalia is worth listening to to go far …