Vihrovs, Fadejevs, Zeļonijs – Latvian Olympic medalists 20 years after Sydney / Article / LSM.lv

It has been 20 years since the Sydney Olympics. It was there that the gymnast Igors Vihrovs won the first gold medal in the history of the restored independent Latvia, the walker Aigars Fadejevs won the Olympic silver, and the judoist Vsevolod Zeļonijs won the Olympic bronze.

All these Olympic medalists are now men in their very years of strength. Fadejev, holding his Olympic medal in his hands, is even surprised – his son has been for 20 years, and just as many years for the Olympic award.

But then, 20 years ago, Vihrov was zero as a married student, a promising young gymnast, Fadeyev was already a leader since the Atlanta Olympics, and Zelonia was a high-profile athlete at the European level.

“Very purposeful, definitely egocentric, with ambitions, and ambitions for masses – such a confident personality,” Fadeyev describes himself during the Sydney Olympics. According to sociological research, he became the president in terms of popularity at that time.

“There was a family, everything was, but I only live for sports. Only sports, ”Zelonijs remembers himself 20 years ago.

Of the three Olympic medalists, Fadeyev was the only one from whom the medal was expected. He had promised it himself and did not stop promising after the car accident a year and a half before the Sydney Olympics. He was everywhere – involved in all projects. Now he can’t even figure out where he took so much time at the time. Organized camps, participated in events. But when he put an end to his walking career, his activities at public events also waned.

After the Sydney Olympics, Zelony started similar activities and, as he says, does not understand how to survive in such a regime. After the Olympics, he realized that he wanted to work in sports – he founded his own school, which is now celebrating its 20th anniversary. Currently, Zelonijs is the head of his school with five branches, the president of the Latvian Judo Federation, the vice-president of the Latvian Olympic Committee and works in the European Judo Association.

Vihrov ended his career, disappointed in Latvian gymnastics. Seeing how he works in America, he, together with Yevgeny Sapronenko, was able to give more humane features to gymnastics in Latvia, to show that it is useful for everyone. “I am very glad that I stayed in gymnastics, and I do my best to have more results in gymnastics in Latvia,” Vihrovs admitted to the “Sports Studio”.

Fadeyev’s life has fallen sharply. He ended his walking career at the age of 31, which is nothing for a long-distance rider. But now he is aware of how much he has gained by being next to excellent sports doctors and physiotherapists. How much did you learn to kneel and travel.

“It turns out that it was just a school at all, and I didn’t know that there were other classes alongside that school that were so important for me to do what I do, help, treat people and be happy with life, with work. And I would come to work with great joy that I will be able to do, achieve and win again, ”admits Fadejevs, who is now a sports physiotherapist.

The Olympic medals opened up opportunities for them, but what they have achieved over the next 20 years is not the merit of the Olympic medal. Vihrov says that he is not the person who walks around and talks about his athletic achievements – so that people value Igor, not his results.

Even now, they like to win. But all three of them are men who understood in time: giving is more pleasant than taking.

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