Synchronized swimming was an exclusively women's sport for many years, but in 2014 everything changed when a new category of mixed duets was introduced. Then the world learned about the talent of Alexander Maltsev. He was a pioneer among Russian men in this sport. Four-time world champion in mixed duet Maltsev spoke in an interview with Sport about the difficulties of surviving in women's sports, the envy of guys, falling in love with partners and new rules.
“They told me to my face that I should leave”
– You are the first professional synchronized swimmer in Russia. How difficult is it to tread a path that no one has walked before?
– Being a pioneer in any type of activity is very difficult. I went through a lot: misunderstanding and lack of recognition, hate from others. I was told that this is not a man's sport and that I do not belong in it. I could not participate in official competitions and could not perform categories; I received nothing from my training.
When mixed duets appeared in synchronized swimming, it became easier, but even now there are many moments when I am trying to pave the way. For example, today only mixed duets are included in the All-Russian Register of Sports; I am trying to ensure that men’s solo and mixed groups are also included there, as is customary at the World Championships. We are up against certain requirements of the Ministry of Sports regarding the number of participants in each age category. In Russia, they started recruiting guys only in 2016, so we have a lot of children, but only a few adults. Due to the lack of protocols in the older age category, the inclusion of these disciplines in the register is slowed down, and the boys do not have the opportunity to perform in them.
– Why were boys recruited into synchronized swimming if there was no prospects?
– In the early 2000s, male synchronized swimmers took an active part in various international competitions. Then the American Bill May sought to ensure that men were allowed to participate in the World Championships and Olympics. Therefore, in St. Petersburg, as an experiment, boys were recruited into the synchronized swimming section. There was a feeling that men were about to be included in the competition program, but all this talk remained just talk for many years. As a result, more than 10 years later they finally came to this.
– How difficult was it to continue to engage in women's sports as a teenager?
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– It was very difficult, but I always believed that perseverance, hard work and perseverance would help me achieve my goal.
– How many times have you been told to give up everything and find a normal job or sport? Have you experienced bullying?
– There was nothing criminal, mostly there was only ridicule and negative comments. There were problems with the judges' scores at the competitions. At some point they wanted me to leave this sport. They told me about this openly and called me a black sheep. Nobody wanted to change the rules, it was easier for me to leave, not be an eyesore and not take someone’s place among the girls in the team.
– In Russia, it’s a masculine society, where they will probably be judged a guy who does synchronized swimming. Didn't want to move to Europe?
– There are stereotypes in many European countries, not only in Russia. If you ask synchronized swimmers who were pioneers in their countries, they also faced negativity. As a child, I understood that all this ridicule was stupid, and I was doing everything right. Those who do not understand me are their lack of education, lack of culture and ability to think more broadly. Basically, those people who were against it also don’t like men in ballet and other artistic sports. I didn’t listen to their opinion, so there was no desire or point in changing the country.
I am convinced that in any artistic sport there should be men. It is important to have both feminine and masculine energy. In general, synchronized swimming originated as a men's sport, then existed as a women's sport for more than 70 years. It is logical that sooner or later it had to become mixed.
– How is mixed synchronized swimming different from women's? What roles do you perform?
– A mixed duet is, first of all, a dance between a man and a woman. Before the inclusion of mixed duets, there were cases when two girls performed a tango program, in which one performed the male part, the other performed the female part. This once again showed that there are not enough men in synchronized swimming. Still, tango looks more harmonious with a man.
– Is a male duet possible? How will it look?
– It could be interesting if the dance was staged by a professional trainer-choreographer, with the right vision and image. A duet in which there would be a struggle, a confrontation. Otherwise it may look ridiculous and ugly.
– Do you need to be a real man to survive in synchronized swimming?
– To get through all this, you need to have a core. A person with a weak character could not stand all this. So yes, you need to be a real man to survive in synchronized swimming among women.
“Now I feel in Malinnik”
– How do you feel now? “In the raspberry” or, conversely, a stranger among one’s own?
– Now relations with everyone are good. Everyone treats me with the utmost respect. I don't feel the same pressure as before. Has its own fan club. It is very nice. I guess you could say “in raspberry.”
– Do your friends envy you because you spend most of your time in the pool with girls in swimsuits?
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– There were such stories when I fell in love. There were different partners and there were different relationships.
– Were there problems because of feelings?
– It happened. Any misunderstanding leaves an imprint on work, even if you are just friends. But now we try not to quarrel and talk as soon as any disagreements arise.
– You have a large female circle . Does it happen that you give them advice from a male point of view, and they give you advice?
– Yes, we constantly share with each other and give advice. In everyday life, we help each other a lot.
– How do you feel about the fact that, according to World Aquatics rules, men in a mixed duet must only wear swimming trunks?
– This rule appeared in 2016. At the 2015 World Championships in Kazan it was not yet, and some competed in swimming trunks, and others in a swimming suit. In our opinion, there should be a choice. After all, a costume is an important detail for conveying an artistic image.
– Is there a risk of losing swimming trunks during a performance?
– Competition swimming trunks, just like swimsuits, are sewn by a designer for a specific athlete. Therefore, if they are sewn to size, then such a risk is eliminated, unless, of course, you forget to tie the lace (laughs).
“And in figure skating everything went into the complexity of the programs”
– What was the main incentive for you to take up synchronized swimming?
– In synchronized swimming, the most important thing for me has always been the artistic component, dancing on the water. I saw the performances of athletes in this direction, and this was the main motivation for me. I set myself a goal – to grow to a level where I could make interesting and memorable programs. Initially, there was no goal solely to win, the goal was to make a program so that it would leave a mark in people’s memory for many years.
– Where does this interest in creativity and dancing come from?
– I have been a creative child since childhood. I was never interested in just swimming from side to side, I wanted self-expression, art. When I saw the performances in synchronized swimming, I was impressed. I also watch a lot of ballet performances, am interested in theater, cinema, and love painting. This all inspires me.
– Do you follow figure skating?
< br>– I continue to monitor as much as possible, but now they have also moved towards the complexity of their programs. I loved figure skating, when, for example, Caroline Costner rode the entire skating rink in one beautiful pose, perfectly falling into the music, it was simply mesmerizing. Nowadays no one does this, because you need to jump back and wind up as much as possible.
– How is communication with foreign colleagues?
– We used to communicate a lot, but due to today’s situation, I began to notice hypocrisy on their part. Those with whom we communicated well began to openly support our removal. They did not write to me personally about this, but they left comments under the posts of the IOC or the international federation on social networks. They understand that now there is an opportunity to take away medals that they never had.
“The IOC violates human rights”
– In synchronized swimming, men were allowed to participate in the Olympics a year ago. Were you happy about this news then? Did it seem to you that then there was fairness among the sexes in synchronized swimming?
– To be honest, there was a double feeling. On the one hand, there was joy that men were allowed, but on the other hand, you can only perform in a group. A dubious compromise, because we sought admission of mixed duets. In my opinion, this is the most harmonious type of program that should be at the Games.
– Were you upset when it became clear that now it is possible to compete at international competitions only in a neutral status and in individual types of programs?
– Of course, it is very unpleasant and insulting that the IOC and the International The water sports federation makes such decisions. They are contrary to the spirit of sport, violate human rights and discriminate against us based on our nationality.
– Where do you get the motivation to become better when you know there is no competition?
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– Every time we try to exceed our capabilities, show the best run of the program, surprise the audience and judges with new productions. But because of the new rules in our sport, it is becoming increasingly difficult to surprise.
– Some synchronized swimmers say that their gills will soon grow due to the complexity of the programs.
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