The golden start in Athens 2004 was made by the very person on whom more hopes were pinned than on anyone else, whose nickname — "Goldfish" — in itself makes even the uninformed pay closer attention to its bearer. Yana Klochkova, who won two gold and one silver medals at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, and at the opening ceremony of the Athens Games was awarded the most honorable right to carry the Ukrainian flag. And as if showing that she understands what a responsible mission she — the most titled and authoritative Ukrainian athlete of modern times — was to carry out on Greek soil, she immediately won Ukraine's first "gold".
The whole world has been speaking of Yana Klochkova with great respect for more than four years now. Ever since she began to show phenomenal results in the pool and, despite her youth, demonstrated excellent stability. In 1996 the swimmer placed among the medalists at the European Junior Championships, in 1997 and 1998 she became the best among European juniors, and in 1999 she won the World Cup and the senior World Championship. After that she won almost every tournament she took part in. Her signature distances are the 400 m and 200 m individual medley, which speaks of her versatility, but at the same time Klochkova also manages to win in other disciplines: freestyle, butterfly, and backstroke.
Talents like Yana, as is commonly said in such cases, are born once in a hundred years. But knowing how difficult the path to recognition was for the native of Simferopol, one sometimes wonders: how many talents like this have been lost, never given the conditions to develop?
The thing is that in Simferopol, the pool where Yana trained under her coach Nina Kozhukh was closed due to the economic hardships that the whole country was going through. Nina Kozhukh and her husband Aleksandr, also a coach, tried in vain to persuade the republic's leadership to bring the Simferopol pool back to life. They had to move to Kharkiv, where the Kozhukh family was well known for the achievements of their students over the years. It was unlikely that Klochkova could be pleased with special conditions in Kharkiv. After all, even after her golden triumph in Sydney, stories about fabulous benefits and prize money that supposedly fell on the athlete remained just stories. "They gave us such a terrible apartment in Kharkiv," recalls the swimmer's mother, Yelena. "The hallway was shabby, with dirt up to your knees. Though they wrote it was a luxurious apartment after European renovation, with furniture…".
It is said that there was also some mix-up with the amount of prize money. But the jeep that the Sydney Olympic champion was entitled to from Olympic sponsors did not disappear. By the way, for the Athens "gold" Yana was promised another jeep – a better one than the first. The athlete, in turn, assured that if she received it, she would give it to her coach, Nina Kozhukh. Apparently, the moment of giving will come very soon. As for Yana, a gift to herself for her 22nd birthday (born August 7, 1982) in the form of the third Olympic gold of her career is also quite nice.
But let us return to the problems that one of the brightest Ukrainian athletes of our time, a person who has done more to glorify Ukraine in the world than dozens of people's deputies, faces in preparing for competitions. After leaving Simferopol for Kharkiv, they still failed to resolve all issues connected with the training process. Despite the fact that the first capital of Ukraine is one of the country's strongest swimming centers (in every respect), the residents of Slobozhanshchina are unable to provide all the conditions for training a swimmer of Klochkova's level. First, there is not a single 50-meter pool in the entire country (and it is precisely in such pools that the most serious international competitions are held). Secondly, there is no outdoor pool in Kharkiv where one could train on the eve of the summer world or European championships, or the Olympic Games themselves. For preparation for such tournaments, they have to travel to Crimea.
But this is far from the whole list of problems. At one time, serious passions flared up around the only pool in Kharkiv where the Olympic champion could train (in Kyiv there are no such pools at all). There was a rumor in the mass media that Akvarena (as this sports complex is called) had serious financial problems, due to which sports schools stopped their classes there. "Will Yana leave us?" – with this question Kharkiv journalists turned to all officials and interested parties. No intelligible answer was received, although Akvarena continues to function, and Yana is still attached to the pool. But at the same time, perhaps, most of her working time our Goldfish spends abroad – at training camps and tournaments. Some of them bring glory and add to the image of an invincible swimmer, while others are more aimed at improving the athlete's well-being, although they also contribute to creating the image of the invincible Klochkova.
At the same time, recently more and more questions have been coming to Yana and her coaches about going abroad, about Klochkova's own desire to improve her living conditions and make her training as comfortable as possible. So far, the Olympic champion answers journalists' questions with Olympic calm. "Am I moving to another country? So far no one has offered me that. Although such offers may come in the future. Then my coach and I will seriously consider them. There are good reasons for this. But at the moment I do not intend to leave Ukraine. We can live well here too. Why go anywhere? What's the point? After all – abroad, we will always be strangers there…".
And yet patriotism is patriotism, but when you realize that your competitors are already pressing you only because in your own country no one thinks to care about working conditions, a person becomes more accommodating. If only there were offers. And Yana probably has plenty of them. Therefore, even despite having Ukrainian sponsors and the support of the Ukrainian diaspora, anything can be assumed. After all, when colleagues in the craft give advice, when you look at the example of other swimmers who moved abroad (but kept their citizenship!), and you yourself experience some problems but strive for more, sooner or later you agree.
During one of the several direct lines held by the newspaper "Fakty" with Yana Klochkova, swimming master of sports Yuri Vlasov came into contact with the athlete. He said on the phone approximately the following: "I have a proposal or advice for you, I don't even know... You see, we veterans are now not allowed into practically any pool for free. Nowadays pools are managed by people who perhaps have never had anything to do with sport. I am already 66 years old, but I still compete. I am a champion and record holder of Ukraine, last year I won the European Veterans Championship. But that's not the point. We travel to competitions at our own expense, literally collecting pennies... But I am only half the trouble, take our other veterans - Alla Kovalenko, Masha Gavrish... Masha is the absolute champion and record holder of the Soviet Union. They are beggars now! Having given all their strength to sport, they lead a miserable existence. They are not given sports scholarships. So, I want to ask: shouldn't you think about your future today? Look ahead twenty years. After all, what you have received will quickly go away. And then what? Maybe, while you are in the prime of your strength, you should leave and compete for foreign clubs, earn money there? In any case, you will represent our Ukraine..."
Agree that the words of the swimming veteran sound very convincing. Even taking into account that Klochkova is much more well-off than many athletes of the past, she receives good fees for her victories and records. It is not surprising that Yana's coach, Nina Kozhukh, who was present at the direct line, answered for her pupil: "You are saying everything correctly. And I do not rule out a situation where Yana will have to listen to your advice. Although I believe that the attitude towards athletes in our country will change for the better."
How it will be in the future is difficult to say. On the eve of the Olympic Games, sport began to receive significantly more attention, funding for the training of athletes, repairing and restoring sports facilities. And yet, in Ukraine the infrastructure is too weak. It is not for nothing that in February of this year, the son of the famous Soviet swimmer, Olympic champion Sergei Fesenko, Sergei Fesenko Jr., left for the USA and settled in the state of Florida. And he is already actively participating in various tournaments held on the territory of the States. And there is no need to explain once again what level of development swimming is in the USA.
It was here that the young Ukrainian swimmer prepared for the Olympic Games in Athens. Fesenko Sr., using old connections, managed to arrange his son overseas, and the coaches of the Ukrainian national team did not have to worry: Sergei completed the full training program for the Olympic starts in the excellent climatic conditions of Florida. And Fesenko went to Greece directly from the USA.
Maybe Klochkova will take this path too? However, it is known that she does not particularly value the external comfort of foreign countries. In the States, where the athlete spent some time preparing for starts, she clearly did not like it. There is another country of swimmers – Australia, but Yana thinks it is too far from home. In short, only Europe remains, but only the part where it is warm – France, Italy. By the way, more than other countries, Klochkova liked Slovenia, where she often holds her training camps. "I have been there nine times and would go again. It is like a fairy tale here! But no matter how you look at it – food abroad gets boring. Everything seems to be the same as ours – pasta, meat, but the taste is completely different. Even the water is not the same. As soon as I return home, I immediately eat a plate of borscht."
From the dossier "Abroad"
Yana Klochkova was born on August 7, 1982 in Simferopol. Height – 182 cm, weight – 70 kg. Now lives in Kyiv. Member of the Dynamo sports society, captain of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, since August 1, 2003 – member of "SK ISD". Started swimming in 1989. Her coaches are Nina and Alexander Kozhukh.
In 1996, at the European Junior Championships (50 m), Copenhagen (Denmark), she took 2nd place (400 m medley). In 1997, at the European Junior Championships (50 m), Glasgow (Great Britain) – 1st place (400 m medley), 1st place (200 m medley); at the European Championships (50 m), Seville (Spain) – 2nd place (400 m medley), 3rd place (200 m medley).
In 1998, at the World Championships (50 m), Perth (Australia), she took 2nd place (400 m medley); at the European Junior Championships (50 m), Antwerp (Belgium) – 1st place (400 m medley), 1st place (200 m medley). In 1999, at the World Championships (25 m), Hong Kong (China), she took 1st place (400 m medley), 2nd place (200 m medley). At the European Championships (50 m), Istanbul (Turkey) – 1st place (400 m medley), 1st place (200 m medley). At the European Championships (25 m), Lisbon (Portugal) – 1st place (400 m medley), 1st place (200 m medley), 1st place (800 m freestyle).
In 2000, at the World Championships (25 m), Athens (Greece), she took 1st place (400 m medley), 1st place (200 m medley), 2nd place (400 m freestyle). At the European Championships (50 m), Helsinki (Finland), she took 1st place (400 m medley), 1st place (200 m medley). At the Olympic Games (50 m), Sydney (Australia), she won 1st place (400 m medley), 1st place (200 m medley), 2nd place (800 m freestyle). At the European Championships (25 m), Valencia (Spain) – 1st place (400 m medley), 1st place (200 m medley).
In 2001, at the World Championships (50 m), Fukuoka (Japan), she took 1st place (medley, 400 m), 2nd place (medley, 200 m), 1st place (freestyle, 400 m). At the European Championships (25 m), Antwerp (Belgium), – 2nd place (medley, 400 m), 1st place (medley, 200 m), 2nd place (freestyle, 400 m). In 2002, at the World Cup stage (25 m), Paris (France), – 1st place (medley, 400 m), 1st place (medley, 200 m). At the World Championships (25 m), Moscow (Russia), – 1st place (medley, 400 m), 1st place (medley, 200 m), 1st place (freestyle, 400 m). At the European Championships (50 m), Berlin (Germany), – 1st place (medley, 400 m), 1st place (medley, 200 m), 1st place (freestyle, 400 m).
In 2003, at the World Championships (50 m), Barcelona (Spain), – 1st place (medley, 200 m), 1st place (medley, 400 m). In 2004, at the European Championships (25 m), Madrid (Spain), – 1st place (medley, 200 m), 1st place (medley, 400 m), 3rd place (freestyle, 400 m), 2nd place (4x100 medley relay).
And at the 2004 Olympic Games (50 m) in Athens (Greece) she took 1st place (medley, 400 m).