Yana Nestsiarava: I train on my own

Yana Nestsiarava, a 23-year-old athlete from Belarus, is the youngest female high diver of the 16th FINA World Championships. Having taken the bronze medal the day before, she sat down with a reporter of the OC's Press Office to talk about her sports career, rivals and preparation for the event.

– How did you start your professional journey in high diving?

– I was a professional diver, but finished competing at the age of 18. Then I entered a college, university. We know that this sport has shows in Europe, China. Our senior colleagues went there, I tried it once, too, and the things were off and rolling since then. In fact, it is a very interesting occupation. I travel a lot.

– What is the maximum height you’ve dived from?

– Usually 20 metres, but sometimes it was 23 metres in other places.

– You were fourth in the World Cup in Kazan. Now you are third. What is the secret of your progress?

– I executed new dives, more complicated ones. I have gained more experience.

– You looked disappointed at the press conference. Were you disappointed that you could have taken a higher place?

– No, I was not. I am satisfied with my third spot on the podium. It is not so much fun sitting at a press conference, I’d better go home.

– Did you show your best during the dives?

– There were some slight mistakes. To eliminate them you need to train more and harder under guidance of coaches and alongside teammates who help you and encourage you. They were technical mistakes. The more you dive, the more consistent you get.

– Do you have a coach?

– No, I train on my own. When I perform in shows, I have no time for training. To be more exact, I never find time for training, so I have to come here and try something new here, at my own risk.

– How long have you been preparing for the World Championships?

– Preparing (smiles)? I was preparing mentally for a couple of months. A month ago I began to try new element; everything went well, so I announced them for the tournament.

– Do you wish to see the women’s high diving event on the Olympic programme so that more participants join this sport?

– Maybe. There are enough female high divers all over the world, but they have no opportunity to come to compete. Some work in big companies. Why not? Sport is developing, the programme is getting more complex, more and more athletes are appearing.

– What is the most memorable place you have ever been to for high diving?

– I think it’s Mexico. The competitions took place on the island. We had the same platforms, but the place itself… the water was purely azure. I was lost for words.

– What is the water like in Kazan?

– All right, soft, good. If you get hurt, it is not so painful; it is more painful in the salty water.

– You have cliff and high diving experience. What is the difference?

– It is a different feeling when you’re cliff diving. The take-off position is not solid. You can feel the difference. Here you can get prepared for a dive in a more relaxed way and perform more complicated dives. Yet cliff diving gives you more pleasure and drive.

– Do you go all out at training sessions?

– There are usually no limitations, but I don’t do much, it’s physically difficult to take. I start from lower-level dives, going up step by step. I dive from the highest platform to feel the height. Just a few dives are enough for one session; otherwise you won’t get up next day.

– Did your opponents surprise you today?

– You know, to repeat all those dives is not that difficult but to repeat them correctly will take some effort. No doubt most divers deserved admiration today after executing all those dives because we clearly understand how difficult it is and how dangerous it is to lose one’s bearings in midair. All I feel is respect for them. I suppose everyone is happy here, for instance if someone’s dive is much more complicated and very dangerous we feel admiration seeing that everything went good.  

Press Office for Organising Committee of 16th FINA World Championships