11/04/09

Money has never been my main motivation' - Yaroslav Rybakov


World High jump champion Yaroslav Rybakov was voted by the fans the Athlete of the Year in Russia. He was in Montenegro when Irina Spasskaya called him.
- Yaroslav, what was your reaction when you heard the news?
- It was quite unexpected, though I must admit it was very nice to hear. This year was one of the best ones in my career, and not only because I finally won the outdoor World Championships. I could process the year evenly. Thank God I was not much disturbed by injuries. I had some problems in the winter, but it did not hurt much during the summer season. Therefore I could keep my shape throughout the whole year, including the last meetings. Rybakov cleared 2.30 m or higher in all his competitions in 2009
- Are you now on a holiday in Montenegro?
- I train. This is my first training camp since I have had a one month break after the end of the season. This is the second time we came to this small town here. We found this place on the internet and saw there was a stadium here. This year I came here with my whole family. It’s a good place to do the basic preparations. I can train in the sand on the coast; I can use the gym and the stadium. The preparation for the indoor season has started.
- So as I understand the indoor season is on your agenda.
- Yes, the main goal is the World Indoor Championships in Doha. I don’t know about the other meetings as yet. I will talk to my manager when I return from the camp and he will arrange my indoor schedule. I am planning to have a few meets in the winter, most likely abroad. In the summer there is the new series the Diamond League which replaces the former Golden League. It will be quite difficult to participate in each of them especially because of the conflict of date with the national championships. Like last year when one had to skip either London or Stockholm in order to participate at the nationals.
- Did anything change in your attitude towards competitions after your victory at the World Championships?
- The motivation remains the same: either a personal record or to beat a main rival. For a long time such a rival was Stefan Holm. However in most cases I do not fight against the other jumpers, but rather with myself. There are athletes who are ready to move mountains in order to win a serious prize, for example the Golden League Jackpot; for me the main motivation has never been the money.
- What do you think about the current changes in athletics?
- I welcome the new Diamond League. It was clear that something had to be changed in the Golden League. The principal of the selection of the events was not clear, every time the same persons – revival and more variety was required.
As for Russia, I was surprised and pleased to see the more attention athletics has received. For example we had a good crowd in Cheboksary at the National Championships. This was not the case at the earlier championships, e.g. in Tula and Kazany. It was even somewhat strange for us to compete in front of a crowd in Russia.
- And with their votes the fans have selected you as the Best Russian Athlete of the Year…
- I would like to express my gratitude to all track and field fans for they have chosen me for this title. Thank you indeed, this recognition is a great pleasure for me.
Source: RusAthletics.com
Competition: 
Berlin IAAF World Championships in Athletics (GER) 15.08.2009-23.08.2009
Athlete : 
Yaroslav RYBAKOV, 22.11.1980 (RUS)