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For the second year in a row, 19-year-old Daniel Marinov became the champion of Russia in the all-around artistic gymnastics. In an interview with Sport, he spoke about competition with Olympic champion Nikita Nagorny, connections with the Bulgarian national team and the support of Ivan Kulyak, who openly spoke on the topic of CBO.
— Last year at the Russian Championship in Kazan you sensationally ahead of Nikita Nagorny. Now that the Tokyo Olympic champion did not participate in the individual all-around, was it easier?
— Nagorny constantly misleads us. Sometimes he says he will perform, sometimes he won’t. I’m happy not so much for myself, but for Nikita. Let’s say, another victory at the Russian Championship is not so important to him, but in the team competition he gave his all. Helped the Moscow team take second place. The strength of even such a great champion is not unlimited.
— Have you complicated your programs on all apparatus for the Russian Championship?
— After the Russian Cup there were no changes, although, of course, it needs to be made more complicated. It is better to practice new complex elements at all-Russian competitions in order to enter international competitions with polished combinations. It’s somehow not very right to start with competitions abroad. Especially me, who has never performed at them.
— You've probably been tormented with questions about joining the Bulgarian national team. Have the leaders of the Bulgarian federation and the national team coaches contacted you?
— We communicated. Of course, in Bulgarian, which I speak fluently. For me there is no line that cannot be crossed. Neither red nor purple. In 2022, after the Russian Cup, where I shot for the first time, I managed to go to Bulgaria with my mother. Before that we had not been there for six years. We visited my native Sofia and the Black Sea coast. In the capital of Bulgaria, I contacted the guys from the national team and even trained with them. Of course, there was talk about playing for the Bulgarian national team. Just then, Russian gymnasts were suspended from international competitions.
— They called me persistently?
— The question of necessarily luring me away is not stood. Nobody persuaded me to give up everything now. On the contrary, in Bulgaria they really wanted to help me. They said that they were ready to accept at any moment, but did not insist on the transition at all. He thanked me for this and said that I had a different view on career development. I think that he will not change.
— The leaders of the Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation clearly outlined their position on the impossibility of participating in the 2024 Olympics in a neutral status. Did you consult with the athletes?
— This was the decision of our entire team. It couldn't have been any other way. Belarusian gymnasts, as far as I know, made a different decision. We will not change ours.
— You supported Ivan Kulyak, who was disqualified by the International Gymnastics Federation for demonstrating SVO symbols at the World Cup.
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— For some reason, Wikipedia on my page focuses on this. I’m just wondering if there is at least one person who would not support his friend in such a situation? Everything that he considered necessary was said to Vanya himself. He did not make any statements on social networks and did not give interviews to the media. I think that there is no need to focus on this issue.