Russia’s Yevgeniya Zinurova may not have been a complete surprise to come out on top in the women’s 800m at the recent European Athletics Indoor Championships, with her having the second best time in the world prior to Paris.
Nevertheless, she did slightly upset the odds.
Her compatriot Yuliya Rusanova lead the 2011 world rankings and the ever-competitive British runner Jennifer Meadows was also on the start line of the final but Zinurova came home in front of both of them - with Meadows taking the silver medal and Rusanova the bronze – thanks to a stunning turn of speed over the final 100m to win in 2:00.19.
In an interview with the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, Zinurova talks about beating Meadows, her unusual hair colouring and an unexpected bonus from the local government where she lives in Chelyabinsk.
Q: In the heats in Paris, you were the fastest and some people expected you to run from the front in the final but instead you left it late with a big surge over the last 200m. What was the idea behind this?
A: On the way to Paris, we began to speculate about the tactics of racing in the final. The choice was: run with Meadows, who was the gold medal favourite in my opinion, or try to come from behind. If I had gone for the first option, it could have been a very fast race but it could also have become very physical with the other runners, and that can waste a lot of energy. I wasn’t so concerned about running any records in the final; I just wanted to win and so thought that the second tactic was the one that gave me more chances to win which, as it turned out, it did.
The race was perfect for me, after I had gone past Meadows, about 20 metres from the line, I realised that I was going to win. Some athletes call it that ‘the sweet sense of victory’. I had it at that moment; I knew I was the best in Europe.
Q: You ran in Paris with a bright red streak in your hair, why was this?
A: I did this in honour of my coach, Svetlana Pleskatch-Styrkina. She is red-haired, as red as fire, so I dyed my hair so to have part of her with me. One of the national team coaches joked that if I didn't win the European title championship, they would have dyed her hair blonde. Thank god, I saved her from this punishment! I had the haircut the day before departure to Paris. By the way, my styling was actually done by a two-time winner of the Hairdressing World Championships!
Q: Your former training partner Mariya Savinova, the 2010 European Athletics Championships 800m gold medallist, has now moved from the Chelyabinsk region to Moscow. What do you think about this?
A: I had trained together with Masha but she married last year and has changed her residence. She was asked to stay in the Chelyabinsk area but she didn’t want to and moved. We didn’t see her indoors this year but I’m sure she will be back in form in the summer, she’s just been resting this winter after two very hard years and it’s difficult to keep running 800s at a high level all the time. However, it says a lot for the local athletics programmes in Chelyabinsk that it can produce two successive European champions.
Q: What about a world title now?
A: This year the World Championships are in South Korea, but this is not the main goal for me. Everything is focussed on the 2012 Olympics in London. My victory in Paris only spurs me on. I’m supported by the local governor, the Ministry of Sports, and my sports club, so I have a decent salary and I can now concentrate comfortably on my long-term goals. After I won in Paris, the regional Minister of Sports has said that I’ll be given a one-room apartment as a result of my achievements; it was a very nice and unexpected gift.