On September 12, at the Minsk National Airport, the main hero of the 2012 Paralympics as part of the Belarusian national team, 18-year-old swimmer Igor Bokogo, who won six (5 gold and 1 silver) medals in London, was greeted with a huge poster. The canvas, apparently, was prepared by the Bobruisk (it was in this city that Igor was born and grew up) authorities. The leitmotif of the poster is that the hometown is proud of its champion ...
On Sunday morning, September 16, approaching Bobruisk, we argue with the operator: how many billboards with the image of Igor will come across on our way. We both lost, because, oddly enough, having driven almost through the whole of Bobruisk, we never saw a single poster with Bokim.
The door of the apartment, and Igor lives in the most ordinary five-story building-Khrushchev with his father, mother and younger brother, is opened by the head of the family - Alexander Bokiy... To our question: "Where's Mom?"(I really wanted to talk to the whole family), Alexander answers: "At work".
We go into the hall. The section contains neatly laid out six awards Igor won at the Paralympics. The 5 gold discs are the same.
“They are the same, it is not specified for what distance the medal is, so now I don’t know which one was the first. As we were told, there are 200 grams of gold in them. They differ from the medals of the usual Olympics in the pattern of the front side ”,- says Igor.
Igor, we were just now driving through the whole of Bobruisk and did not see a single poster of yours, which was very surprised. Are they even in the city?
I myself have not seen either.
- Do they recognize you in Bobruisk? Suitable on the streets?
Yes, it happened a couple of times. They usually come up like this: "Excuse me, are you by any chance Igor?" Then they ask for an autograph, take a picture together. I, of course, did not refuse anyone. At first I didn't even understand how people knew me by sight, and then I realized that I was shown on television.
At the airport, you said that you have not yet fully realized your achievements. Now there is an understanding of what serious result you have achieved?
All the same, I don't fully understand. However, due to the great attention to my person, I have recently come to understand that, probably, I really did something significant.
- What emotions did you have after the first gold medal?
Non-transferable. It’s true they say that when you are standing on the podium, the anthem of your country is playing, and the crowded stands applaud you - this is something special.
- What was the most difficult award for you?
The very first (at 100 meters with a dolphin) was the most difficult. Based on the preliminary result, I did not think at all that I would be able to win the award, and since it was also the first distance, I was very worried. After this victory I felt more confident.
You have won as many as six medals. Can you be called an all-rounder or do you still have a favorite distance?
Most of all I like to swim 400 and 200 meters freestyle.
- Igor, how did the swimming start for you?
At the age of 6, my mother took me to the section. I didn't really want to study then. I had ghouls in mind: running in the street, playing football. They kicked me out of the section more than once for various pranks. But after I went to the first competition, my attitude towards sports changed: I became more responsible towards swimming, listening to the coach.
- And when did the first serious results come?
From about 12 years old, when I started going to international competitions. Then I decided for myself that it was worth devoting my life to swimming, I began to work with even greater zeal. I remember at the age of 13 my mother began to discourage me from swimming. Like, why do you need this sport, study and that's it. I then said that I really want to swim, and overcame my mother.
- At the Paralympics, you performed as a visually impaired person. Have you had eye problems for a long time?
It all started from childhood. And until recently, the disease has progressed. Only recently everything has somehow stabilized more or less.
- Is it realistic to do something with your poor eyesight?
Operations will not help here.
- What's your problem?
I have myopia. And some other disease. I don't even know its name, I always tried not to think about it, not to dwell on it.
- How much does it hinder you from going in for sports?
To be honest, this does not give me big problems. Yes, sometimes the side is hard to see, but this is a matter of habit, practice.
- And when did you switch from a regular sport to a Paralympic one?
I was 15 years old. My first coach, Natalya Yuryevna Pozdnyakova, offered to move. The fact is that I could no longer get admission to regular competitions due to vision problems. It was necessary to decide something. Having switched to Paralympic sports, he began working with his current mentor Gennady Alekseevich Vishnyakov.
- And now playing sports can somehow negatively affect the disease?
No, sports, on the contrary, helped to more or less stabilize the disease.
At the airport, you told me that you intend to switch to a regular sport. How much do you need to improve in order to compete internationally in regular swimming?
At the Belarusian championship in healthy people, I still compete. He was twice champion in 200 meters freestyle. On 400 freestyle I had the second place. At the republican level, I have good results. Now I really hope to qualify for the World Healthy Championships. And the main goal, of course, is to get to the regular Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
You know, many with such a dominance in Paralympic sports would not even try to achieve something more. What motivates you to go to a regular sport?
First of all, I want to prove to myself that I can compete among healthy people.
- Do you know the legendary Michael Phelps, with whom you were compared?
No. After all, I have not yet gone to the top starts in healthy ones. I would very much like to meet him.
- You mentioned that you intend to surpass Michael. Do you really think it's real?
I will strive to surpass him in medals in Paralympic sports. Although in the usual I would like to compete with him.
You entered BSU, the correspondence department of the Faculty of Business and Technology Management, specializing in logistics and economics. Most of the athletes go to the University of Physical Education. Does your serious faculty mean you don’t plan to make a living by swimming in the future?
No, it is rather a kind of insurance. I want to get higher education. Moreover, I have always been friends with mathematics.
- Are you satisfied with the salary that you have at the Ministry of Sports?
I was promised that after the Paralympics I will have a bigger bet.
- By the way, what prize money are you entitled to for medals?
For gold we were promised 50 thousand dollars.
- Have you already received this money?
- Surely they figured out what to spend at least part of the prize money on.
No. Didn't think about it at all. As soon as I get it, we will consult with the parents, decide what application to find.
- Tell us, what is the Belarusian hero of the Paralympics in everyday life, what is his hobby?
The most ordinary person. He walks, goes to parks.
- Does the regime violate? 🙂
This happens very rarely. I go to bed at noon at 12, and that’s if I’m on the Internet. We love to play billiards with friends, we like taking pictures. We can say that these are the main hobbies.
- A question for the female part of our audience. What about your personal life? You are free? 🙂
Free. It happened…
We get up. I ask Igor to tell us about the photographs that are in the same section where the Paralympic medals are displayed. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that Igor has only one picture from the Games in London - and that on it he is on the second step of the podium. "And where is the photo with the gold medals?"- I am interested.
“The fact is that the photographs there changed every day, I did not know about it. In general, I managed to take for myself only the one where I was imprinted with silver ",- explains the champion.
I look at the awards again, and the question naturally arises: “Igor, usually after such successful performances, an athlete often receives offers to change citizenship. Maybe something similar has already been offered to you? "
“Yes, there are indeed proposals from Russia and Europe. It is too early to talk about something, but when making a decision, I will proceed from what conditions they can offer me there and there. And by the terms I do not mean, first of all, the salary. The most important thing for me is that I have such conditions in which I could progress as an athlete ... ",- the champion answers.
Our operator, in search of new spectacular shots, asks to show Igor non-Paralympic awards. We follow the swimmer into another room and ... we see that the entire window sill is strewn with Igor's medals.
The whole life of a son is on this windowsill, - says Alexander Bokiy, with whom we smoothly start a conversation.
- Tell me, what did you experience when your son became the Paralympic champion?
Feeling of joy and to some extent relief. They waited a very long time for him to perform, and the very process of waiting was difficult.
- How did you personally congratulate Igor?
Like parents. They hugged, kissed, my mother cried. All the relatives got together and ordered a big cake.
You know, parents send their children to sports for various reasons: someone just to keep fit, someone in the hope that their child will become the greatest athlete. For what reason did you send your son to sports?
For him to become a champion. We raised him like that from childhood. Now I am also raising the youngest, he is also engaged in swimming with us.
- Why swimming?
I swam a little myself. I believe that swimming maintains a figure, health, there is no injury such as in other sports.
Igor, when I asked him to tell about himself, seemed to me a little embarrassed. Please complete the portrait of your son. What is he?
He hasn't changed much. Only the size has become larger. 🙂 He was a very nimble child, energies - the sea. Cheerful and energetic. Swimming was some way out to burn off this energy. I confess that because of his such hyperactivity, he often had to educate him with a belt. 🙂
- Igor noted that he has offers from abroad. What advice would you give him?
It is expected that after such a speech, proposals will be received. After all, he is only 18 years old, for an athlete this is a young age, there is still potential for progress. Let him decide for himself. He knows how athletes live abroad, how much they earn, what conditions they have for training. What can we advise? We, parents, only want our son to live as well as possible.
Igor said that he will consult with you about the prize money. Do you already have any ideas on how to spend or where to invest this considerable amount?
Money is not earned to be taken and simply spent. We have to think about the future. Moreover: firstly, we haven’t seen this money yet, and secondly, we didn’t even think about how to spend it.
"By the way, Zhenya has already received his first salary for winning two medals,"- Igor suddenly recalls. "But is this a salary, 60 thousand in total",- the little boy busily remarks ...
... Apparently the desire for maximum goals is in the blood of this family.
News of Belarus. Igor Bokiy is the main sensation of the Paralympics in London. The Belarusian swimmer returned from the British capital this week with six medals. And five of them are of the highest standard. And that's not counting the world records that Igor also set during the London swims.
Igor Bokiy begins to replenish the medal box of the country from the start. In his first swim, at his first Olympics, he is the best in the 100-meter distance, the next day he is the leader on the route twice as short, tomorrow he replenishes the gold collection for the 100-meter freestyle! The 18-year-old Belarusian is the first to overcome the path four times longer! A few days later, he is a champion and world record holder in complex swimming. Five gold and one silver. Something about 2.5 kilograms of precious metals. Winning him alone is more significant than the awards of the entire national team taken at once.
Having barely set foot on Belarusian soil, Igor Bokiy falls into the epicenter of reporters' interest. Now the athlete's schedule includes meetings, filming and interviews instead of the prescribed rest.
Torn apart - that's putting it mildly. I thought I’ll come and be met at the airport, give a couple of interviews and live in peace. Does not work.
The five-time champion shows his alma mater. He has been training in the pool in Bobruisk since childhood. His victory is perceived here as universal.
The local swimming instructor is also happy for his colleague on the track, but clearly did not expect such attention from the press.
The champion's schedule is two workouts every day, six times a week. And so for 13 years. If you add up the time spent in the water, you get something like two years. The amphibian man shows: it was this path that led him to world records, and even in the regional center one can raise an Olympic champion.
Igor Bokiy, five-time champion and silver medalist at the Paralympic Games in London:
Here the length of the tracks is the same - 50 meters. Here, for example, there is no small pool for the preparation of the younger generation and the sides are too high.
But future champions practice on the same water as the present ones. The entire national team comes to the training camp here. Igor himself literally plunged into sports life at the age of six. It was at this age that his parents brought him to the pool. They say to discipline. The boy was too restless, according to the program on STV.
Igor Bokiy, five-time 2012 Paralympic champion:
When my mother drove for the first time, I ran away from her along the road. I didn't really want to study. But then I got involved.
He was very smart, the energy had to be put somewhere, in the right direction.
Vision problems, which is why Igor competes at the Paralympics, began from early childhood. Category B-Z (visually impaired athletes compete in it, but they do not need the coaches' tips) allows you to perform on a par with healthy athletes. Therefore, the young champion's plans are to fight with Michael Phelps himself, and four years later bring a medal from the Olympics to Rio. In tandem with the current coach, the task is quite achievable.
Igor Bokiy, five-time champion and silver medalist at the Paralympic Games in London:
Sometimes he does the kind of workouts, the programs that Phelps trains. I would very much like to compete with him on the same track and compete. I will prepare, I will try to qualify for the healthy Olympics in Rio.
Eight-year-old Zhenya Bokiy followed in Igor's footsteps. The coaches state: the young swimmer's makings are even better than those of his brother-champion.
Igor Bokiy rarely spoke with his brother during the preparation for the Olympics. Now it is catching up. There is not a single chandelier in the champion's apartment! Fights with pillows, often deplorably, affect interior items.
A safer swimmer's hobby is photography. I brought a lot of pictures from Olympic London. In addition, Igor Bokiy is a 1st year student of the Belarusian State University with a degree in Logistics. He considers this sphere to be one of the most promising in Belarus.
The five-time champion is already being offered to defend the colors of the flags of other states, but the Olympian is not going to change his sports registration.
Igor Bokiy, five-time champion and silver medalist at the Paralympic Games in London:
I would like to continue to compete for my country.
I felt proud to represent my country. I performed well. I was ready all the time to get up on the pedestal and listen to the hymn.
The champion has a well-deserved rest ahead. Therefore, the menu, verified to each calorie, will briefly exchange for homemade gastronomy of its own preparation.
Elena Bokaya, mother of Igor Bokoy:
He often cooks potatoes with mushrooms when we are late. I got married, but I could not bake thin pancakes, but he got the hang of it.
In the same way, Igor got the hang of mining "gold" for the whole country. Promises: not the last. Indeed, in the recipe for his dishes of the highest standard - will, perseverance and hard work.
And this is not Fomochkin.
- I will strive to surpass Phelps in medals in Paralympic sports. Although in the usual I would like to compete with him.
These are two dreams of the best Paralympian of Belarus Igor Bokiy, about which he spoke after the Games in London. Unfortunately, Igor is unlikely to be able to directly compete with the great Baltimoreman - it seems that the American is not in the mood to continue professional performances. But the Belarusian is quite capable of catching up with the American in the number of medals.
Bokia is often called “Belarusian Phelps”. Undoubtedly, Igor is the same top for Paralympic sports as Phelps is for regular swimming.
The star of the Bobruisk resident rose in 2012 in London. Then the 18-year-old Bokiy won five gold and one silver medals at the Paralympics. In the summary table of the Games, the Belarusian took a high fifth place.
In the inter-Olympic time, Igor continued to establish himself in parasport. Bokiy brought 11 gold medals from two world championships and was even more firmly registered on the swimming Olympus.
If he went to London "one of", then in Rio the Belarusian was already considered as the main favorite. And the swimmer began to live up to expectations from the first day.
The schedule for "Belarusian Phelps" is, of course, mind-blowing. About the same as the real Phelps. Bokiy goes to the start every day and takes a medal with him every day. Three times it was gold, once - bronze. Thus, Bokiy already has medals of all merits in his Paralympic collection. And a bunch of Paralympic and world records.
Our swimmer has three more starts ahead - and in all of them he needs to confirm the medals of London. If everything goes well, then after two Paralympics, Igor will have 13 medals. Recall that Phelps collected 28 at four Games. Considering that the Belarusian is now only 22 years old, the American's medal record may well fall.
Bokiy continues to nurture a plan to perform with healthy athletes. Good motivation. But is it worth it? It is clear that Igor is tired of participating in competitions with people who, no offense, are weaker than our swimmer. But Bokia's current results in Rio would not allow him to even reach the semifinals at the Olympics. Although, curiously, Igor would not get lost among the Belarusians: at the 100-meter butterfly, our Paralympian lost only 8 tenths of a second to Pavel Sankovich, and Evgeniy Tsurkin - just over 0.5 seconds.
There is another complication: Bokia may not be allowed to compete against healthy athletes for medical reasons. Igor performs at the Paralympics in the S13 category - athletes with visual impairments. Bokiy, by the way, has myopia and some other disease, the name of which even Igor himself could not pronounce in an interview.
By the way, Bokiy could have played for another country at these Games. Representatives of several states came out to coach Igor, they offered excellent conditions for training, a good salary and prize money. Some people cannot resist such a temptation - the Solei brothers, for example, in Brazil perform under the flag of Azerbaijan. Bokiy still remains a Belarusian, although he did not rule out that one day he could go to the start of some competition under the flag of a foreign country. Parents, by the way, do not mind - if only the son was good. In the meantime, in his homeland, according to Igor, sometimes he even has to pay a ticket to the pool himself in order to train.
Undoubtedly, Bokiy achieved to be called a great Paralympian. And Igor has done a lot to glorify Belarus and deserves a lot for it. Much more than just being called an Honorary Citizen of the city of Bobruisk. Although, of course, other people should distribute "heroic" titles. But Bokiy made a good claim for this award.
Oh yes! If we are already talking about heroes, then here he is, the real hero of Belarus at the Paralympics. A person who stands on a pedestal in front of the Belarusian flag and who likes to listen to the Belarusian anthem. And not the one who walked through the Olympic stadium with a false flag, albeit with good intentions.
Myopia, flavored with astigmatism, partial atrophy of the optic nerve, thinned retina and spots on the fundus. For the first time, champion swimmer Igor Bokiy spoke in detail about the problems that led him to the Paralympic movement, as well as about meeting his future bride and passing the exam at the cemetery.
“My illnesses do not respond to treatment. I hope that just for now. "
As far back as I can remember, I have always been prescribed glasses. When I went to school, the recommendation of the ophthalmologist was to put me in the middle row at the first row. Even then, I had a high degree of myopia. When I reached adolescence, the devices showed from -17 to -19. These figures are still relevant at the moment.
- What do you see yourself - without correction?
The picture is very blurry. I see the outlines of objects, a little color.
- What did the doctors associate the drop in visual acuity with?
With the rapid development of the body. By the fifth or sixth grade, I stretched out a lot - up to 190 cm. Since then, I have grown only by 1-2 cm. Accordingly, the eye did not have time to form.
Doctors forbade me to go in for sports, but I really liked swimming. My parents did not mind my hobby, but they were worried about my health. And then my coach Natalya Yuryevna Pozdnyakova, under whose leadership I came to the title of master of sports in Bobruisk, began to look for options to arrange me in the Paralympic movement. With her help, I managed to find a doctor in Minsk, who concluded that I could become a Paralympic swimmer.
- According to your mother, by the age of fourteen you received the third group of disabilities.
Everything is correct. In addition to myopia, there were several other eye diseases. I will not list everything. I know that something like spots was found on the fundus, and partial atrophy of the optic nerve was also noted.
The medical history allowed me to pass the classification to compete in the Paralympic competition, the first time. Since then, I have been given the longest tolerance, four years. On the one hand, it is convenient, on the other hand, my diseases cannot be treated. Hopefully just for now.
- Are you ready for the operation?
Yes, only effective solutions have not yet been found. I look forward to discoveries in this area of medicine. I would like to become a full-fledged member of society.
- Do you feel that way now?
Let's say I'm on vacation. They say to me: "Look what a gorgeous view!" What do I see? A little. It remains to finish drawing in your imagination the picture according to the description. Well, or take a photo and take a closer look at the subject of delight of friends.
I also don't drive. I'm afraid to get behind the wheel. Suddenly I won't see something ...
- How do you get to training?
When I was studying in the area of the Academy of Sciences, the road from the house in which I live to the pool did not take much time. Now I am studying at the University of Physical Education, where I travel on the 133rd bus. There are no transfers, so it's also convenient.
I rarely feel sad because of the quality of my vision. Usually I'm all about training. Now, when it's time to rest, you have to dissuade yourself from wanting to go to the pool. I understand that if I don't pause, at the end of next season I will really regret it.
- You are in the SB13 category. Who are your rivals?
There are three categories of vision in Para Swimming. SB11 are blind swimmers. SB12 is the guys who have lost about sixty percent of their vision. SB13 are athletes with visual impairment and complications (other eye diseases).
- Where is the border between the Olympic and Paralympic Games for swimmers with poor eyesight?
This question is best addressed to doctors. As far as I understand, just myopia or farsightedness is not enough for a Paralympic performance. We also need other eye diseases.
- After the 2012 Paralympics, you said that your goal is to compete at the Games in Rio.
Did not work out…
- Although you competed with healthy athletes during a four-year cycle.
Yes, in 2013 I went to the World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona. Preparing for it, I did a great job: I set a national record at a distance of 400 m freestyle (3.52.78 min. - Ed.). Six months before the start, I was in good shape and at the same time felt excessive tension. I had to slow down, which led to the fact that at the World Championships I was not very good.
So I realized that for me training at a healthy level is a huge risk.
I usually visit the ophthalmologist twice a year. The retina, which is stretched and completely thinned, is under special control. Until it breaks. And to prevent this from happening, the load should be dosed.
- What are you doing for this?
Take training approaches as an example. If healthy swimmers swim in the mode 16 times 50 m with a rest of 20 seconds, then I - 10 times 50 m with a rest of 30-40 seconds.
When I feel that I need a break, I signal this to coach Gennady Vishnyakov. Gennady Alekseevich organizes his work in such a way as to squeeze the maximum out of me, while not overloading my eyes.
"There is no need to spend the prize money"
- Have you ever been called bespectacled or pop-eyed?
That didn't happen at school. I had vision problems, but physically I was the healthiest and strongest guy. I think the children were just afraid to offend me.
I haven't worn glasses since the fifth grade. The time that I spent in them was enough for me. In addition, lenses with the necessary diopters are so thick that it would be simply uncomfortable and ugly to walk with them. I use contact lenses. I settled on the -14 option. With my astigmatism, even -19 will not give the feeling of 100 percent vision.
- Is it a problem to buy such lenses in the first available optics store?
Yes. One of the online stores helps me out of the situation.
You know, I'm not used to complaining about life. I am doing what I love and am very glad that my parents and my girlfriend support me in this.
- How did you meet Olga Nikiforenok, your fiancee?
Like me, Olya is from Bobruisk and studies at BSU, with the only difference that she is at the philology department, and I am at the law department. Once Olya was given the task to write a work on the topic of sports, and she decided to interview me.
- Did you have an interesting conversation?
It seems that I did not help Olya much, although she tried very hard! Later she called back, clarified some points. On the part of Olya, there was only a research interest, while I immediately liked her. Soon I called her to the cinema.
- At BSU you entered the Institute of Business and Technology Management. Why did you decide to transfer to law school?
At the former faculty there are many visiting teachers, but as an athlete, I do not always manage to pass exams with my classmates. Catching mentors throughout the city was a lot of inconvenience. English, for example, I handed over to the cemetery. Maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but the teacher and I really walked along the cemetery, and I answered ... After that I went to law school. I think a legal education will come in handy in any case, whatever you do in life.
Igor
Bokiy- the same guy who
shot at the London Paralympics with four gold medals and a silver medal. More
was it that our gymnast Vitaly
Shcherbo(won at the Olympics
in Barcelona 1992 six gold medals).
Igor competes with athletes
with a category of vision B-3. In simple words, it is a state between disability and
just poor eyesight. Such swimmers do not need any advice from the coach during the swim.
Although they dimly, they see the path, and independently change their position, approaching
to the side.
“They have a narrower field of view, the retina is opaque.
There are a lot of factors that should be peculiar to these people, - explains
Euroradio
Chairman of the Paralympic Committee of Belarus Oleg Shepel. - The athlete undergoes an independent international
medical commission before the competition. It is very difficult to deceive someone there. There
not even doctors check, but apparatus. You look at the screen, and the parameters of vision are displayed…”.
Photo from the personal archive of Igor Bokiy
Calling
directly to London to the chief of the Belarusian mission, who hands over the earpiece to our hero.
“I don't like to talk about my health problems,
- is talking Igor Bokiy. - But I don’t wear glasses either - I feel uncomfortable ”.
It is seen,
that a person breathes deeply and does not particularly suffer from poor eyesight. results
Igor can be called "Paralympic"
also with a stretch. From Olympic champion Chinese Sun Yan(400 meters
freestyle) Paralympic Igor Bokiy lagged behind by 18.64 seconds. Considering,
that Bokiyu is only 18 years old, and this difference
can be significantly reduced over time.
Euroradio: What are your plans for the future? May be,
Will you compete with Michael Phelps?
Igor Bokiy: Yes, yes, this is part of my plans to perform at
arenas with healthy athletes. Hope to make it to the next Olympics so that
there, too, to compete, to compete.
Euroradio: That is, medical commissions will not
to counteract it?
Igor Bokiy: This, on the other hand, is encouraged when a Paralympian
starts on a level with healthy ones.
Euroradio: You won so many medals! How will you be thanked?
Igor Bokiy: This is still unknown to me. I have not been interested in this yet.
While working on the result.
Euroradio: What conditions do you and your coach live in?
Igor Bokiy: We were not given any apartments. I rent a house
in Minsk, and the coach lives in a one-room
apartment with a large family.
Euroradio: Why did you choose an economic specialty
and went to BSU?
Igor
Side: There - an economist-logistician, related specialties. In logistics
I understand now. These are cargo transportation, calculated data. Everything related to
this. It is close to me and I like it.
In London
Igor Bokiy left as a completely unknown athlete, and returns to
Belarus on September 12 is already a sports legend. The state must pay the swimmer $ 230,000 in bonus:
50 thousand for each gold and 30 thousand for silver.