Former world weightlifting champion Zhasulan Kydyrbaev became a guest of the YouTube podcast Uahyt kursetedi !, where he spoke about the loss of the world championship medal in Houston, the conflict with the former head coach of the national team Alexei Ni, those responsible for the sports crisis in Kazakhstan, and the suicide of Albert Linder. His words are quoted by bbabo.net.

- Zhasulan, at one time great hopes were pinned on you. Surely, many of the number of weightlifting fans are aware of your disqualification story, saying that you and your comrades are victims of political and behind-the-scenes games. Do you agree with this opinion?

- Yes, you are right when you say that we have become a bargaining chip in not entirely fair games. This means that it was destined for us by the Almighty. Nevertheless, all the accusations against us that we took illegal drugs and doping are invented. Today I came to visit you in order to share my truth and tell the public about it.

After leaving the sport, I will not deny that I had to go through difficult times. Throughout the second half of 2015, before the final decision on disqualification came out, I was looking for a job and continued to train. By that time, my comrades and I had already been removed from performances. It was necessary to live on something, and there were no offers of employment. I knocked on many doors, and the people I knew, of course, did not directly respond with a refusal, but they said that with the right options they would have me in mind. However, no one called to work. So yes, there were quite a few difficulties with that.

We were greatly supported by the coaches of the national team, who said that they would go to Hungary for trial and were ready to sell cars and apartments in order to find funds for this. I am very grateful to them for that.

- They say that there were days when there was no bread on your table and you were thinking about committing suicide ...

- We all walk the earth at the behest of the Almighty. Yes, my wife and I went through difficult times. Looking at my plight, she tried to help, and entered the market to trade, despite the fact that she had a small child in her arms. Of course, this very much hit the pride. We got into debt and they had to be paid back somehow.

There was no thought to lay hands on oneself, because, being a person in religion and realizing the gravity of this act, you realize that you have no right to deprive yourself of a life donated from above. On the contrary, there were thoughts of flying the flag of another country. He even negotiated with the coaches of the Turkish and Korean national teams, but it did not work out due to some formalities from the weightlifting federation of Kazakhstan.

- Let's be honest - did you use doping, because of which you were deprived of your well-deserved bronze at the World Championships in Houston in 2015?

- Of course not. Before that vindictive World Championship, we traveled a lot to European countries, where we had training camps and training. Our team was rightfully among the favorites, because then we had a very strong line-up. Nevertheless, politics intervened and we were falsely accused of using illegal drugs. So we can be called the victims of big behind-the-scenes intrigue. In general, at that time, strange things were happening in world weightlifting, which only a few people know about.

- How did you, Almas Uteshov and Ermek Omirtai get into this black list?

- Before the 2014 home world championship in Almaty, Ilya Ilyin invited me to his own newly created team, separate from the main team. However, our very first rival was not just a separate country, but the own head coach of Kazakhstan - Aleksey Ni. At that time, I reasoned that way. Maybe some of his not very good actions or intentions had to take the rap for us. There was an unhealthy atmosphere inside the team from his constant intrigues. What can I say, until the very last moment there was a question about my participation in that world championship because of his unwillingness to allow me to compete. Thanks to the intervention of other coaches, I was still able to take part in the tournament in Almaty.

His "legacy" is constant scandals, squabbles and trials. Because of him, in recent years, weightlifting in the country has experienced one scandal after another.

- Did I understand correctly that the main enemy of Zhasulan Kydyrbaev is Alexei Ni?

- At the time that I was in sports - yes. I repeat, he caused a lot of confusion within our team. But for me that time is over.

- Nevertheless, it is known that you approached him with a request to give you a chance to go to the Tokyo Olympics. Is it true?

- Yes that's right. It was in the winter of 2016, after we were removed from the performances, but I still had a hope in my soul that I would be back soon and everything would be the same. Why did I go to a man who annoyed me a lot? Because he wanted to prove that he had not yet said his last word in sports. I told him and some functionaries from the federation to give me a chance, and I will do everything to win an Olympic medal for Kazakhstan.- And what was the answer?

- They said they would consider my candidacy. I thought that they were seriously thinking about attracting me to preparation, despite the fact that I had not competed for a year due to a forced pause in my career. I naively believed that they appreciate me, because I was, after all, the first Kazakh - the world champion. I did not see any support, and my appeal remained unanswered.

- Is the departure of Yerzhas Boltaev, one of the former national team coaches who helped Uzbekistan win gold in Tokyo, an internal mistake and a miscalculation of the weightlifting federation?

- Undoubtedly. In many ways, this from the negative side was facilitated by the same Ni, who turned weightlifting into a profession. Yerzhas, after all, worked for many years in the national team as one of the senior coaches, and when the time came to move to a new, higher position, he was out of work. If Ni arbitrarily handed over his post to Yerzhas with the wording, they say, I leave the current generation in the reliable hands of a strong specialist, then this would more than cancel out the multiple mistakes that he made, in particular, in the last years of his reign, and among them - open harassment of Yerzhas' pupils to please the legionnaires. Realizing this, Boltaev left, and as we can see, he did the right thing. Unfortunately for all our people.

- That is, you want to say that there was no benefit from the invited athletes?

- And what is interesting from them? Except for the first call, when two girls from China brought medals, and Nizhat Rakhimov, who at the award ceremony in front of the whole world started dancing, performing a lezginka that was alien to our people, and there is no one to remember. Instead of investing in our own students, we invite legionnaires. Undoubtedly, it would not be easy at first, if we bet on internal reserves, because this is work for the future, but taking a step back, after some time we would certainly take two steps forward.

- What role does Ilya Ilyin play in the development of weightlifting in the country today?

- Of course, Ilya and his successes are the main reason for the unprecedented popularity of weightlifting in Kazakhstan. I respect him, and we keep in touch to this day, discussing certain points. Unfortunately, he has lost his credibility in the eyes of the national team coaches. He does not respect and support them, and this, unfortunately, is mutual. I judge, because I know what I'm talking about - we have a general chat in WhatsApp, where coaches and the athletes themselves are. If someone throws off any information about Ilyin, then this is usually ignored, or one of the coaches asks not to mention him, saying, let him go his own way, and they go their own. And I am of the same opinion.

Don't get me wrong - yes, he did a lot for our entire sport. Thanks to him, we once began to engage in weightlifting, and he inspired us with his energy and passion for what we love. But as he was an athlete, he remained so, and he still has that youthful enthusiasm with which he once performed. Recently I talked to him and asked for advice on one issue. He said that his head is full of new ideas and he thinks differently. I understand him, he wants to popularize sports by making a show out of this. I think it is better for him to stay away from current politics, as this is fraught with consequences.

- What do you think prompted the former youth world champion Albert Linder to commit suicide?

- Every time I remember him, my chest aches with pain ... It's hard not to think about what happened to him. We trained together and I remember his first successes internationally. He could have a bright and bright future. He always knew how to use his body to the maximum, while spending a minimum of effort. He was always positive and took life with ease. We lovingly called him "curly" and took care of him, and he also treated his elders with respect.

I don't want to talk now about who was involved in his death, and I won't blame anyone - neither the coaches, nor the functionaries. I don't see the point in that.

- Aren't you afraid of the consequences of the words spoken today?

- You know, I have already reached the level where I can stand up for myself. I am already firmly on my feet and can afford to make some statements. I am fed up with idle talk, promises and lies that I have been fed and given to drink in the past. I am looking for the truth and I do not say anything but it. If someone comes to me with a conversation, then I am ready for this.

bbabo.Net