This time, the correspondent of the press service of the national team talked with the participant Rio 2016 Olympic Games. silver medalist of the world championship (2018) Paul Khodasevich. Now our athlete is recovering from a serious injury.. About life after surgery, recovery and hope for the future, read in this interview.

– In June 2019 you have undergone hernia surgery. How did it happen, that I had to go to the operating table?
– I initially had a hernia 10 mm, but during training shrunk to 6 mm. Then microtraumas accumulated and the situation was a little more complicated. I did not lift huge weights at that time. One day it took so, that I barely got to the locker room. Doctor say, that with previous methods of treatment, the hernia will not dry out. She changed her form. I had to operate.

– How long does recovery take?
– Recovery is still underway. I tried to train six months after surgery, but there was still discomfort. The doctor said, that the biological timing of the renewal of the intervertebral discs is one year. During this period, compression loads are not desirable. Need to, so that everything grows together. At the moment I started training, I feel much better and my body has become stronger.

– Coronavirus has not made adjustments to your plans?
– I try not to pound about the coronavirus, wash my hands and everything. My life has not changed. I think, that during heavy training, athletes are more susceptible to ARVI, Influenza and other seasonal diseases, since an athlete’s body resources are spent more. You just need to be more attentive to yourself. For a short time the sport will lose its popularity for the audience, but will remain life for professional athletes. And after some time, everything will return to normal..

– The national team of Belarus is still training.
– Very well, that our team did not give up training, they are provided with good conditions for training. Most weightlifters cannot dream of such conditions.. Our team proves, that we are one of the best in the world. If you look at the results, let us say, last two years at world championships, we have the second team places. This is a major achievement and perspective on global leadership..

– What is the secret of the Belarusian weightlifting school?
– I would call our school Soviet. She has remained since those times, modified by specialists. We are distinguished by discipline and a serious approach.. Athletes performances are carefully analyzed by the coaching staff, after which adjustments are made to the training process. Weightlifting has some freedom, nobody presses on you. For example, I overloaded myself yesterday, today I can step back from classical exercises and reduce the load, in order to avoid injuries and overtraining.

– Which city or town, in your opinion, the most weightlifting?
– I can say, there are enough athletes in Borisov, which achieved significant results in the international arena. This and Dmitry Sinyak, Victor Kharitonchik, Andrei Aramnau , Mikhail Avdeev. Yes, and the younger generation is trying to keep up.

– If we talk about the popularity of the sport, a worthy reserve is indicative. How are things with generational change??
– We have enough promising athletes. World conditions and results have changed, if there were numbers before, from which it became bad, now it’s a bit easier to be at a good level. World figures fell, therefore we can say, that our youth is in a favorable position. This is due to the tightening of doping control for athletes. No doubt, this situation contributes to the popularization of sports.

– Are there any disappointments, what miss games in tokyo?
– About tom, that I will miss this Olympics, knew long before. My category did not fit the Olympic. There was too little time, to get the best condition. For me, the most suitable weight is 96 kg, but dial 10 kg of muscle and work them out - a huge amount of work. And in a short time to do it is unrealistic. Today I set myself the goal of speaking at the European Championship, which will be held in Moscow in early November. I think, that before this start I have enough time, to get in good shape and compete with rivals.

– Continue phrase, I would like…
– Be the best at your job,so that I can take an example and set an example. Well, and most importantly - to be a good person.

The press service of the national team