In our armwrestling, every athlete is unique, but some of them are slightly more unique than others. Alex is one of such athletes for several reasons.
The fact that he came to Poland from Ukraine and now represents the white-red flag is not in itself an original thing ... We, in the end, have the same example - Igor Mazurenko. The fact that Alex is going to defend his doctor’s thesis is also not an exception. Judi Verchinska is going to do the same, as far as I remember. But the fact that among the Polish armwrestlers there are two from Ukraine and both are writing the doctor’s thesis ... This is truly unusual! Igor - in the field of sports sciences, Alexey - in the field of aviation.
Zloty Tour 2017
I wrote back then that on the “Zloty Tour 2017”, in the category of +105 kg, Alex, in fact, “jumped out of the box like a devil.” The first was Levan Saginashvili, who is still invincible, and below Alex - George Tsvetkov, Dmitry Silaev, Vitaly Laletin, David Kappa, Mirtalekh Aslanov, Alexey Semerenko, Sabin Badulesku and many other strong guys, among whom was Scott Mendelson.
So it was a really unexpected climb to the podium, though ... very expected! Let's ask ourselves the question: “If not then, then when?!”. That third place in the 2017 World Cup opened for Alex the way to the events of this year. How does he himself evaluate this season? I hand over to the athlete.
Alex Kurdecha:
What was this season like? It was progressive, successful and unforgettable! I still need to train a lot, learn, improve, work on myself. And the beauty is in it, I love these trainings, these tests, these difficulties ... I like armwrestling. Armwrestling makes me happy!
What happened this season? A lot of training work. It all started with the Mobil Delvac competition - a very good tournament, I really liked it, although, as you say, it all started with the “Zloty Tur 2017” World Cup. Indeed, thanks to this medal, much has changed in my life. After that I was invited to the tournament in Italy - “XIII Super Match 2018", where I fought with Manuel Battaglia. I won with a score of 5:0. It was a very good start of the year. Later I had several small competitions, EXPO and a sports shows, Moldova as a test of strength before Vendetta and, of course, Vendetta All Stars 50 itself.
Among the interesting things besides sports was shooting in the movie. It was very cool process, it was interesting to feel how the movie is made, to be there, among famous actors and athletes, to see from the inside the scene of illegal fights, car races, shooting ... A very interesting experience.
That's how it all happened - everyday life, rest, and then the offer to participate in Vendetta All Stars # 50! I started training. Began training, a lot of workouts.
Tournament in Moldova
For me it was a test start. Back then Andrey Pushkar won ... To my great regret, Andrey is no longer with us, but he will always remain in our hearts. I became the second. I passed over such sportsmen as: Trubin, Kvikvinia, Lutidze, Badulesku and several others. It was a clear signal that the preparation is going well!
I also tried to popularize our sport and sport in general, whenever possible. I took part in many exhibitions, meetings with young people. Often with my girlfriend, Anastasia, who, for example, organizes activities for young people at the Warsaw Olympic Center. We hold meetings where we tell students about sports and about the motivation to achieve their goals, to fulfill their dreams.
In the meantime, the time of the Vendetta was approaching!
What was this event for me?
Vendetta was a very important and interesting day in my life, but the way to this Vendetta was even more interesting and even more exciting.
It is a great honor and great responsibility for me to perform under the white-red flag, as a Polish athlete. Together with Marlena Wawrzyniak, we were very motivated, and we had a feeling that “our people” support us. This is a wonderful feeling.
In addition ... Zloty Tour is an opportunity to meet and talk with the great Legends of our sport. This is an unforgettable experience!
Let's summarize it then!
It was an interesting season and an interesting story. I would like to thank those who supported me and who were with me on this path! Special thanks, of course, to Anastasia! I want to thank Marcin Lyakhovich, Magda and Konrad Yavorovsky, Mateusz Fisher and athletes from our club Armfight Piaseczno.
PeShy