What was the reason for your failure in left arm? Your left and right arms are the same, but you had some new opponents this time. Why did you lose?

First of all – the injury I’ve had for some two years. I still fight despite that, although sometimes it gets really bad. This time there was no pain, but my arm just wasn’t ready. I thought I was strong enough to win the EC, but it turned out I wasn’t. The injury kept me from going too far, but I hope I’ll be ready for the WC’s.

What’s your current weight?

89 kilo.

What can you say about right- arm fights?

Nothing, you just got to fight.

Could you say that the “old” generation was pushed out by the “new guys”, as good as the old ones?

I don’t know, I can’t be objective about the left arm.

What are your future plans?

A1, World Championships, Nemiroff

About your job – do you have many plays now? Has anything changed due to the political situation in the Ukraine?

When Majdan was happening – sure, there were less people at work, we even had to stop working altogether for a week, because of national mourning.

And now?

Now it’s all back to normal. We’re preparing a new operette, “Trufaldino Bergamo”, very interesting and spectacular. The main character is working for two people at the same time, who are not aware of this, and he has to balance the situation. I’m playing one of his employers.

Does armwrestling come in handy at the theatre?

Only in the locker room (laughs). I sometimes bring expanders for my friends.

How many workouts a week do you manage to get?

About four. When I’m not training for tournaments, I train more. I do different muscle groups, so I work out a lot.

How do you train isolations?

I meant different techniques. This way the weight is distributed in different ways.

Doesn’t your arm get pumped?

Sometimes yes, that’s when I take a break. I rest for three days then, my arm gets back to norm and I get hungry for a workout again. Combining theatre and training is not always possible. I train in my free time, so my schedule is often unstable.

You probably have a teacher at the theatre..

Yes, our art director – Bogdan Strutinsky.

Is there someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

There is Anton Kaljazin at my gym. I tell him some secrets, work with him.

Does that mean he can be called your student?

Not yet (laughs).

There is an opinion that a sportsman cannot be a good coach.

I’ve had my share of coaching, in an amateur way. People worked for themselves, fought at city levels, lost. They had no drive

Who was your first coach?

Denis Shustik, he taught me basics in Dniepropetrovsk.

How do you eliminate your errors?

After a competition I always go home and analyze what was missing, look for holes. Then I try to eliminate them and be better prepared for the next fight.

So you came to the championships with a “hole”...

So it seems. Though I would say my power levels were just too low, I just couldn’t get them any higher.

Igor Mazurenko