The end of the festive week is no reason to stop believing in miracles and magic. Volga Region University athletes will gladly confirm this - after all, even the strongest, toughest and most successful have their helpers. On the most magical days of the year we talked to the athletes to get to know their talismans, superstitions and rituals.
Anastasia Zhiryutina (swimming) said that she has a mascot bear, the story of which began back in kindergarten.
"At the time of the bear cub's appearance I was about three years old. Since then, the bear has been with me always and everywhere. He was in Germany, Turkey, Tunisia, and also travelled all over Siberia and many other cities in our country," Anastasia admits.
Yulia Kazryatova (taekwondo) noted that she has no mascots, but she has a superstition.
"I never talk about how I fought back," explains Yulia. - For example, if I have four fights ahead of me, I won't call my loved ones until I finish all the performances."
Dmitry Dolzhenkov (big tennis) said that "my mum believes in everything magical and otherworldly. Once she found through acquaintances a unique person - a magician, shaman and homeopath in one person...".
Anna Klyuchko (judo) also had a mascot bear, which was once given to her by her mum. From the age of twelve Anna travelled with him to all her competitions, but the story had a somewhat tragic ending.
Arseny Solovey (swimming) said that a kind of mascot for him is a sweatshirt.
"I got it in 2019, before the first large-scale start for me at that time - the All-Russian swimming competition "Vesely Dolphin" in St. Petersburg. Since then, he has been with me," Arseniy narrated.
Irina Zlobina and Dmitry Cherkasov (swimming) have paired mascots.
"At the very beginning of our relationship, I happened to see these toys. They stood on a big empty shelf together and it was as if they were trying to lean on each other and support each other," Irina recalled.
Anastasia Ivanova (Sambo) admitted that her mascots take up almost half a bag.
"The biggest one is a plush dog Rex. Seventeen years ago my dad brought him to me at the hospital. For me he is a symbol of calmness, warmth and home cosiness," Anastasia said. - The lavender cat Vasily is tied by my mum's hands, so he is especially dear. Cars keep a sense of wonder from childhood. And if some talismans have among their tasks the attraction of good luck, others have to ward off misfortune. For me, the Frog is responsible for that."
Read the full stories of athletes and their mascots in our channel on Zen.
