Catching up with Ukraine’s Oleg Verniaiev before the American Cup
Gymnastike interviewed the youngest men's American Cup competitor, Oleg Veranaiaev of Ukraine, the day before the American Cup. Although 18-year-old Oleg finished 6th after some mistakes, he showed a lot of potential. Here’s a translation of the interview, which originally was in Russian.
Oleg at the London test event in January 2012
Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images Europe
Gymnastike: This is your first American Cup. What are you goals here tomorrow?
Oleg: To get through the meet with no falls, most important. And to do all my difficulty. And then we’ll see what happens.
Gymnastike: What have you been working on most in preparation for this competition?
Oleg: My difficulty. I’ve worked on that a lot. And making sure that I’ll be more stable, so I don’t have any falls.
Gymnastike: Have you made any upgrades to your routines?
Oleg: . . . . I’ve added rings and high bar a little bit. And that’s it.
Gymnastike: Ukraine finished fifth at the World Championships. What do you think of Ukraine’s prospects for winning an Olympic medal?
Oleg: We are trying, working as a team, and raising the bar, so that we can contend for an Olympic medal. We will try.
Gymnastike: Where do you think you can most contribute to the team in your goal of winning a medal?
Oleg: I am trying everywhere, so that I can do my best and it will be the best for the team.
Gymnastike: Have you ever been to America?
Oleg: Yes, this is my third time.
Gymnastike: Have you ever been to New York?
Oleg: No, this is my first time.
Gymnastike: What would you like to do while you are in New York?
Oleg: . . . . I’d like to walk around the city. Today, we drove through and I liked everything so much. It’s so unusual and such a beautiful city. I’d like to spend more time and walk around more but we don’t have much time because we are competing tomorrow and flying out the morning after.
Gymnastike: Thank you very much.
Oleg: Thank you.
Updated on May 16, 2013, 6:43pm
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