We have to throw big in Debrecen – Petra Jászapáti
The qualifying World Cup series of short track speed skaters will continue in Debrecen from Thursday to Sunday.
Petra Jászapáti (Photo: Károly Árvai) |
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We are past two of the four stages in the World Cup qualifying series. Are you satisfied with your individual performance in the Beijing and Nagoya matches?
I have competed well, I have achieved the results I have expected of myself – I am in great pain for my exclusion in Nagoya one thousand five hundred, and I still consider it fair, but it is a shame to ponder this.
Did the VK series cut it for him to have a quota for all three terms?
Yes, I couldn’t have agreed otherwise, although it was much harder to set goals like this, as we last saw our Asian rivals compete almost two years ago because of the coronavirus epidemic.
If you have already mentioned the last two years: how do you see there was a rearrangement in the field?
Absolutely. There were those whose breakthroughs came as a surprise, and it can also be seen that the Japanese have fallen back a bit in the individual. South Korea and China, on the other hand, continue to hold the lead.
How much has Petra Jászapáti changed in these two years?
I race a lot more calmly than before, fortunately I am also faster, as I ran an individual record in a thousand meters in Beijing, for example, but this is necessary because the field has also accelerated.
In both the first and the second World Cup, it was striking that the Hungarian choirs are trying to overtake more and more from the outside, and they are succeeding. Is this one of their new weapons?
We practiced a lot during training, it’s always good to have something unexpected in our bag. I’m not saying it’s easy to overtake like this, but if you start at the right time, you can get far.
Not too tiring? Or is the experience of success greater then?
Undoubtedly tiring, but if you succeed, it gives you such a boost, so much confidence that I almost soar on the ice.
Lajos Kósa, the president of the Hungarian National Skating Association, explained at a press conference held at the Phoenix Arena on Wednesday morning at the venue of the World Cup. The President emphasized that we were doing well on the men’s line and believed that there was a chance for the ladies to move forward and for the bill to win the Beijing quota. The good news is that Alexander Liu Shaolin and his younger brother Shaoang, who was present at the press conference, also confirmed that the ice was much better than it was at the European Championships held there in January last year. The qualifiers will be held in Debrecen on Thursday and Friday, and the semi-finals and finals will take place on Saturday and Sunday. |
From Thursday to Sunday you can prove your home on the field, as the third World Championships are hosted in Debrecen.
At the home competition in Hungary and a week later in Dordrecht, my goal is to bring the races without exclusion. It would still be good to finish in the top twenty in all three runs.
Does having to prove it in a home environment throw it up?
I don’t usually deal with this, I am usually only able to focus on myself and my career. Coach Ákos Bánhidi can tell us that we have the same two skates on our feet, the ice is sliding under us and we have a roof, and the same riders are running past us around us – except for the planks and the molinos, everything is the usual.
The stakes are very high, especially for the women’s relay, as they are currently ninth in the qualifying rankings and there are only eight bands in the Olympics.
You have to throw big in Debrecen, that’s for sure. In order to talk about the eighth place, which is still worth a quota, we have to run a minimum of B-finals at all.
Heidum Bernadett and Andrea Keszler were still senior at the Pjong Olympics and have found themselves in the most routine team. As a leader, what do you tell your peers?
I try to reassure them and tell them for a long time that everyone is doing what they know we’ve practiced in training, don’t worry unnecessarily, don’t think about what’s going to happen – everyone is paying attention to themselves, giving their best, and we’ll see what is enough.
We are doing well in mixed shifts, and there are those who are already talking about a medal and even a gold chance in this regard.
I, on the other hand, never like to talk about it and think about it, which isn’t even certain. Then, when it becomes official that the Hungarian mixed relay can start in Beijing, we can start setting goals.
present loves the number?
Yes now. I confess honestly, in the beginning I wasn’t very enthusiastic about having boys and girls on the ice at the same time. I thought it was dangerous, especially when the boy was pushing the girl at the shift. However, we practiced a lot during training, so I developed confidence, I am no longer afraid to push, I enjoy this number. But in Debrecen not only the mixed gear, every single run will be important. Qualifying WC competitions are difficult, both mentally and physically. An emotionally big roller coaster is such a four-day race, as you only have to stand for another start shortly after an exclusion – you can’t be sad, but you can’t be happy either. There is only one motto: solve the task as much as possible!