Dmitriy Balandin: I'm thankful to my trainers and my country for this victory in Rio

Correspondent of Kazinform news agency Kunsultan Otarbai had an opportunity to ask some questions to the new Olympic champion after the press conference.

- Congratulations on winning the Olympic gold!

- Thank you. Thank you, Kazakhstan!

- Have you ever thought that you would be the Olympic champion?

- I was planning to compete as hard as possible for a medal. I, obviously, did not think about any particular medal, and never thought about becoming the Olympic champion. I also swam in the eighth lane in the final. At first I did not like that lane. The other swimmers could see each other, and I did not. Then, it turned into an advantage. When you swim alone you do not think about the others. All you have to do is swim for a victory. When I finished I saw number "1" highlighted on my lane. At first I thought it meant the lane number one. I did not even think that I could have just won the final. I realized it when swimmers began to congratulate me on winning.

- What did you feel at that moment?

- I had a kind of feelings that I cannot explain now.

- Did you feel the support of your mother?

- My mother gave me a lot, she supported me greatly. She flew to Rio to support me. She wanted to see me on the Olympic podium with her own eyes. I knew it and tried as hard as I could to make it happen. Everything happened just like I dreamt.

- How many years had you been going and preparing for this success?

- First time I thought about winning an Olympic medal was during the training process for the Olympic Games in London. Four years have gone by since that time. This success is a result of many years of work of my trainers. Therefore, I cannot say that I did it myself. I am thankful to my trainers and my country for this victory.

- Thank you very much for the conversation.