Igor Sergeevich Son was born on November 16, 1998 in the village. Ushtobe, Almaty region. Weightlifter, master of sports of international class of the Republic of Kazakhstan, silver medalist of the 2019 World Weightlifting Championship in the weight category up to 55 kg, bronze medalist at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in the weight category up to 61 kg. In 2013 he took part in his first major international tournament - the World Youth Championship. He took the final 13th place in the category up to 50 kg. In 2015, at the Asian Youth Championship, he became the winner in the weight category up to 50 kg. In September 2019, Igor Son at his first adult world championship in Pattaya in the weight category up to 55 kg won a silver medal in the combined combined event with a result of 266 kg. In the snatch, he won a small bronze medal. In February 2020, at the International Unity Weightlifting Championship in Tashkent, Igor Son won a gold medal in the up to 61 kg weight category, lifting 286 kg in total. 2021 in Tokyo at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the weight category up to 61 kg. I.Son lifted 294 (131 + 163) kg in total in the double event and took third place. In a competition in Tokyo, he set a personal best. Bronze medalist of the Tokyo Olympiad Igor Son is a 1st year student of the medical faculty of KazNU named after Al-Farabi. Now Igor is in his native village Ushtobe, after heavy Olympic loads he is recuperating. Despite travel fatigue and lack of time, Igor agreed to a mini-interview for the Kazakh University newspaper. The conversation took place over the phone.
- Igor, hello, congratulations on the Olympic medal! How does one rest at home? The native university is waiting for its Olympian, when will you come to Almaty?
- Thanks! Now I am in Ushtoba. I am going to Nursultan for a meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. I don't know when I will go to Almaty yet. Recently, I contacted the curator at KazNU, Anatoly Ivanovich Areshchenko, he said that after the Olympiad was closed, all participants would be gathered at KazNU. 11 athletes from KazNU participated in the Olympiad, we will all gather at the university at the same time.
- When everything is over, the main goal has been achieved, can you say, while driving to Tokyo, did you count on a medal?
- Of course, there was a calculation, but not one hundred percent. Nevertheless, one cannot guess in advance. This is a sport, here everything can happen unexpectedly, luck can turn 180 degrees. Therefore, in big sports, no one knows what lies ahead. The chance turned up. It was necessary to raise. These clean and jerk approaches were very important. I had to get ready. I cannot express my excitement in words. Before leaving for Tokyo, I did not lift so many kilograms at home. It turns out that I have a competitive record here.
- Why didn't you count the second approach in the snatch?
- I played the elbow, in the clean and jerk - the same thing. The slightest clamp is no longer counted. Everything must be done exactly.
- On the whole, are you satisfied with your performance?
- Of course, I am satisfied, the most important thing is that my coach is satisfied. The Olympics are not a simple competition; the strongest, best athletes in the world participate here.
- A big deal has been done - the load is off your shoulders ... What are your plans for the near future?
- No plans yet. I will go about my business, rehabilitate, recuperate, heal injuries. During the preparation for the Olympiad, I did a lot of work, I spent a lot of energy. Endless travel is exhausting too. You understand that there are a lot of people who want to talk, every day dozens of calls from journalists come in, everyone needs to answer, and different meetings take up a lot of time. In fact, there is no time left for rest, I am bursting, one might say. Now I just want to rest.
- What are your long-term plans, for example, will we go to the next Olympics in Paris for gold in 4 years?
- I don’t know if I will prepare for the next Olympiad or not, so far I can’t say anything. Of course, we cannot stop at what has been achieved, we must always move forward. Time will tell.
- Thanks for the interview! Good luck!
Interviewed by Kairzhan TUREZHANOV
