Triathlon and Gennadi Touretski

 

¡Rest in peace Gennadi!  You left many things to this world and we will try to continue your legacy. 

When I met Gennadi he was coaching at Tenero, Switzerland.  He was the coach of the Swiss Team.  It happened that I was there and watched his pupils training.  It was before eight in the morning and the pool was used by the Swiss team.  I stopped to watch them swim.  I sat at the only chair and desk right at the swimming pool.  Gennadi appeared around eight and asked me what I was doing on his desk.  I apologized and said that I was just watching his pupils swimming.  I asked him if I needed to go and he said: “you can stay.”  I stayed for two weeks watching his work which he explained in details.  At that time, I was familiar with the work of Paul Bergen, Bob Bowman and the rest, but Gennadi was too far away from them.  A different concept regarding swimming.  He was coaching Daniella Ryf and Ian Thorpe when I was there.  Gennadi told me about the communication with Paul Bergen during the cold war; Bergen was USA national coach, and he was the Russian swimming national coach.  Gennadi was the Russian 1,500 meters swimming champion at one point.  During the two weeks, he mentioned the problems he had in Australia where he was coaching.  At Tenero, he was swimming daily to keep in good health, keeping a healthy diet and giving up drinking. 

Gennadi’s art work was Alexander Popov.  He said that when he started coaching eight-year-old children -800 children sent by the Russian State, Popov and V. Ekimov were in the bunch.  A cyclist was needed in the Russian team and a decision was made to send Ekimov to practice cycling.  “Eki,” as Lance Armstrong used to call him, went on to win three gold medals, twice time trial Olympic champion.  Ekimov was one of the Lance Armstrong’s domestiques in the US Postal Team.

Every drill Popov practiced was with the intension of swimming with the whole body.  The concept of “swimming on the wave” created by the swimmer was emphasized in Popov, as well as, the kayak swimming.  His way of thinking was of an engineer, because he was trained as an engineer.  He believed that we needed to observed the marine animals to learn more about swimming.  I let you see a documentary of Popov and Gennadi.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BrRIZFk7O4&t=987s

Thanks Gennadi!  Our children benefit from you without knowing you.