Dear friends!
Once again, I sincerely congratulate the winners and awardees of the Tokyo Games.
I would like to express my deep gratitude to your coaches, mentors who led you on a
long, difficult path to the Olympic peaks, your relatives, of course, which your teammates,
relatives, friends, whose support helped you to move, recalled now when receiving state
awards, only forward, to the coveted, the most important Olympic pedestal for any athlete.
For some it was not the first time, these were not the first Olympic Games, not the
first triumphs, but there is no doubt that the joy of victory for you is as piercing
as that of the “golden” debutants.
I am sure that for the most titled in the world, the world history of synchronized swimming,
Svetlana Romashina, each of her seven gold Olympic awards is unique and dear.
Two of them were received in Tokyo - paired with the brilliant Svetlana Kolesnichenko
and as part of the team of our impeccable, incomparable synchronized swimmers.
They have been absolutely unattainable for rivals for many years, and this is an outstanding,
unsurpassed success of the national school of synchronized swimming.
As always, at the top of Olympus are representatives of wrestling.
The "Golden Series" in this form for our country has not been interrupted for almost 70 years,
since 1952.
This time the wrestlers put eight medals in the team's piggy bank, four of which are gold.
Eight medals and in bullet shooting.
And here, of course, it should be noted Vitalina Batsarashkina, who opened the "golden score"
of our team in Tokyo.
She decisively bypassed eminent rivals, climbed twice to the first step of the podium and
set a new Olympic record.
Well done.
Such achievements have always been an adornment of the Olympic starts, enriched them with
bright, exciting moments, asserted the infinity of a person's capabilities, his strength of
mind.
Our athletes showed a real sports character.
Having overcome all obstacles, Maria Lasitskene literally took off to the Olympic peak.
She and her teammate Angelica Sidorova have convincingly proved that the world athletics
is a real “queen of sports”, in many ways, made by our Russian athletes.
With a sinking heart, the fans watched the fencing matches.
Especially when, despite the injury, Marta Martyanova entered the battle - now she just
told me about it.
The mutual support and fighting spirit of our wonderful athletes, their next victory
in the team competition is wonderful, they delight.
Well done, girls.
Special words - for saber fencer Sofia Pozdnyakova.
She simply - in the literal sense of the word - burst into the elite of world sports.
The first Olympics, and two "gold" at once - this is what a real sports dynasty means.
Her father, as you know, is also a renowned Olympic champion, and a four-time one.
With incredible emotions and the long-awaited return of the status of the strongest, Russian
sports gymnasts delighted the fans, and both the men's and women's teams have risen to
the highest level.
Their strong-willed victories, of course, have already entered the annals of world sports.
Our swimmers also return the status of the strongest, a special thanks for this - to
Evgeny Rylov.
His rapid rise to leadership and two gold awards is one example of the great potential
of our national team.
The Olympic medals won by Russian athletes in archery, beach volleyball, in a new discipline
for the Games - basketball "three to three" and, of course, in taekwondo, where Russia
won not only the first Olympic victories, also added confidence in the successful future
of the Russian team, but also team leadership.
One of the athletes in general, as you know, performed with a broken arm - a hero, well
done, thank you very much.
Equally valuable is the first team gold in the mixed category among tennis players, who
also gave us such an inspiring event as the all-Russian final.
The traditionally hot, exciting fights of Russian boxers will also remain in the memory.
In this type of martial arts, our athletes have been performing effectively in recent
years.
I am sure that the foundation laid, as well as the legendary traditions of the national
school of boxing, is a guarantee of future victories.
The Russian national rhythmic gymnastics team has earned sincere admiration.
Dear girls!
For us, for the whole country, you are always the best, first, "golden" - this is how it
really is.
And here I would like to address both the silver and bronze medalists.
Stopping one or only a couple of steps from the highest step of the Olympic podium always
evokes very difficult emotions: it would seem that the "gold" is very close, but something
went wrong, something did not work out.
But this also makes the athlete stronger, hardens his character, and brings him to a
new level of skill inaccessible to his rivals.
The glorious, triumphant history of many generations of our outstanding athletes proves that nothing
is impossible.
The main thing is to work hard and be sure to believe in yourself.
Hard work, talent, faith in yourself, faith in the country that stands behind you, you
have - I know this very well.
It won't be long for the next starts.
In just a few months, your comrades, the winter team, will enter the arenas of the Winter
Olympics in Beijing.
And in less than three years, many of you will again meet with your rivals in Paris,
and you, your comrades, the young generation of Russian athletes, will convincingly confirm
your status, I have no doubt about that, with your victories in an equal, honest, uncompromising
struggle.
The results of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, plans for the future yesterday - as you may
have noticed - we discussed with colleagues at the meeting of the Sports Council.
We will definitely continue to help you, create all conditions for training, including by
the efforts of the Russian Olympians Support Fund.
For many years, his truly selfless work is a huge contribution to the development of
national sports of the highest achievements.
I would like to especially note.
Every medal you won at the 32 Summer Olympics has its own big personal, human history, a
long, selfless path to the top of the sport, and you have passed it in the most dignified
way.
Your examples have tremendous inspiring power, prove the value of physical culture, sports,
charge young people with the desire to be equal to you, to make a choice in favor of
an active, healthy lifestyle.
Thank you for your work, for your loyalty to the ideals of the Olympic movement, I congratulate
you on your brilliant achievements and well-deserved awards and, of course, I wish you new successes,
new outstanding victories and records for the glory of Russia.
Thank you very much.