Vadim Devyatovsky is ready to fight for a spot in the London Summer Olympics

April 5, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. Olympic silver medalist of 2008 Vadim Devyatovsky is ready to compete for a spot in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. This was announced today by Mikhail Portnoy, Head of the Department of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, while answering journalists' questions during a meeting with candidates for the national Olympic team, as reported by a BELTA correspondent. "He is a very serious athlete and a multifaceted person. Even when faced with problems (after a grueling two-year legal battle with the International Olympic Committee related to a high-profile doping scandal, Vadim Devyatovsky managed to reclaim his medals from the Beijing Games and his good name. - BELTA Note), he continued to train and prepare for new victories," said Mikhail Portnoy. According to him, the athlete is currently in acceptable shape and ready to fight for a license to the London Olympics. "Vadim Devyatovsky is a very strong person, and he is ready for this himself. We hope that it will happen," emphasized the head of the department, adding that the entire Vitebsk region is rooting for this athlete. The meeting with candidates for the national Olympic team took place at the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee. The main participants of the meeting were Olympic Games silver medalist in shot put Natalia Mikhnevich and World Championships bronze medalist in hurdles Alina Talay. The athletes gladly answered questions from members of the Club of Young Olympians of Gymnasium No. 5 and the Olympic Reserve School. Natalia Mikhnevich admitted that she has no idols in sports, but there are people whose achievements she emulates. She is helped to achieve success in sports by her coach and, of course, her family – her husband and son Ilya, who is now four and a half years old. The athlete has done a lot of work to prepare for the Summer Olympic Games in London and plans to reach an acceptable physical form in the near future. At the same time, she assesses her level of readiness as significantly higher compared to the Beijing Olympics, for which she had only one year to prepare due to the birth of her son. Another hope of the Vitebsk region, Alina Talay, is also training intensively. The main task the athlete is working on is to increase her strength. "There is speed and endurance, it is only necessary to increase strength," she said. "There are no difficulties in preparation. I think everything will be great," added Alina Talay. At the same time, she admitted that, like any other athlete, her goal is an Olympic gold medal. The event was organized by the NOC representative office in the Vitebsk region. -0-