Novoselov Comments on Katrina Lehis's Recent Success
Katrina Lehis's coach Nikolai Novoselov praised her performance after her second European Championship gold, highlighting the changes that allowed her to return to the top.
Nikolai Novoselov, personal coach of Katrina Lehis and head coach of the Estonian women's fencing team, expressed satisfaction with his student's achievements at the European Championships. Lehis won her second career gold medal.
'Gold always pleases. It's not just about the place, but also the result – Katrīna did a good job and fenced well,' Novoselov noted in an interview with ERR.
The start of the season was not brilliant, there were some questions. The previous season gave much food for thought – results were good, but the 'cherry on the cake' was missing. This time, minor changes were made, and Lehis herself worked hard to improve the situation.
'When we talk about results at the highest level, all these things go together. It's a combination of factors. She received confirmation that she is back on top. Now the key question is whether she needs more rest or, on the contrary, more training. She feels and listens to herself,' the coach explained.
In April, Lehis rose to number one in the world rankings. 'For me, she has been the best fencer in the world for many years. That's no secret. The question was how she could realize it. Now she has found the way to stay on top,' Novoselov said.
In March, Novoselov also became the head coach of the women's team. His debut at the championship ended with fifth place. In the quarterfinals, they had to acknowledge Ukraine's superiority. 'The team is ready for more, but we had to settle for fifth place. We couldn't handle the pressure,' he commented.
In a month, the World Championships will begin in Hong Kong. 'With the women's team, we will continue working the same way. It's clear that the load was good. No one is overtrained or undertrained,' Novoselov said, expecting a good result.
'A very short camp will be held in Estonia, where we'll gather ideas and hold trial competitions. Then there was an idea to go abroad for five to six days. But where exactly, the question is still open. We're waiting for the world ranking to be finalized, then we'll see,' he concluded.
