"VLADIMIR VLADIMIROVICH, WHAT ELSE SHOULD I WIN?" THE STORY OF RIMA BATALOVA, WHO WAS BROUGHT TO THE STATE DUMA BY THE PARALYMPIC VICTORIES

The stories of the Paralympians 'victories are always about fighting and overcoming, about moving through "must not “ and"can't". A book has already been written about the sports history of multiple Paralympic champion Rima Batalova. Memoirs about life after sports — in the status of a deputy of the State Duma-are also being asked to join the queue. "Sometimes I talk about myself and wonder — did I really stand it all?" Batalova does not try to be modest, she does not need it. She must have been born that way. Excellent student and activist - at school, started in the company of boys - in the village, assistant-at home. But the happy childhood ended abruptly — an ordinary vaccination caused complications, the leg began to swell. In the city of Oktyabrsky, doctors hurriedly performed an operation, but they did not give guarantees against further complications.

In general, initially there was a question about amputation... and then these legs ran so fast! But my vision failed — when I returned home, I began to realize that I could not see well. And again: hospitals, an operation that saved some remnants of vision, therapy… and so my childhood passed. And after that, I went to boarding school No. 28 for visually impaired and blind children in Ufa. It was very hard. In the village, I grew up free, mobile, active. And the boarding school was a closed type, it was not particularly accepted to frolic. Yes, and everyone, including me, had a certificate of exemption from physical education. But I couldn't stand still.

Somehow, out of habit, running out of class for recess, Batalova flew into a tall man. He grabbed her by the shoulders and uttered the prophetic words: "This girl will be my champion!". It was Pyotr Buylov. He came to the company of the society of the blind as a coach-to gather a team of workers for competitions. At the same time, we looked into a nearby boarding school. From that moment on, the coach stubbornly led Rome to the podium.

There were no conditions for training at all — " Batalova recalls. — We trained on the street, in the forest, there was even an 800-meter circle we trodden. And the stadiums… In Ufa, first of all, he was alone — an "Oilman". And almost always busy, with a coating of black rubber squares. And I always ran in white socks, in a white T-shirt, which after the rain were covered with black indelible spots.

At her first serious competition — the Ural Championship — Batalova refused to wear the issued sports uniform-a T-shirt and underpants — "it was a shame to appear in public in this form." Instead of collecting for the Russian Championship, she went on vacation to the village. Returned. And at the first championship of the Soviet Union for the athlete, she already became a silver medalist.

I remember it for the rest of my life — October 1979, Tashkent. I lost all three distances — 100, 200, 400. I came second, although it would seem that for a young girl who first got to the competition of such a high level, this is a great success. And for me, it was such a blow! I roared so much, I screamed so much, I walked out of the stadium and I couldn't calm down. Again, my coach came up and said, " To win, you need to train.

Since then, I have not missed a single training session and have never lost.

The road to the Paralympic Games was the hardest. Batalova, along with other athletes, was preparing to go to the country's first Paralympic Games back in 1984. But the Soviet Union decided to boycott the games in Los Angeles. A year later, while preparing for the Games in Seoul, Batalova falls unsuccessfully and gets a compression fracture of the spine. The doctors ' verdict is disappointing: if you get up, it will be fine, forget about running.

To survive, I first returned home from the hospital. On the TV in front of the bed, I put the spikes that I had just bought. And they are so beautiful, yellow, with a red stripe. And every day she said: I'll still wear them, I'll still run. And I tried to move-both in my head, and in my soul, and in my body. To do this, I made my husband cut the plaster on his back, make a lacing to take it off for a while and stand a little against the wall. When my husband went to work, I did exercises, peeled potatoes, at least something, but I was engaged. And six months later, the doctor could not believe his eyes, he was sure that the equipment was broken.

Then, in 1988, Batalova won two gold medals at the Paralympic Games in the 400 and 800 meters and a bronze in the 100 meters. Four years later, she brought five medals from Barcelona, four more from Atlanta, and three from Sydney. And between them-an uncountable number of victories at the World, European and Russian championships.

And at the same time, we were so invisible to everyone, unnecessary, poor. At the training camp, they took a tile with them, so that they could cook pasta in hotel rooms. The Olympic team refused to train with us-they were afraid that we would injure them. Everything happened. And I remember, in December 2002, I was included in the Presidential Council on Sports. At the table then sat next to Vyacheslav Fetisov, at that time — the head of the State Sports Committee, and Vladimir Putin. When the main issues were discussed, I decided to speak out: "Vladimir Vladimirovich, you know, we also have Paralympic sports. We also go to competitions, win, raise the flag in our honor and play the anthem. To the Olympians, you award a scholarship for winning a medal. I already have more than 10 of them, how many more do I need to win, so that we are awarded such scholarships? " The President then gave a month to solve this problem. Fetisov, of course, shouted: "Batalova! I'll kill you! " And it's too late. Since then, the movement has started to rise from its knees, although there are still many issues to solve, and I am working on it.

In 2011, Rima Batalova was preparing for her seventh Paralympic Games when an offer was received... to participate in the State Duma elections. Her active position, often pronounced at meetings of federal and regional sports committees, became the basis for a political career. And this new path turned out to be on her shoulder and in character. Having exchanged the spikes for elegant high-heeled shoes, Batalova did not lose speed. He continues to bypass his rivals, now in the corridors and offices of the State Duma.

I'm used to breaking stereotypes, always breaking through the wall of misunderstanding and alienation with my head. Everywhere. And I do it for myself, to prove that I'm just like everyone else, no, I'm better. When I entered the physical education college, I was told: "Where is she going-blind? How will she learn?» Yes, just like everyone else! And the disabled children who followed me there were already happy to receive them. When the doctors forbade me to have children, I did it my own way. And after the birth, the doctor, looking at my exchange card, sighed. "Why didn't you say anything about disability, we should have called the second brigade!» And I said to him: "Well, come on, put the baby back, call the brigade, we will give birth again." Now, everyone is wondering how I can navigate the Duma corridors. And I know exactly how many doors there are on the floor, on each side of which one turns, and how many steps there are in the stairwell.

As long as they think I'm blind, I've already calculated and memorized everything, my head works like a computer.

Today, the deputy of the State Duma of the seventh convocation lives in two cities — plenary sessions, discussions of draft laws, meetings of committees in Moscow, regional weeks with receptions of citizens and inspections of supervised facilities in Ufa. For her native city and the entire republic of Rome, Batalova has done no less useful things than she has set records in stadiums around the world. Thanks to her, the largest multifunctional complex in the republic for holding events, the Toratau Congress Hall, was modified to meet the needs of people with disabilities: doorways were expanded, several rows of wheelchair seats were removed, and ramps were installed on the stairs. The creation of the Sports Training Center in Ufa, which bears the name of Rima Batalova, was also a special pride.

In 2012, the Paralympian and MP founded the charity foundation "Youth of the Nation", where they help children with disabilities to join the sport. Training and competitions are held for them, and many of them get a ticket to a big sport — to the national Paralympic team. And within the framework of the charity program" Fonbet "" Bet on good " Rima Batalova asked to support this important project. And she invited me to meet young talents at the annual award of the same name, which is regularly held in the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Ufa.

Source: https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2021/02/12/89177-vladimir-vladimirovich-chto-esche-ya-dolzhna