Sergey Bubka: Running is the base for all sports

Ace pole vaulter Sergey Bubka, who is in Mumbai to promote the Tata Mumbai Marathon, said running forms the core for all sports.

Sergey Bubka was among the most decorated athletes of his time, having won the Olympic gold for pole vault in 1998. He went on to defeat his own record 14 times.

Legendary pole vault Sergey Bubka said running forms an essential base for all sports. "Running is the base for all sports, it is the core. If we talk about pole vault, it is basically athletics and gymnastics. Everything in our training preparation involves running; we practice distance running, short run, long and high jump. One needs to be fit and have excellent physical condition to succeed in any sport,’’ said the Ukranian, who is the international event ambassador for the Tata Mumbai Marathon which begins here on Sunday.

Talking about the marathon, which is spread over a distance of 42.195 kms, he said, "It is very important to build you career step by step, and especially for a marathon, a gradual preparation process is the key. You need to be mature and be able to run the marathon, which is essentially a lot of time and months of training. To achieve the target time, a fitness routine and tremendous hard work is required.”

READ: Koreas marching under one flag is unbelievable, says Sergey Bubka Bubka, who represented the Soviet Union in the 1988 Seoul Olympics and then the Unified Team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics before becoming a Ukraine sportsman added, "It’s important to have a good coach to achieve your goals and schedule an appropriate training programme. There was only one pole vault coach back then for me. Of course, it is an exciting feeling to run with a stick, jump and fly. I started simple; from the bench and the table, I tried to be in the air.

"My coach was very intelligent. He was a good man who created interest and taught me the right skills with the best possible methods. It is an achievement for both the athlete and the coach when a pole vaulter performs well. I was fortunate that I had the same coach; from the scratch, till the time I reached the top. It was a dream partnership, both for me as a pupil and for him as a coach. ”