My technique is still very untreated / day

Last August, Kreis, as the only Latvian athlete, won the Paris Olympics qualifying competition and entered the finals of the finals. Given that the athlete was only 20 years old at the time, he can rightly be called one of our greatest future expectations.

However, three years before, during the Tokyo Olympics, Creys couldn’t even imagine that he would go to the start in Paris. « I thought how to be there, but I couldn’t imagine it could really get there. A year later, we thought: Maybe, maybe. A year before the games we already had: Okay, maybe it’s possible, but the opportunity is very small.

In childhood, the main type of Spora was extreme roller skating and going to Murjanis, after the call of Dad, he decided that he believed that the athletics multi -fighter will help to train physical readiness, which will be useful as a roller skater. In the introduction of the year 2019 and 2020, before the world closed the pandemic, he was increasingly working with King’s Vacing Trainer Marek Arent, but in parallel, he still has roller skating. Only after a knee surgery was underway in the roller skating in October 2020, the young man realized that it is necessary to choose a priority – if there is a desire to achieve the goals, the roller skating could not be combined with pole vaulting.

« A couple of years ago, no Latvian coach really believed, no one thought I would be a good athlete, I was not the most promising, but you see, hard work, perseverance, and everything is possible, » says Kreis. In 2021, he was unable to improve his 4.40 -meter -high personal record, but in January 2022, he first reached 4.50 meters at the age of 18, with rapid progress. In July, he had already jumped 5.15 meters, finished the season with 5.20 meters, further up to 5.65 meters in 2023, but also 5.72 meters in 2024.

On February 15, this year, Walter Kreis, in France, was 5,82 meters high in France and two centimeters beat Alexander Obizhayev by the Latvian record since 1987. « I would say that this way of growth is very logical – a good coach, as well as a motivated and persistent athlete’s connection. The athlete may not have super talent and great talents, but everything can be trained. Yes, there are disciplines, such as sprinting, but throwing and technical disciplines.

Meanwhile, coach Arent adds that sometimes the student has been surprised by this rapid progress. « From time to time, he surprises in his growth, but not very. Going through the training process, it is already clear how he was ready for the season he was ready. The European U23 Championship of 2023 was the first international championship to participate in Kreis, and it was very successful – the athlete picked up his personal record by 15 centimeters up to 5.60 meters and won fourth place.

This season, the athlete’s goal is to stabilize around this current Latvian record height. « With the current physical fitness, if everything gets in place, I do nothing, I can jump 5.90 meters and maybe a little more. To jump even higher, I should put speed, jumping, repairing some mistakes in the jump. Arent, on the other hand, emphasizes that a lot of work, but the most important thing is not to hurry.

« There are still quite a lot of technical mistakes, you have to work at speed, but you should not rush, because then the whole set can fall. In the long run, there are big progress. If you give the athlete ten things to think about in one leap, he will not do any of them. So the process is slower, you can think of one thing,

A wide story about the Latvian record holder, his biggest mistake at the Positivus Festival, why he wants dread hairstyles again, pole vaulting in Latvia, gymnasts in this sport and many other topics Read « Sports Newspaper » in April issue with Walter Creis on the coverwhich is still available this week at the best press outlets.