It’s the season for pump-up videos in the lead-up to the 2015 FINA World Championships, and the host nation of Russia has gotten in on the action with this video highlighting the preparation of their top swimmers and coaches.
You can watch the video above, in its original Russian, courtesy of Kazan 2015 TV on YouTube.
The video runs the gamut, showing everything from traditional pool training to weight room and stretch cord work to some futuristic looking out-of-the-pool methods Russian athletes are using to track their progress heading into Kazan’s World Championships.
The pressure is on Russia to perform well in front of its home fans. The Russian Olympic Committee President recently noted the nation’s goal of finishing in the top 3 for total medals from next year’s 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and the 2015 World Championships meet is the biggest stepping stone between now and then.
Russian sprinter Vlad Morozov appears in the video – he recently became even more dangerous as a medal threat this summer with the dropping out of Australian sprinter James Magnussen due to shoulder surgery. That puts Morozov in the center of an even-smaller list of truly elite sprinters and relay legs. Morozov competed at the Speedo Grand Challenge in California this past weekend, breaking 22 in the 50 free and setting himself up for a potential breakout meet in Kazan.
