Vanesa Kaladzinskaya: I never stop learning

At the 2023 World Wrestling Championships in Serbia in September, Vanesa Kaladzinskaya’s silver was the only medal for the women's and men's national teams of Belarus. It is not surprising that the two-time world champion and bronze medalist of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo remains the main Olympic hope for Belarus’ freestyle wrestling team. But ten years ago, Kaladzinskaya almost hung up her wrestling shoes. In an interview with Smartpress Vanesa talked about what brought her back to sport, how to control the "working" weight and whether it is difficult for a female wrestler to stay feminine.

The name Vanesa is a gift from the mother
The beautiful name brings up musical associations: Vanessa Paradis, Vanessa May... Vanesa said that her mother liked unusual names that made people stand out from the crowd.
"By the time I was born, my father was the head coach of the national team in women's artistic gymnastics, and my mother also worked in this field. Once girls from Belgium came to Belarus for a training camp. Among them was a promising athlete named Vanessa. Mom liked this name very much, and she immediately decided that her daughter would have the same one. It’s melodious and unique for Belarus.”

After winning a silver medal and an Olympic license at the recent World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Vanesa Kaladzinskaya is experiencing a new wave of popularity. But, perhaps, not everyone knows that she came to wrestling being a candidate for master of sports in artistic gymnastics.
"Everything in my life was influenced by my family. Indeed, I showed promise in gymnastics. But the parents divorced. Dad went to Australia to coach. Mother retired from gymnastics, and she did not want me to go with my father to the other side of the world or to train here with some new coach. To keep my sports spark up she enrolled me into the wrestling school.”
Vanesa believes that she could easily reach the same heights on the gymnastics floor as on the wrestling mat.

"I practiced with vigor. I enjoyed performing complex elements. However, it was impossible for the 10-year-old child to resist the will of the parents. When it became clear that moving to Australia and coaching with a new gymnastics specialist were out of the question, there were no alternatives to wrestling.

At the 2012 Olympics in London you were 19. In the quarterfinals you lost to Canadian Carol Huynh in the last seconds. What happened then? Was it an accident, or the opponent was lucky ?
“It was an ordinary fight, of which there are many at any competition. It's just that at that time I was, in fact, a novice,” the athlete recalled. “My opponent was the world champion in this weight. I'm watching our young girls now. They are interesting, with good potential, with non-standard wrestling styles. But they lack physical strength. In London, I had a similar problem.”

After the London Games, Kaladzinskaya became a mother. A year later, doctors diagnosed her with a hormonal disease. Vanesa believes that several factors affected her health. One of the main ones was a coaching factor.
“There was no trust between me and the coach, there was no support. Quite the opposite, I felt pressured. When I was recovering under the supervision of my dad, I quickly got into shape and won major tournaments. But after returning to the national team, I faced pressure at the training camp. It was all like ‘come on, tough it out, don’t spare yourself’. So I was pushing myself to the limit and finally I broke down. Now I can say point blank: that was not only my fault.”
Kaladzinskaya missed the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics; doctors hardly believed that she could go on as an athlete. Yet, in 2017 the native of Bobruisk won both European and world titles. More than that, she was named the athlete of the year in women’s wrestling by the international federation.
“Right after the Games in Brazil, I partnered with a new coach. And this collaboration started producing results,” Vanesa said analyzing her breakthrough. “I had this feeling deep inside that I could clinch major wins again. I just had to believe in myself and get into optimal shape in the right way. The environment, the team, and personal coach Sergei Smal helped me with this. It would be very difficult to move towards a goal alone, without support.”

Children are no obstacle to sport
Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Kaladzinskaya is a far cry from what she was during the London 2012 Olympics. Over the course of eight years, Vanesa re-examined her own resources and training approaches.
“I learned to listen to my body, control my mind and impulses. If only I had this attitude and experience at the beginning of my career!” the champion laughed. “But that’s probably how many people think. Mastery and knowledge come with age.”
A year ago, Vanesa gave birth to another son. For most female athletes a second child means the end of a professional career. Yet, Kaladzinskaya again got back into her top shape and won silver and an Olympic license at the 2023 World Wrestling Championships in Serbia in September.
“I felt like I haven’t ticked all the boxes yet; I had a great urge to go on. And most importantly: I don’t feel like I will no longer be able to demonstrate good performance,” said Kaladzinskaya. “If a person is exhausted and worn out, of course, it’s better to call it a day, this applies to any kind of activity. My motivation is fine. Plus I have not sustained many injuries and surgeries during my career. It is important indeed that old injuries do not depress your functional conditions. The individual training program helps me a lot. My resources are far from being exhausted.”

The secret to getting in shape is genetics and proper nutrition
From Vanesa’s appearance you would never guess that this slender young woman does martial arts and is a mother of two. Many women would envy such a body.
“Of course, I appreciate compliments. But I don’t have any special secrets of weight control. I attribute it to good genetics,” the athlete smiled. “I don’t do anything special to stay fit. It all comes naturally - with the help of physical activity, some simple restrictions. However, staying slim and controlling weight is part of a wrestler’s life.”
Kaladzinskaya has just recently discovered another useful way of keeping fit, which is adjusting her diet.
“Believe it or not, but I have understood this only now. Before, I did not pay much attention to nutrition and my habits. I could allow myself something sweet before competitions. I used to cut my weight mostly in sauna by losing excess water in my body. Now I stick to a well-balanced diet. I sought the advice from a nutritionist and pharmacologist who adjusted my food regimen. This helps me keep my body in tone and improve my capabilities.”

Wrestling is feminine
Manners, ladylike walk, manicures, hairstyles, lady’s things mix well with wrestling. Vanesa is convinced that wrestling does not take femininity away. However, frequent girlish crying is not about Vanesa Kaladzinskaya.
“I only cry if I fail to achieve high results. Reasons must be serious like, for example, a defeat at the World Cup. But I am never ashamed of this,” the international master of sport said. “In general, being feminine is not only about showing your emotions. No matter how paradoxical it may seem, wrestling lets my femininity shine through. Yes, I consider this sport to be very sexy! With a tight-fitting singlet, wrestling poses, and flexibility the sport is feminine. It all depends on the attitude of the audience.”

Not a she-wrestler, but a female wrestler
Vanesa Kaladzinskaya graduated from the sports department of Kuleshov Mogilev State University. She continued her studies in Minsk Gestalt Institute, majoring in gestalt therapy, and also at the Faculty of Psychology in Maksim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University.
“Psychology has always appealed to me,” Vanesa said explaining her interest in the topic. “Teamwork, pairwork, getting in the zone before a competition matter. Some athletes, especially young ones, can burn out before a bout, race or match. I wanted to dive deeper into the matter.
In 2020 Vanesa Kaladzinskaya took a serious look into her career prospects. She had not yet planned to retire then, but she wanted to be prepared for the life after sport.
“I had a great thirst to learn something new. My inner voice told me that psychology was my thing. I applied for a second degree from the Pedagogical University in the area I was most interested in. I also took courses with Minsk Gestalt Institute.
The wrestler has already thought about calling it an end to her sport career. But Vanesa clearly knows that the moment has not yet arrived. The Olympic gold is Kaladzinskaya’s unfinished gestalt. Why not face it at the 2024 Paris Olympics?

One more question that has been bothering many people for a long time: what is the right way to call athletes in women’s wrestling: a she-wrestler or use these New Age buzzwords?
“A female wrestler!” Vanesa laughed. “It turns out that there is no right word for it. Although a she-wrestler is quite common in everyday life. We are often called like that.”

By Smartpress
Photos from their archives