The FIL group as an international team - Interview with the head coach:

Different languages, travelling, cultures and new friendships - luge offers great opportunities besides the dream of the Olympics

Beijing (FIL) Maciej Kurowski is the head coach of the FIL development programme. The 36-year-old Pole moved into the coaching position after his third Olympic participation in PyeongChang 2018 and did so very successfully. We asked the FIL Group coach before the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games:

Mr. Kurowski, ten out of 15 of your athletes in the FIL team have qualified for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. How proud are you as a coach of the team?

Maciej Kurowski: "I am very proud of the whole team. Of course, of the athletes who managed to qualify, but also of the others who did not. I hope that this is just the beginning to work really hard so that their dreams come true as well. My fellow coaches Petr Kinzel, Yuriy Hayduk, Tomáš Kinzel and Macovei Bogdan Ernest also have a big part in the success."

Which athletes are you particularly proud of?

Maciej Kurowski: "I am especially proud of Elsa Desmond, Doina Descalui and Saba Kumaritashvili. The girls fought their way through and had to put up with a lot of pain and setbacks. But they persevered and made it. Saba was competing in the General Class for the first year and most of the tracks were new to him. That he was able to qualify for the Olympics, just like the girls, is something we are really proud of."

How do you assess Saba Kumaritashvili's performance and chances?

Maciej Kurowski: "Saba was really quite good in his first season in the General Class. But there is still a lot to improve. He still has problems at the start, when laying down, when riding the sled. That is not yet the performance I want to see. There were many new tracks for him and we still have to work hard. But I see good potential for development in him."

What is special about your international team?

Maciej Kurowski: "The special thing is that so many nations, languages and cultures meet in friendship in one team. That is really fun. We can learn so much and have new experiences. There are really interesting opportunities for all of us to travel and get to know the world. You also get invitations to Georgia or Taipei, for example. Who has such opportunities? It would be nice to visit all the athletes one day in the off-season."

Are there many, real friendships in your team?

Maciej Kurowski: "Yes, the girls in the team and also from other teams are really good friends. They also visit each other in the summer and spend a lot of time together. Elsa, Doina, Anička and also Veronica Ravenna, who trains with Germany, have been friends since luge school. That is very good. They travel a lot together and they also help each other. If one of them has problems on a track, the others give her tips and help her to manage it. It is very nice to see their friendship".

What are the biggest difficulties and challenges?

Maciej Kurowski: "In the beginning, sometimes it's the language. The main language in the international group is supposed to be English. I also speak 80 per cent English. But new athletes come and they don't speak much English, so I try to speak Russian with them or something else. Of course it helps that I am Polish and can do that. We also have four Czechs in the team and the coach Petr Kinzl. They speak a lot of Czech with each other and now I've also learned a little Czech as a result. I used to train with the German team myself and I spoke German quite well. Now it's getting a bit lost again. But the many different languages are a challenge for me, but also a great chance to learn something interesting and new.“

Your team has developed very well in the last three years since you took over. Do you hope that the athletes from your team will all continue after Beijing 2022?

Maciej Kurowski: "Of course, a lot has happened. But there are still so many things to improve. We still have so many possibilities with the team and I hope that we can continue working with most of the athletes after the Beijing Winter Olympics. So far, I have only heard from Pavel Angelov that he wants to end his active career after 2022, so I hope the others will continue."

Are you sorry about Pavel Angelov?

Maciej Kurowski: "Yes, of course. He has reached a very good level and qualified for the Olympic Games for the second time after PyeongChang. But he is 30 years old and at some point after the athlete's life comes normality and work. Everyone of us can understand that."

What motivates yourself to do your work?

Maciej Kurowski: "When I see that we have achieved a lot, it is nice. As an athlete, however, I myself was never satisfied with my performance and always worked hard on myself. Even now I see our possibilities in the FIL team and that motivates me and drives me to continue and work even harder".

Thank you for the interview and good luck to your athletes at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games!

Olympic athletes from the international FIL team:

Women: Anička Čežíková (CZE), Sin Rong Lin (TPE), Doina Descalui (MDA) and Elsa Desmond (IRL).
Men: Rupert Staudinger (GBR), Pavel Angelov (BUL), Mirza Nikolajev (BHI), Saba Kumaritashvili (GEO), Michael Lejsek (CZE).
Doubles: Filip Vejdělek/Zdeněk Pěkný (CZE)