“If we do our work to the maximum, then a victory will be ours,” Artem Melnyk, a participant at the upcoming EuroGames 2023

Our last, fourth participant of the 2023 European Games in the kickboxing tournament is Artem Melnyk. This is an experienced and titled athlete from Zhytomyr: he won the World (2021) and European (2022) Championships, obtained a license for the European Games 2023, multiple winners of the World and European Cups.

Інтерв’ю українською: “Робитимемо максимально якісно нашу роботу — перемога буде за нами”. Артем Мельник, учасник прийдешніх ЄвроІгор 2023

Artem had been preparing with our youth team at the Olympic base in Koncha-Zaspa, so our first question to him was whether he was satisfied with the training:

– Everything went great. I am very satisfied. Everything is at the highest level.

Is there any difference in how are you preparing for the European Games?

– Probably, not. It seems to me that all the specifics of preparation are always the same. And at the training sessions in Koncha-Zaspa, it was what we needed to win the Eurogames 2023.

Will you perform at your usual weight?

– Yes, I will. I can eat anything.

How many trainings do you have at the eve of the European Games?

— Two or three training sessions per day.

Artem, do you always perform in full contact?

— Probably, I have never been boxing before in other divisions of kickboxing. Full contact has been my discipline since the beginning of my path in kickboxing. My strength is working with my hands. And full-contact is exactly this section where go the hands plus the legs. It turns out that this discipline is the most effective for me.

What are your strengths in fighting?

— I believe that I win primarily due to intelligence. A high performance sport requires a non-trivial mind that can find certain loopholes and open the locks that are closed by your opponent. Sometimes your physical qualities are not so important as the ability to use tactical and technical actions at the most necessary moment.

The battle goes very quickly. Is there time to think during a fight?

— You have been working on this for many years therefore you do the technical aspects automatically. As for tactical actions – when to perform them – your brain is activated in milliseconds, helping to embody what you saw. I mean, then you notice an opponent’s mistake, you immediately try to use it to your advantage, earning a point from his mistake.

Do you know your opponents at the European Games 2023?

— I know almost all of my opponents. Since this is a very high-level competition, a license must be obtained there. I saw all licensees. I know how they work. I worked with almost half of them and beat them.

I believe that psychologically it will be difficult for everyone in the category. Because everyone wants to present themselves and their country as much as possible. I think that everyone will go to the end to win. Because the level is very high.

Does the fact that this is the Olympic competition put pressure on you?

– To be honest, no. On the contrary, I want to demonstrate to the Olympians and the International Olympic Committee what kickboxing means. There is a desire to become even better and to work even harder. Certainly, there are some moments. But this, on the contrary, sets you up for a better performance.

What psychological aspects help you cope with stress?

— First of all, to remember all the ways I overcame. How much work was done? How many battles were fought? And the realization that only three rounds, three or four fights you have to endure, how hard it wouldn’t be, and then you are a champion for the rest of your life.

Self-belief must be unwavering. You should always believe in yourself no matter what. Without paying attention to any circumstances and situations. Remember how much you have already done, and how many people have helped you to carry out your dream. I don’t even think about taking a step back, about defeat, etc.

How many people are currently helping you to prepare?

— In my opinion, a lot of people help me in my preparation. This is my coach – Serhiy Dvornin. The coaches of the National youth team are Volodymyr Yeromin, Vitaly Li, and Kostyantyn Demoretskyi. My wife, who supports me completely in this preparation. My sparring partners. Friends who help financially in buying vitamins, paying for the road to the training in Koncha-Zaspa, and providing uniforms. My sports school helps me as well. To be honest, this is an incredible number of people that I will not even physically have time to list for an interview. Because I may not mention someone and thereby offend.

What would you wish for our participants of European Games 2023?

— I wish you victory, and faith in yourself. Because at these Games, you have to give it your all on an infinity of percentages. To give everything to represent our country in the best possible way. So that our national team understands that we are one of the best. If we do our work to the maximum, then a victory will be ours.

We would like to add that the III European Games 2023 will be held in Krakow (Poland) from June 21 to July 2. Kateryna Bielkina, Pavel Zamyatin, Tymur Brykov and, of course, Artem Melnyk will perform at the kickboxing tournament. An interview with each of them on the eve of the competition is presented on our website.

Oleksandra Kuznietsova, WAKO Ukraine