Former member of USSR Olympic team is coaching US swimmers in New York

Photo courtesy of Konstantin Petrov

Professional swimmer Konstantin Petrov moved to the United States from Kazakhstan 18 years ago, and got into sport coaching right away. Now he’s not only a recognized Olympic Games participant, but also a proud coach of his U.S. students, who have become star athletes in their own right.

From the city of apples to Big Apple

Konstantin loved swimming since his childhood. His parents noticed their son’s passion and took him to a swimming pool. This was how Konstantin met his coach. At first, he was simply enjoying bathing, but at the age of nine the boy felt a desire to compete and win, which was a pivotal moment for his future.

Konstantin used to live in Alma-Ata. As a member of the USSR team, he participated and won numerous international competitions. In 1984, he scored fourth in Friendship of Peoples competition, which was held by the Soviet block instead of participating in the Olympics in Los Angeles. In 1998 in Seoul, he won a bronze model in 4×100 medley relay as a member of the USSR team. He then participated in two European Championships: in 1983 in Rome and in 1987 in Strasbourg. In Strasbourg, he won a gold medal in 4×100 medley relay. Aged 36, Konstantin set a record in Masters World Record 50 Fly, which wasn’t cracked until late 2001.

“In order to make it to the Olympic team, I had to score first or second at USSR selective championship, and I succeeded in that. Definitely, it was a difficult task. It took me years of persistent training to achieve this result. When I learned I would participate in the Olympics, I whooped with joy. It was the moment when I realized that my efforts had not been vain, that it was a success. In 1988, I traveled to Seoul to participate in the Olympics for the first time. I was 24,” Petrov says.

“Of course, I was filled with excitement and pride of having such a great career in sports. I was excited with sport parades ‒ it’s an amazing event! Meeting global sport starts was just as breathtaking. And the competitions were just stunning! When you swim at the Olympics, you focus all your attention, all your efforts and skills at one point of time. And all you can feel is this desire to reach the finish line as fast as possible, and not let your team and your country down.”

When Konstantin’s sport career ended, he had hard times finding a job in his home city, so he thought of immigration to the United States. He participated in the Green Card lottery three years in a row, and then he lucked out. So in 1999 Konstantin and his family moved to the United States. He quickly realized he wanted to be a coach, but finding this kind of job was not easy, first of all due to the language barrier.

During his first year in the U.S., Petrov worked as a masseur in a health care office and a life guard in a swimming pool. But then, despite his English being far from perfect, Konstantin got a job as a swimming coach in large sports center Asphalt Green in Manhattan.

His first students were children of Chinese and Spanish-speaking origin, so their English was as poor as his. The coach was forced to develop a new method of training that applied mimics, gestures, and professional slang with some key words.

Konstantin coached many young athletes. Photo courtesy of Konstantin Petrov.

Finding new stars

In the last 18 years, Konstantin has coached thousands of kids of different nationalities. He coached high profile athletes who participated in national championships of America, Olympic Trials, and the Olympics. Many of them were enrolled in prestigious colleges thanks to their sports achievements.

One of the most prominent students of Konstantin is Lia Neal, a prize-winning participant of the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and World Championships. She is a member of the U.S. team for many competitions. Konstantin trained Lia for seven years, then passing her to a different coach for the Olympics. Konstantin said the girl used to stand out thanks to her determination, persistence, and aspiration to win.

“When my students compete at major competitions, I cheer on them and watch every important start. We call and text each other. I know they need my support in these moments, and I try to motivate them for victory. I actually aim at motivating my students every day by telling them stories from my experience as an athlete. I always remind them during exercises that a swimmer who doesn’t dream of becoming an Olympic champion is a bad one,” Konstantin says.

He adds that swimming is good not only for those who want to get a scholarship in a college or get on a podium one day. A sports class is a good way for kids to get healthier and make new friends, and for adolescents ‒ to cope with crisis, stay concentrated, be organized, attentive, and responsible.

New country ‒ new career

Konstantin is safe to say that his coaching career has been a success. In the United States, he rose from a coach in a Manhattan sports center to Aquatics Director of Match Point multi-sport facility in New York.

“They offered me more than just a great job — they offered me a platform for promoting my ideas in a vast number of programs. I am happy that through my job, I can assist children and adults with being healthier and better-looking. Making as many people as possible strive to healthy lifestyle is a dream as strong for any coach as the dream to see his students on the podium with medals,” Konstantin says.

Petrov tutors several programs: Learn to Swim Program, Mommys and Me, Private lessons, and Swim team.

“My program in Match Point consists of several-step training for kids, from simple to complicated. During classes, we’re getting from quantity to quality. In junior groups, kids start training at the age of 3-5 years. In these groups, the kids get used to water and play, while being trained systemically. Then follow the groups for kids aged 6 to 14. They are divided by different levels depending on physical ability of the trainees. For kids who need technique correction, we offer private lessons with professional coaches.

“Upon the end of the season, we hold selection competition for being admitted to a three-level swimming team. The team is young, only three years old, but the kids are emerging athletes. The goal of the team is to reach as high as the Olympic champions,” the coach says.

Konstantin, 53, cares about his own shape as well. He swims three times a week and sometimes participates in Masters level competitions (for sports veterans) within national and global championships.

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