Swimming coach Ryaskov

Jewel cutter: “Likes the sparkle in his eyes”

State coach Plamen Ryaskov always keeps a close eye on his protégés.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

Salzburg's state coach Plamen Ryaskov has played a big part in the fact that there are several promising talents. The 43-year-old is enthusiastic about working with motivated young people.

Salzburg's swimming aces are in the midst of preparing for the new season, which begins with the 40th Generali-Meeting in Rif this weekend. "We're doing it out of training, we're already looking forward to it," says state coach Plamen Ryaskov. The first few weeks didn't go as planned: "There were a lot of sick days and school trips. That was annoying." In addition, he currently has to do without Luka Mladenovic and Kato Daiki, who are completing their basic training as army athletes in Graz until the beginning of November, but will be present at the start of the season.

Ryaskov has been coaching them for a long time and has been a full-time coach since 2018. He has experienced a lot, was part of Mladenovic's junior gold medal at the 2022 World Championships and also coaches Luca Karl in open water competitions throughout Europe. The 43-year-old is enthusiastic about working with young people: "In this day and age, I'm fascinated by the fact that there are young people getting a taste of competitive sport. I like the sparkle in their eyes when they work hard." His success speaks for itself. Swimmers from other provinces keep applying - just recently a Carinthian joined the team in Rif.