Erki Nool is one of the most successful and popular Estonian athletes of all time. In a long and illustrious career, Nool, 34, has not only won top honors in the decathlon, but has also helped young, up-and-coming athletes follow in his footsteps at an athletics school for kids aged 8 to 16. With his gold medal victory at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, Nool assured himself a place as a legend in Estonian sporting history.
His last name, incidentally, means arrow in Estonian 's somewhat befitting for a man who has dedicated his life to the Olympic motto of "Citius, Altius, Fortius" (faster, higher, stronger) 's since he has proven that at his best he is able to run faster, jump higher and be stronger than anyone on the planet. TBT met up with Nool to ask him about his future plans and what he intends to do when he finally puts his javelin down once and for all.
You recently won the Reval Hotel Cup in Tallinn, which means a trip to Madrid for the European Indoor Championship this March. Even though you've recently considered retiring, this latest success has shown that you can still compete against the best athletes in the world. Do you intend to go to Madrid?
I had my invitation to Madrid even before the Reval Cup, but I was not 100 percent sure whether I would be going. The successful performance at the Reval Cup has definitely provided me with the confidence to fight for a top result.
Obviously, your target is victory, but what outcome would you consider satisfactory?
In all honesty, victory is not my greatest goal. I hope to be in medal contention 's I really want to get a total of 10 competition-title medals. Unfortunately, while nursing a previous injury, I tore my Achilles tendon at the recent Karlsruhe event, which certainly won't help. Still, one has to hope.
Will Madrid be your last world-class outing, or do you intend to keep going while you have the strength?
There's a very good chance that Madrid will be my last title competition.
When you do finally retire, what do you intend to do with your time? Will you do training work, organize events or simply enjoy life?
Enjoying life is, well, enjoyable, but what would that be like? I will definitely stay involved in the sport, but it would be premature to say to what extent. Right now, I am helping three young Estonian athletes and the athletic school consumes its share of time as well.
The Reval Hotel Cup has brought some of the world's best decathletes to Estonia for several years now. Will the event survive after your retirement? And which of our young competitors will help fly the Estonian flag at future Olympics 's in the decathlon or otherwise?
The rise of young Estonians is certainly a precondition for the Cup's future vitality. It is very hard to tell who will get to the top next. In sports, the rule of "who's good in their youth, will be the best in the end," doesn't apply. Success requires a very systematic and knowledgeable approach over many years.
In hosting a world-class event in Estonia, do you hope to inspire some of our other top athletes? For example, do you think Markko Martin will eventually organize a WRC rally here?
No, I don't hope for that. A lot of my decisions have been either spontaneous or the result of accidental coincidences. But it's certainly not too important that an athlete organize world-class competitions.
How do you feel about the government's sports policy? How many more Olympic winners could we hope for with more support?
Achievement in sport isn't just about funding. The secret of success is a systematic approach. For example, if we have a certain amount of money, then why are we spending it? What are we spending it on? What is the outcome in the first, second, third year? And so on. Every kroon spent must generate feedback.
If you're unhappy with the way things are going in Estonian sports right now, what would you change?
Government sports policy needs to establish clear goals, not turn off the lights all the time. Estonia's sports leadership is governed by indecisiveness and broken promises.
You have previously been involved in politics, running in Estonia's European Parliament elections. Are you considering going further in that direction?
I'm passively active, if you can say that.
