Oleg became the best in record time: ”Overcoming the impossible is super”

He came, he saw, he conquered.

But the 30-year-old still remembers his victory – and he reveals what would make him consider a comeback.

✔ Merits: World champion 2011 in Turku.

✔ Results: Won the final against Roni Nuttunen by 4-2 (2-1, 1-4, 0-3, 4-0, 4-3, 6-2).

✔ Profile: Russia’s first world champion. Having played less than three years, he stopped Roni Nuttunen from taking a third consecutive title on home soil. Oleg ended his international career too soon afterwards, but as the pioneer of the high left wing pass, his influence on modern table hockey can’t be underestimated.

*Left picture:* Oleg and the rest of the well-dressed Russian team in Turku 2011. *Right picture:* Oleg during a trip to Singapore in 2025. *Small middle picture:* The moments after the victory against Roni. Kirill Storchak is one of the first to celebrate. ”This photo is legendary”, Oleg says 14 years afterwards.

What do you remember the most from your world championship gold?

“This victory is one of the biggest achievements of my life. I sometimes feel nostalgic about the final – either I watch the video once a year or show it to someone if needed. Offhand: I remember how badly I played in the final group and barely made it to the playoffs. How I was stressing out during the final but really wanted to win. Alexey Titov was especially encouraging. I remember how everyone congratulated me after the victory. I remember how much champagne I had in one gulp. I remember that I became the first Russian world champion. And I set a record for how few days someone had played to win the world championship. After watching the video, I remembered another moment: When I shook Roni’s hand and everyone ran up to me. Alexandr Kosyrev grabbed me in a bear hug and was almost choked. This is visible in the video and very funny.”

What were the keys to your victory?

“A comprehensive approach. Maybe good hands, good advice from my first coaches, a good environment for development, regular training, analyzing the opponents and some sports psychology. This goes for everyone at the highest level of any high-achievement sport. I really wanted to reach the top.”

Why didn’t you defend the gold medal at the following world championships?

“I am a person who achieves accomplishments in different areas. Overcoming the impossible is super, beating the best player is a thrill. But holding onto it doesn’t give me pleasure. If table hockey players had contracts and could earn good money, I might continue doing it. It’s an interesting thought: If funding in professional sports was removed, half of the athletes would stop immediately. For some reason, everyone thinks that they’re the biggest fans of their craft. That’s not true.”

When was the last time you played table hockey?

“I have played only a couple of matches in the last 10 years. At a competitive level it was maybe 12 years ago in a mini-tournament.”

Alexandr Kosyrev was indeed almost strangled in chaos after the final in Turku, just as Dmitrichenko remembers. Yanis Galuzo, who lost the semifinal to Oleg, makes a face that doesn’t show any disappointment.

What are your impressions of international table hockey today?

“If I wanted to play the world championship now, I wouldn’t be able to. I know that Russian players are not allowed and I want to share my opinion on this. It’s wrong on the part of ITHF. Sports should be outside politics, and especially table hockey. I want to sympathize with the Ukrainians and many Russians who have also suffered because of this. But without the Russians, it’s no longer a full competition. In the NHL, they understand this well.”

Is there a chance that we will see you in future championships with help from the new rule that all former world champions are directly qualified?

“Who knows? But at the moment I don’t want to participate just for the sake of participation. I don’t want to lose my statistics of 1 out of 1 (one win, one participation). If they paid a lot for the participation, I might consider it.”

What do you do nowadays? And is there another hobby that has replaced or can compete with table hockey in your daily life?

“I am trying to finish some IT projects. I travel. And if you ask me about competitive gaming, I play Rocket League on the computer a couple of times a week. Eight years ago, I played FIFA online in the Weekend League and achieved 34 wins out of 40, but that game has become too arcade-like. In Rocket League, you can still humiliate an opponent by 8-0 if they are really bad.”

Who will win the world championships 2025?

“I don’t know who is strong nowadays. Good luck to everyone at the tournament, to everyone who is allowed to participate.”

The last game of the final in 2011. Roni takes the lead by 2-0, but Oleg turns it massively around. The aftermath can also be seen in the video, produced by Alexey Titov.