“The team has discord and a mess”: Reztsova about the problems of Russian biathletes, the mistakes of coaches and the results of Loginov

“Russian biathletes move with great difficulty”

- Less than a month before the start of the World Cup, Russian biathletes have serious physical problems. Will the coaching staff have time to rectify the situation before the start of the world championship?

- I think it will be difficult to do this. It was necessary to correct the situation earlier. And now, more than half of the World Cup stages are behind, but there are no improvements. We simply lose the move unmeasured. Although hope dies last. I want changes, but it's hard to wait for them. You need to return to the summer-autumn of last year to understand what is happening. God forbid, the coaches will do some work.

- What needs to be done to at least bring athletes to their senses?

- Complex issue. And what can be changed in such a short period of time? I do not know. After all, the form is not typed in a day, it is the result of work since the summer - autumn. Apparently, something in the preparation was done incorrectly. Yes, in December the national team looked good, but so far everything works out once, there is not enough stability. Losing with your legs is very large, although we shoot well. Always give way to a minute in speed. In December, it was the same. Even from the side it can be seen that Russian biathletes travel the distance with great difficulty, especially when compared with the Norwegians. Let's see what the team will show in Pokljuka. Maybe you should skip some stage, sit out in the mountains.

- Two-time Olympic champion Dmitry Vasiliev just urged not to take the leading biathletes of the national team to the World Cup in Slovenia. Will this help?

“I think it’s not now.” It was necessary to give a pause earlier, for example, refuse to speak at Ruhpolding. And you need to start in Pokljuka, because this is the last stage before the World Cup. But I don’t know how the guys are getting ready. Again, you’re talking about leading biathletes, but we don’t have leaders either, everyone is equal, both for the guys and the girls.

- What do you have in mind?

- Even Alexander Loginov does not shine. Matvey Eliseev appeared a couple of times and got lost. The girls are completely disassembled. Irina Starykh seems to have performed well in Ruhpolding, but her speed lag is at least a minute.

- Believe that this is a planned decline before the championship of the planet, and in Antholz everything will change dramatically for the better?

“I don't think so.” Now the guys are loaded with incomprehensible what. The preparation is simply incorrectly planned.

- The vice-president of the RBU Valery Polkhovsky said that the team’s problems are related to the New Year’s gathering in Austria. According to him, people did not have time to “go through full adaptation”. Why did not the coaching staff foresee this?

- To him (the coaching staff. - RT ) in general a lot of questions arise. Firstly, it seems to me that the headquarters were not selected correctly. Maybe trainers need to be changed? Vitaly Noritsyn somehow “got lost.” It is not clear what Anatoly Khovantsev is doing in the team. His time is long gone. He is trying to say something, but ... It is high time to return Valery Polkhovsky (former coach of the Russian women's team. - RT ). At least with him, the women's team had good results. But so far, incomprehensible internal disassemblies are being conducted.

- Biathletes themselves sometimes talk about not the best atmosphere in the national team ...

- I do not think that everyone is so fragmented, because the guys have been performing together for several years. Maybe there is no such cohesion that was before, but there is no such that everyone was on their own. But I can only judge from the side. I said: invite me to the training camp at your own expense. Perhaps she could help with something, give advice. But I'm not interested in anyone, because I always tell the truth.

“If we have such a rich country, then why not solve the issue of the grinding machine?”

- What does your daughter Kristina Reztsova tell us about the situation in the national team?

“But she doesn't say anything.” He constantly says: “Everything is normal with us, everything is according to plan.”

- And how did she explain the situation in the relay when the Belarusian shot at her installation?

“She's not to blame.” Thank God, the organizers figured out what happened, and no punishment ensued. Kristina started shooting at her installation, and the Belarusian helped her. Well done, that I orientated myself and released two cartridges into the ground so that they would not remain in the rifle. The only thing was to raise a hand. But if judges intervened, it would take a lot of time.

- Is Christina still able to add on the move?

“I always believed that she would be stronger in this component.” Yes, in the sprint in Ruhpolding, she had the best time among the Russians, but she still lost a minute. Her last lap is generally “sunk”, Christine is barely “rowing”.

- Is it possible to say that the team’s problems are largely due to the lack of a grinding machine?

- Do you yourself believe that all the troubles are because of this? If we have such a rich country, then why not solve the issue? But these are all excuses: either skis do not ride, then there is no grinding machine, then cartridges do not fly. Something is bothering us all the time. When a failure occurs, we begin to look for a cause on the side instead of digging into ourselves.

“The team has discord and a mess”

- The head coach of the men's team Sergei Belozerov after the relay said that Matvey Eliseev was having problems due to a trip to the Christmas race, and Alexander Loginov because of missing the October training camp in Ramsau (he had a baby then). Don't you find it strange that the coaches did not provide for these points?

- It turns out that the coaching staff does not control its leading athletes, but there is discord and a mess in the team. Specialists do not work closely with athletes. Loginov went to the child, and Belozerov was not even in the know. Is that possible? They have no discipline and responsibility.

- In your opinion, is this not a good reason?

- Yes, a child was born, but you can come to him after the World Cup. Where is he going? If you want to perform well in competitions, then you need to be more serious about business, discipline should be tougher. Eliseev was the best of the Russians in the overall standings of the World Cup. Why did he go to this Christmas race? This is an ordinary show.

- Is it possible to say that Loginov does not shine because of problems with the elbow?

“I can't say anything here.” The team has doctors who should treat Alexander’s elbow, if he really bothers him, find ways to reduce pain. All these issues are resolved.

- Could there be not too successful Loginov results associated with the latest WADA decision in Russia? Still, he, as an athlete with a doping history, risks being left without major tournaments.

- Of course, he constantly thinks about it, but you need to come to terms with what is happening. Loginov has nothing to fix. He can only work, no matter what they say in WADA. Moreover, he served his sentence. I think that not only Alexander, but other Russian biathletes are experiencing stress.

- Have you rushed to the team with the exception of Dmitry Malyshko? Still, his experience could come in handy in Antholz.

- I think Malyshko’s exception is absolutely the right step. Someone constantly "shoved" him into the team, but he did not justify trust. I think this is the work of Alexander Kasperovich (personal trainer Loginov. - RT ).

- Not too early in the national team called 21-year-old Karim Khalili?

- I think it had to be run in from the first stages of the World Cup. It is clear that Khalili will not show high results immediately, first you need to get the necessary experience. It is not necessary to pull Baby into the team, but to try young people in business. Two years later, the Olympic Games, and in our team it’s not clear what’s going on. Of course, the fans are worried. In fact, this is a complete mess, and you need to somehow solve the problem. It is necessary that coaches and athletes become one and hear each other.

- Does the presence of the Old Ones in the national team at the World Championship for the sake of the relay make sense?

- I don’t really believe that she will show good results at the championship of the planet. And the relay will still have to get, because before it will be a personal race. Irina is an experienced athlete, but sometimes she can safely make four misses. Let's not get ahead of the steam locomotive. Pokljuka will show everything. After the World Cup stage, it will already be possible to draw any conclusions.

- Is it possible to single out at least some positive in the current situation of our team?

- I do not want to repeat myself, but the trainers just need to sit down and understand the situation, put everything in order. There is still time before the World Cup. All negativity can be corrected and in fact prove that we are able to compete with the strongest. Hope dies last.