Prospects for the team, the future of the coaching staff and rifle breakdown: what they say a day before the start of the biathlon World Cup

Emphasis on individual team preparation and doping tests for World Cup winners

From February 13 to February 23, the Biathlon World Championship will be held in Anterselva, Italy. The coaching staff of the Russian team has already decided on the composition for the mixed relay, which will take place on the first day of the tournament. It will be attended by Ekaterina Yurlova-Perkht, Irina Starykh, Matvey Eliseev and Alexander Loginov. The composition of the women's team for the sprint race, which is scheduled for February 14, also became known. Coaches have opted for Starykh, Larisa Kuklina, Yurlova-Perkht and Svetlana Mironova.

23-year-old Kristina Reztsova did not get into this four and, by her own admission, was very upset. The athlete believes that such news would upset anyone, but promised to continue to work.

“If you decided so, then I need to practice a little. I spoke with trainers without nerves, without unnecessary emotions. They explained to me that if I ran all three races, they would not have gathered me later, ”Match TV quoted Reztsova as saying.

Some experts would like to see changes in the men's team. So, according to the bronze medalist of the world championship Natalia Sorokina, this team would be strengthened by the 2017 world champion Anton Babikov.

“I understand that he is now in the role of a“ dark horse ”, but it has repeatedly happened that athletes from the Izhevsk Rifle and other Russian starts were taken from us to important tournaments, and they won medals. I think Anton would be no worse than the same Eduard Latypov or Nikita Porshnev, ”said Sorokina.

Meanwhile, the vice-president of the Russian Biathlon Union Valery Polkhovsky spoke in detail about how the Russian team was preparing for this tournament. The functionary emphasized that fans should not panic in anticipation of the start of the World Cup, despite the recent setbacks of the national team - 26 World Cup races without medals. Polkhovsky himself looks at the upcoming world championships with optimism, since in recent weeks, the coaches managed to make adjustments to the preparatory process.

“On the part of the RRF, much has been done in terms of providing the team. For example, there was enough talk about cartridges, this question is closed. There were problems with the preparation of the ski structure, the question is partially closed, too, ”Polkhovsky explained in an interview with R-Sport.

The functionary also said that in preparation for the World Cup, it was decided to place a greater emphasis on the individual work of athletes.

“With the consent of the national team coaches, some coaches came to some. In particular, Maxim Kugaevsky will help Yevgeny Garanichev, Irina Starykh and Alexander Loginov. Collaboration is ongoing, ”he added.

Optimistically, the headquarters also looks at the level of training of the women's team. So, the head coach of the team Vitaly Noritsyn said that the athletes have fully recovered and are ready for the starts.

“We did only aerobic work. The girls came up and said: “Well, when will we start high-speed training?” This suggests that everyone has recovered psycho-emotionally, ”quoted Match TV as saying by Noritsyn.

At the same time, at the upcoming World Cup, increased attention will be paid to the problem of doping. This was told by the president of the International Biathlon Union, Olle Dalin, saying that absolutely all winners will have to pass tests for prohibited drugs.

“We have a very extensive anti-doping program, which includes out-of-competition testing. Of course, it will apply to the World Cup. As usual, we will test all the winners and a couple of athletes whom we choose at random, ”Dalin quotes TASS.

Criticism of the Russian team and support from Guberniev

On the eve of the World Cup, the future of the head coach of the national team, Anatoly Khovantsev, became known. According to the President of the RBU, Vladimir Drachev, he will continue to work in a team until the end of the Olympic Games-2022. The functionary emphasized that the position of the national team coach remains unshakable.

“The national team won five gold medals at the junior world championships. This is a great merit of the coach, so this season Khovantsev can already bring himself into an asset. And I don’t have any doubts that he will finalize it to Beijing, ”Izvestia quoted Drachev as saying.

Khovantsev himself confirmed the president’s words, specifying that, subject to trust from the SBR, he would indeed continue to work with the Russian team until 2022. At the same time, many experts continue to criticize the work of the national team coaching staff. So, three-time Olympic champion Anfisa Reztsova believes that the current coach should not carry the team to the Olympic Games.

“It seems to me that the time of Khovantsev has passed, he is not the specialist who is able to give something new to the national team. He already has little control, and by the time of the Games in Beijing he will be 72 years old. Time is inexorable. I think he should cede this responsible post, ”Reztsova emphasized.

Two-time Olympic champion Anatoly Alyabyev is a little less categorical. Nevertheless, he also recalled that, under the guidance of the current coach, the team is not showing the best results.

“Many say that this team headquarters, led by Khovantsev, is the weakest in history. Judging by the results of the World Cup season 2019/2020, this point of view has the right to life. 26 races in a row without medals - this has never happened. It is clear that there are many reasons for this, but one of them is a miscalculation in preparation. I hope that at the World Cup in Italy we will end this terrible series and numerous fans across the country will wait for medals, ”said Alyabyev.

But commentator Dmitry Guberniev has traditionally been among those who support the Russian team and its coaching staff. In his opinion, it is unfair to criticize specialists on the eve of a major start.

“What is the point now to talk about it? The day before the start of the World Cup? That biathlon world Cup has always been a measure of success. Talking in favor of the poor is meaningless. Tournament in Italy will show everything! Now I want to support the coaches, they always have time to fire them! Go ahead, Khovantsev, Noritsyn, Belozerov! Go! ”- Guberniev wrote in his Telegram channel.

At the same time, many experts look with pessimism on the prospects of the Russians at the upcoming championship of the planet. For example, two-time Olympic champion Dmitry Vasiliev said that the Russian team “has nothing to catch”, and cited the previous World Cup as an example.

“Last year, in Oberhof, due to bad weather and rivals who shot themselves, they won two relay races. Now it is worth hoping for the same factors. Objectively, while we are not very ready. Under such conditions, it will be difficult for us to fight even for a place in the top six. Maybe Alexander Loginov will catch something else, ”RIA Novosti quoted Vasiliev as saying.

In an unusually harsh manner, Anfisa Reztsova spoke out. According to the three-time Olympic champion, not one of the biathletes of the team today, in principle, is ready to run the baton.

“I don’t know who will be chosen, but according to the results, none deserve to participate in this race. Men also have problems. At best, medals will be in team races. I don’t see prospects in personal ones. Even at Loginov. I love Sasha very much, he is a hard worker and always fights. Loginov is the future Olympic champion. I want him to be at least five at the World Championships, ”quoted Anfisa Reztsova as saying“ Sport day after day. ”

The scandal in the national team of Kazakhstan and problems with weapons

Meanwhile, some foreign teams faced a number of problems on the eve of the World Cup. In particular, it became known about the exclusion of several biathletes from the national team of Kazakhstan. Anton Pantov was suspended for four years, Timur Kuts, Vladislav Vitenko and Roman Eremin - for a year.

The athletes were accused of having organized a party at the hotel where they drank alcohol. Pantov did not agree with the punishment, explaining that the measures taken were based on the report of the head coach of the team, explanatory notes from athletes and coaches, as well as a letter from the hotel. According to the biathlete, all the allegations are untrue.

The four-time Norwegian world champion Marte Olsbu-Röysland also ran into trouble. On the eve of the start, the biathlete's rifle broke, as a result of which shooting began to take her twice as much time - 50 seconds. The athlete was supported by her teammate Tiril Eckhoff, recalling that she herself had encountered a weapon breakdown.

“It happens, because we have a technical sport. But, I think, it will be possible to fix everything. I had similar problems before the World Cup in 2016. After this, you can also win the “gold”, - quotes Eckhoff NRK.

A little later, the coach of the Norwegian biathlon team Patrick Oberegger said that he still managed to fix the rifle, but promised that another specialist would show the weapon for safety.