“Russia remains my homeland”: Noritsyn about moving to Bulgaria, attacks on Kasperovich and the biathlete’s consciousness

- Many people who know you claimed that you were too hard worried about being removed from work in the national team to start looking for a new job. Is this really so?

- I can’t say that leaving the team was for me some kind of really strong blow: I had options and continue to work in my native region, in the Perm Territory, and I don’t perceive this as some kind of lowering my coaching status. Even now, being at home, I go to training, helping my first coach Vladislav Borisovich Vlasov.

- Alexander Kasperovich, with whom you will work in conjunction with the national team of Bulgaria, said that he began to discuss the transition at the World Championships in Antholz. At that time, you already knew that you most likely will not be able to continue working in the Russian team?

- Yes. Rumors of my impending resignation were already in full swing. In addition, I understood that on May 31 my contract officially ends and I have to look for options for future employment in any way, since there are certain obligations to my family.

In addition, the opportunity to work with the national team of another country was a challenge for me to some extent. Therefore, I agreed. The Bulgarian team seems interesting to me, I personally know many athletes, I am in excellent relations with personal trainer Krasimir Anev. So I can’t say that I’m going to complete obscurity.

- How do you imagine collaboration with Kasperovich?

- After all, we worked quite a lot together before - it was Kasperovich who invited me to the national team in 2013 - to train the youth. We somehow immediately developed a very good working relationship. Then I studied with juniors and only when I moved to the main team, I began to prepare women.

- In Bulgaria, as far as I understand, we are not talking about dividing the team into male and female?

- No, it is planned that it will be unified, with the association of top athletes in one working group.

- The fact that Kasperovich wanted to leave the Russian biathlon under another flag surprised you at least to some extent?

- It was, of course, strange and even insulting to see what kind of attacks he was subjected to while working with Alexander Loginov. I know their relationship with Sasha, I know how actively Kasperovich participated in his preparation, helped him in everything. So demonstratively removing from a team a specialist of this level, from my point of view, is simply wrong. I don’t think that I can give any assessments here or assume what Kasperovich himself felt in the same Antholz when Loginov began to win medals, but it seems to me that any coach in his place would have had at least a nuisance. I fully admit that this could become one of the factors of the transition.

- Do you now follow what is happening in the world biathlon?

- Yes, especially since almost everyone has begun preparations for the season. Especially in those countries where restrictions due to coronavirus are not too severe. I know that the Norwegians and Swedes already carry out centralized training, Belarusians work in Raubichi. Our former athletes Elena and Irina Kruchinkiny, who will play for the local national team, have already flown there to prepare. Everything is somewhat more complicated due to quarantine.

- Biathletes were lucky to some extent, since self-isolation occurred precisely in those months when most athletes rest ...

- In May, usually none of the top biathletes relaxes, everyone starts pre-season training anyway. Now, by the way, I am quite actively helping those Russian athletes who asked for help. Still, we worked together for two years, I know who and how to respond to the load, I know what work to offer. As far as I can tell, one way or another they found places where you can train, albeit in a truncated volume: run on skis, do cross-training, ride bicycles. Even in small terms, people try to somehow get out, work with pneumatic weapons. That is, the current situation allows you to save basic skills.

- It is often said about Russian biathletes that they all need a kind of whip in the form of a coach. That few are capable of independent work at home ...

- Just now, everything looks completely different. Many girls train as selflessly as they did not always work while at the training camp. I really like that self-awareness woke up to such an extent.

- Are you planning to continue to help someone from the former wards, if they ask about it?

- I’m always happy to help, but it’s important to understand: the direction of all work in the team should be set by the head coach and only he. I simply have no right to interfere in this work. I can imagine how difficult it is for my colleagues now, since no clarity is expected in the Russian biathlon either in terms of the coaching staff or in terms of training work.

- How do you see your activities in the national team of Bulgaria?

- Now we have just the period when all this is being spoken out and discussed. For starters, it would be nice to wait for the opportunity to get to Bulgaria, see the athletes, understand how they were trained before, analyze some things. So far, we have available only the competition protocols.

- Is there an option in which you would agree to return to the Russian team?

- Russia remains my homeland, I will always cheer for Russian athletes, but it’s too late to talk about returning to the team in any capacity: there are agreements that I consider it wrong to violate.