The bronze medalist of two world championships this season has become almost the most discussed figure in the national biathlon: due to disagreements with the coach, he was forced to leave the group of Yuri Kaminsky, and in general he could be outside the national team - many famous athletes called for this in their comments previous years. But Matvey remained in the team, still retaining the hope to realize in biathlon what he is capable of.
- Studying your sports and life biography, I drew attention to the fact that you showed your best speeds in those seasons, in preparation for which summer training was decently reduced: in 2016 - due to the removal of the meniscus, in 2018 - due to appendicitis. So the ability to shed the load both times turned out to be a blessing? And that, if there were no health problems, you could simply overload yourself and not have time to recover?
- Quite possible.
I do have a certain tendency to overwork myself in training.
Ambition comes out of all the cracks, I would say so.
As a child, I had a lot of them: when I just started to go to my dad's training, I always tried to overtake the older guys.
My father had to cut the loops in order to catch me at a distance, slow down, distract me with some conversations, because every workout in my case turned into a race.
With age, this is to some extent gone, but not completely.
Therefore, I went over with loads quite often.
In the Olympic season, for example.
The motivation of the eye overshadowed, and it was such nonsense.
- In fact, in all sports, there is a truth: it is better to be underworked than overworked. How much of an overload is a consequence?
- Strongly.
These are complex and, in my understanding, quite subjective processes, although my personal trainer, with whom I work for the second season, also brought in objective arguments.
Thanks to this specialist, I realized that there are just millions of training situations and models in sports.
And until you find yours by trial and error ...
- How did you come across this coach at all?
- With him for several years, even before I myself got into the national team, my father talked.
He also began to introduce into my training plan some of the recommendations given by this specialist.
But in fact, our current cooperation was determined by the case: I racked my brains, trying to decide how and with whom to train further, if I suddenly decide to prepare on my own, my father suggested a candidate.
- In order for an athlete to want to leave the team and train individually, it seems to me, there must be some kind of message. Dissatisfaction, disagreement with the coach in views. What was your case?
- If we talk about the last straw, she was preparing for the 2020 World Cup in Ridnaun, Italy.
I don’t really like this place, but it doesn’t suit my body at all.
Well, I would have gone there for the first year.
But we were preparing in Ridnaun a year earlier, for the 2019 European Championship, from where we moved to Ostersund for the World Championship.
- You became the silver medalist in the pursuit at that European Championship, starting from the 11th position.
- All the same, I was not running at my feet.
Therefore, when I learned that preparations for the World Championships in Antholz were planned again in Ridnau, I tirelessly told the coaches that I should not go there.
As an alternative, the Austrian Obertilliach, which is located a little over 100 kilometers, suggested, tried to explain that this was my chance to perform better, but they simply did not hear me.
- In the past season, you consistently got into the relay races, but in personal races you stopped at the “flowers” only once and once more in the “top ten”. Is this your objective level, or just a bad season?
- With regard to last year, I would call the results objective.
I didn't have enough speed to get to the top.
There was only a fairly short period after the World Cup in Antholz, when I was in a very good condition.
But we couldn't keep him.
Slightly transferred with the load, and it turned out that the sinking went.
- Now, working in the group of Sergei Bashkirov, do you train according to his program, or still according to the individual?
- I work with everyone on the Bashkirov program.
And I can say that in my memory this is the first coach who consults with athletes on some issues, takes into account not only his own experience, but also their experience.
- Is it a big difference, purely psychologically?
- Huge.
First of all, a completely different desire to go to workout.
And secondly, when a team has planned, for example, haulage work, and someone has strength work according to their individual program, both of our coaches always find time to connect and help.
- When the preparatory period reaches the finish line and preparation on the snow begins, what feeling prevails? Impatience in anticipation of the first starts, or fear that the season will start and everything will not turn out the way you wanted?
- Now I have no superfluous feelings at all, I just work calmly.
Not like before, when in the fall I thought: how to qualify for the main start.
- But, nevertheless, the current season is Olympic. Don't you at least sometimes think that not six athletes, but five from Russia can go to Beijing from Russia.
- We are now thinking about this with the whole team.
After all, I want it to be six, and this, I think, is quite real.
- For this, the team must get to third place in the Nations Cup by January, but personally, last season I did not get the impression that you are on an equal footing with the Norwegians, French and even Germans.
- Last season, we objectively lost to them.
But in the summer, nevertheless, we did a great job.
It can be seen, for example, that Sasha Loginov will be better prepared.
Yes, and we will be able to fight, to impose an active struggle.
- Have you ever thought about what prevents Russian biathletes from transforming what they have achieved into a result from year to year? In what, relatively speaking, you are worse than the Germans, Norwegians, French. And is it worse?
- It seems to me that this is a question in the gut.
I cannot answer it objectively.
- Okay, I'll reformulate: in what way is Matvey Eliseev worse than Johannes Boe?
- He runs faster.
Shooting, I think I'm competitive with him.
When it comes to running technique, I see a certain margin that can be improved and made work more efficient.
Now, by the way, I began to understand much better the biomechanics of running.
- How confident do you feel in the relay team? Is the competition for a place in the top four from other guys somehow felt?
- I think only the result will decide here.
But, personally, I don't think about it at all now.
- And if you don't get to the Olympic Games, will you be very upset?
- Yes, of course, there will be strong disappointment.
But I hope it doesn't happen.
- Your maximum percentage in standing shooting is 92. How to raise it by a conventional unit - is it a breakthrough in work, or you just need more concentration?
- This is a breakthrough in work, and not only in terms of shooting, but also in terms of running characteristics.
Because as soon as muscle acidification begins, the concentration drops, and you can hardly do anything at the turn, especially in the wind.
- The coolest shooter in the world, in your opinion?
- Last season, Jacob Fak added a lot, but I would mention Sturla Legraid.
He shoots very well.
There are people in biathlon who work rather slowly at the turn, while maintaining quality.
Legrade, on the other hand, is able to shoot well in any mode, as much as possible in control.
This is captivating.
- And how to explain that some people shoot while standing, but they shoot while lying down much worse?
- If you analyze the situation using my example, it turned out to be very difficult to combine standing and lying on one bed.
I once talked on this topic with our shooting consultant Alexander Kudelin, so he said that they generally change the length of the butt, depending on what position the person is shooting from.
It is quite difficult to do this in a race.
I have been using a mechanism for quite some time that allows me to change the length of the stock while racing with one click, but it's still difficult.
After all, in addition to the length of the butt, we have to take into account a million parameters.
- Lying down, probably, it is easier to cope with the pulse?
- On the contrary, it interferes more.
There is also a belt - it goes along the body, and with a high pulse, the rifle sways violently.
And standing is more influenced by the wind.
When it is so strong that it blows the body away, it is very difficult to calm down.
- It turns out a mutually exclusive situation: in order to run quickly, a biathlete needs to be dry and light, and in order to shoot well, he needs to be plump and heavy.
- Well, it's not just that the arrows put on lead vests.
- By the way, for the same French, as far as I am aware, it was the shooter who was responsible for shooting training for several years. And people with sniper training work with the Swedish team. And I have heard many times from our specialists that arrows in biathlon are not God only knows what advisors. And what is better to invite a former biathlete to this position.
- If a biathlon coach has a head, then he is able to give a lot of knowledge.
But shooters always add some specific knowledge and skills.
- In your sport from time immemorial, there have been a number of completely odious mistakes. People shoot at other people's targets, confuse a prone with a stand, make five misses on one line. What's the stupidest mistake you've ever made?
- Five times in "milk" I also gave out.
I think every athlete in biathlon did it.
But this, nevertheless, can be explained.
But the most stupid one ... At the Russian Championship, in 2019, it seems, I did not pick up the loaded clips, did not change them.
In general, that championship was fun for me.
In one of the races, the belt unscrewed, or rather, I pulled it so much, I wanted it more secure that the metal bent and just stopped holding.
For half a circle I dragged the rifle in one hand, then they gave me a key, I fastened the belt and ran on.
And a day later there was the same relay race - with clips.
- Could you leave the track without completing the distance?
- No, although you sometimes want to.
I can not afford it.
- Why? It's embarrassing, not masculine, not athletic - what's the reason?
- I do not know.
Didn't think about it.
I can't - that's all!
- What result will make you happy this season?
- Medal at the Olympics.
- Will it be a personal medal, or a relay medal, is there a difference?
- It is always pleasant to win a medal together with the team, as well as to climb the podium with four of us.
- Alexander Tikhonov became the Olympic champion in the relay four times, and all his life he suffered from the fact that it was only a relay.
- Well, for some it is "just a relay race."
And for someone - a championship for life.
Everyone chooses how he feels himself and his own achievements in this life.
Someone is generally afraid of the dark ...
- How would an ideal Russian relay race look like in your understanding?
- Anton Babikov at the first stage.
On the second, most likely, I, on the third Alexander Loginov, and on the fourth Eduard Latypov.
- It turns out that you don't see yourself at the first stage?
- I think it will be more profitable for the team.
Based on the results of last season, my speed was a little more stable, and in the second stage they are running very fast now.
On the first, a little quieter, they let you get involved.
And there, due to very high-quality fast shooting while prone, Anton always comes out well from the first line.
This is my opinion, although Anton himself thinks differently.
- Are you impudent in contact races? Or do you feel discomfort when, in the same mass start, you have to win back a piece of skiing happiness?
- In the past, I had to feel uncomfortable.
But this year I will be bolder.