The news of the exclusion of Evgeny Garanichev and Matvey Eliseev from the main Russian national biathlon team did not come as a surprise to the fans. Both performed extremely unsuccessfully at the starting stage of the World Cup in Ostersund, and therefore deservedly went to the second team. Places of experienced athletes in the roster will be occupied by Vasily Tomshin and Alexander Povarnitsyn, who showed good results at the first stage of the IBU Cup in Hydra. The former hit the top 5 in two sprints and won the pursuit, while the latter was twice ninth and took bronze in the pursuit.
Povarnitsyn was originally supposed to go to Ostersund, as he became the best at the qualifying starts in Khanty-Mansiysk.
However, Alexander was deprived of this opportunity, since last season he did not play in tournaments under the auspices of the IBU and did not have qualifying points.
This is how the debutant of the national team Daniil Serokhvostov got a chance.
As for the transfer of Garanichev and Eliseev to the second team, the president of the Russian Biathlon Union (RBU) Viktor Maygurov called it a planned rotation.
“The replacement will be made today, as the first team will remain in Östersund, and the second will move to Norway, Shushen.
This is a planned rotation in the Olympic season, which both I and the senior coaches have talked about more than once.
It is too early to give any categorical assessments.
These are just the first races, ”the official website of the RBU quotes the words of the head.
One way or another, the castling looks completely logical, since both athletes at the starting stage of the CM showed complete unpreparedness for the season and were the weakest in the Russian national team. This became clear even after the individual race. Eliseev took only 30th place, four minutes behind the winner, although he made only one mistake. Matvey showed the worst course of the Russians at a distance and 83rd, if we take into account all the participants in the race. Garanichev ran a little faster, but did not close five targets, and therefore settled in the protocol 75th.
The problems persisted in the sprint, which both also failed.
The 28-year-old medalist of two world championships in the relay functionally looked even worse and clearly did not recover from the first start.
It is curious that the coach of the Russian national team Sergei Bashkirov, in whose group the athlete is engaged, expressed doubts about the expediency of the ward's participation in the second race.
But he went to the distance and this time did not even get into the top 100 biathletes in pure speed.
After the finish, Matvey admitted that he needed to take a break.
At the same time, in his poor physical condition, he accused the head coach of the national national team Yuri Kaminsky, under whose leadership he began preparations for the season and whose group he left with a scandal.
Allegedly, the poorly selected isotonic has affected.
“In the summer, for a month and a half, for health reasons, I could not train when I missed two training camps in Rybinsk with Kaminsky.
Physically I could not work for more than an hour, the biochemistry was terrible.
Most likely, the isotonic drink, which was given to us in the team, did not fit.
Yes, it’s quite possible, it’s because of the drink - it’s made from soluble tablets, and accordingly, the composition is defective ... There was a cumulative effect, by the end of the collection I was simply put down.
And for a month and a half, the terrible biochemistry lasted, "Eliseev said on the air of the Match TV channel.
Kaminsky, in response, advised the athlete not to shift problems from a sore head to a healthy one and disowned the isotonic story.
“I don’t know anything about it. I cannot remember what happened in Rybinsk. Probably, he confused with the collection in Toksovo. He could not train there, because at the first training camp in Belmeken he “went overboard”. When they stopped Matvey, he didn't want to, he said everything was fine. But in September, he showed decent results in testing in the laboratory, and in some indicators - his best ... Eliseev must be dealt with individually. The coach is to blame, as always - not one, but another, ”said the specialist.
With Garanichev at the stage, a curious situation developed at all.
He was late for the start of the sprint, having forgotten the sticks in the wax cabin.
As a result, he went the distance later and lost about 35 seconds.
However, this was not the reason for the failure of the Sochi Olympics medalist.
He not only showed the 113th move, but also made three mistakes on the lines.
All this resulted in 113th place - the worst for the Russian national team at the World Cup stage in 25 years.
Surprisingly, Bashkirov linked the reason for the delay of his experienced ward with excitement.
Probably, now the biathlete really has to get nervous - for a place in the Olympic team.
It remains to complain that two people from the Bashkirov group at once were not completely ready for the season.
At the same time, both in an interview with RT this fall praised the young specialist.
Eliseev noted his readiness to consult with athletes as an advantage, and Garanichev enjoyed close contact with a mentor.
“Now I can say that Bashkirov is a very thoughtful specialist who, which is not unimportant, skates along with his charges and performs similar tasks.
Pavel Maksimov is the same in our team.
Can run with us, do strength training, stabilization.
Something to suggest on technique and shooting.
Actually, for us this is an incentive not to cheat once again, ”said Garanichev.
The decision of the coaching staff to send two distinguished biathletes to the IBU Cup was met by almost all experts with approval.
According to commentator Dmitry Guberniev, Eliseev “can still come to his senses,” but his teammate is not able to help the national team.
“I don’t understand at all why the decision was made to include him in the roster.
What did he show this last season?
He is serving his room and takes someone else's place.
If he wins the Izhevsk rifle, he will return to the national team without question.
Evgeny is absolutely not ready for the season ", - quotes the words of the journalist" R-Sport ".
In turn, two-time Olympic champion Dmitry Vasilev harshly criticized Eliseev for trying to shift the blame for the unsuccessful stage onto the head coach.
“Matvey can be sent anywhere just for bringing down on Kaminsky.
Impunity only breeds more lawlessness.
It was necessary to deal with him immediately, and not send him to Bashkirov, and he opens his mouth about Kaminsky.
Who are you to criticize the coach who prepared the Olympic champion and world champions?
As a person who is not involved in the process, I can criticize him, but not an athlete who trains for public money, ”the expert said in a conversation with Metaratings.
And the former president of the SBR, Vladimir Drachev, was surprised that Garanichev was late for the sprint start and suggested that he was so worried that he sometimes did not control his actions.
“I am sure this is his last start at the World Cup.
Let's take people there who, not only in the top 60, but in the first hundred, do not get there.
We have no one else to play?
Everyone makes control starts, but for some reason only in Russia five people get into the team without selection.
Now we get, the whole country laughs at two athletes.
One barely walks, and the other forgets sticks.
Shame, "Drachev complained.