"It's just important not to pull the girls": Pichler on Reztsova's speed, Shashilov's work and Zaitseva's support

- When you were a coach, you talked so many times about how much you dream of settling at home in Ruhpolding and from time to time to go to veteran tennis tournaments that it’s even strange to see you again at biathlon with accreditation.

What are the fates?

- My current job has led.

Since September 2019, I have been working closely with the Swedish Olympic Committee.

I supervise several sports.

- Which ones?

- Biathlon, both women's and men's, cross-country skiing, skating, women's ski jumping, as well as sledges and skeleton.

 - I did not expect that your sports horizons are so vast.

Is this work at the national team level?

- I would call it complex.

I help athletes with training and at the same time I am engaged in selection, looking for talented guys.

- What word would you describe your new field of activity?

- I'm interested.

I am not pretending to be an experienced mentor, but every Swedish coach knows: he can contact me at any time with some ideas or doubts.

Sometimes it is important to find confirmation of your own thoughts, to listen to a different point of view, different from your own.

In addition, cyclic sports have a lot in common.

To a greater extent, I am now involved in working with skaters, even taking an active part in drawing up training plans.

Fortunately, almost all of the Olympic training is carried out a stone's throw from my home - in Inzella.

- Did you attend the first two stages of the Biathlon World Cup?

- No, I didn't go to Ostersund, too many urgent matters have accumulated.

The Swedish Olympic Committee is structured in much the same way as the Russian Ministry of Sports: it allocates money for training, other resources, respectively, controls the entire process.

In addition, I have a number of responsibilities in the International Biathlon Union: firstly, we are in the process of creating an international coaching academy, which is largely being created under my leadership.

Secondly, I am actively involved in the work of the IBU research group: I am among those who fund research.

- I know that in October, when the biathletes went out on the first snow in Ramsau, you received Russian coaches at your home.

Was it a purely guest visit, or are you still interested in what is happening in Russian biathlon?

- Why shouldn't I be interested in this?

For some reason, many people still believe that working in your country left me nothing but disappointment.

But this is absolutely not the case.

Since that time, I have left a lot of friends, and friendship in my understanding does not imply a break in relations if people stopped official working cooperation.

We are still calling back, discussing some things.

It's not a secret for anyone that I have supported and continue to support Olga Zaitseva in all her litigations.

I am still sure that she suffered completely undeservedly: no one will convince me of this.

And I do not consider it possible to stay on the sidelines when a loved one is feeling bad.

- I am sure that many Russian fans are grateful to you for this.

- But it's okay!

When I had a heart attack, and it became known about this, Sergey Kushchenko called me almost immediately, and then Mikhail Prokhorov: both said that I could absolutely count on their help.

Well, yes, while I was working in Russia, I was never good enough for sports leaders.

But this is the cross of a coach, especially in your country: you will never be good enough if you do not win all the gold in the world.

Although I will not deny myself the pleasure of reminding myself that we won the Nations Cup with the women's team then, which has not happened since then.  

- How do you find the Russian national team now?

- The guys are really good, but the girls, it seems to me, is important just not to pull, to give them the opportunity to work calmly.

It is very difficult to maintain a nervous balance when tubs of criticism pour out on your head every weekend.

I like how Christina Reztsova is gaining shape and in general, based on what I saw, I can say that the team is running quite smoothly and is not at all hopeless in the relay plan.

There is no strong leader in it - this is a fact.

But not a reason for tragedies. 

- Judging by some statements of the head coach of the women's national team Mikhail Shashilov, from time to time he regrets that he agreed to accept the team.

- I understand him perfectly.

Being the coach of the national team while working in your country is an ordeal.

Regardless of how the training process goes and what you do yourself, people around you are always against, on all issues.

I remember that at one of the World Cup stages, we had five athletes who entered the "tag".

I was terribly pleased.

But the first thing I heard was the question: "Why didn't you win?"

The same, I believe, is now going through Shashilov.

We are not very familiar, but I can say, on his side.

Although he would prefer that the leadership of the SBR, headed by Viktor Maygurov, was on his side.

Coaches should not be scattered.

Especially those who are so strongly dedicated to their work.

The person who leads the team must definitely feel supported.

Otherwise, very quickly you can come to the conclusion that there will be much less people willing to work with the national team than necessary.

- Will you stay in Hochfilzen until the end of the competition

- Unfortunately no.

In the morning I arrived, looked around, in the evening I’ll go back home.

The Swedish team doesn't need me here, it's not in my rules to give anyone advice before the start.

- However, on the stock exchange you communicated with your Swedish colleagues more than actively.

- We discussed organizational issues related to the upcoming Olympics, flight dates, and so on.

- Do you plan to come to the remaining World Cup stages before the Games?

- I will be in Ruhpolding, because for me this is the home stage, then I will fly to Beijing.

But not with biathletes.

As a personal trainer, I now work with skater Niels van der Poole, and he is not just an athlete, but a two-time world champion and world record holder.

On December 13, Niels plans to come to me in Ruhpolding and will stay there until he leaves for the Olympics.

My task is to organize the final stage of preparation as efficiently as possible.

- How big is the difference who to prepare for the Games: a biathlete or a speed skater?

- It is insignificant.

The body of an athlete in all cyclic forms works in about the same way.

Accordingly, the lead-in methods for the competition are the same.

It is clear that in biathlon there is an additional factor in the form of shooting, and in this regard, it is even easier to work with skaters.

- What about the intricacies of speed skating?

- If there is a problem, you can always invite a specialist.

But van der Poole, as far as I can tell, doesn't need him too much.

Therefore, our task with him is to get up to the Olympics in the best possible condition.

- Are you not afraid of the prospect of being trapped in an Olympic bubble for three weeks and completely isolated from the world?

I know that with age, such restrictions are tolerated especially sharply.

- From the point of view of my own safety, I am calm, since I have been vaccinated three times.

With the precautions, too, everything is in order: at my age, you quickly get used to take care of yourself.

The trip will definitely not be a pleasure.

Well, I don’t expect this.

This is definitely not the most difficult thing that I have ever experienced.

- Do you feel at least a slight nostalgia for biathlon after talking with your colleagues at the turn?

- I talked to everyone with tremendous pleasure.

But I caught myself that it gives me even greater pleasure to think that I am no longer a practicing coach in this sport.

- Why don't you want to stay in Hochfilzen for the weekend as a spectator?

- For women, the Ski Jumping World Cup starts on Monday, and I have to be there with the Swedish team.

Accordingly, must prepare for these competitions.

Then van der Poole will come to Ruhpolding, and I will disappear with him at the rink every day.

And besides, we both know that it is much more interesting to watch biathlon not at the stadium, but on TV.