"An example of attitude to sport and decency": two-time Olympic champion in biathlon Alyabyev passed away

"The disease spares no one

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Two-time Olympic champion in biathlon Anatoly Alyabyev, who celebrated his 70th anniversary only in early December, has died.

According to four-time Olympic champion Alexander Tikhonov, earlier Alyabyev said that he had contracted coronavirus. 

"Tragedy.

A very close friend of mine.

We talked three days ago.

Tolya said he had a coronavirus.

He promised: “Ivanovich, don't worry.

On the 29th I will definitely be with you at your jubilee ”.

This is the guard!

Lost a great man, a worthy one.

Alyabyev was a man of officer's honor.

He was humble.

I haven't had such a state for a long time.

A huge grief, "Tikhonov admitted in an interview with the Championship portal. 

The former coach of the Russian national biathlon team Anatoly Khovantsev confirmed the words of the Olympic champion.

According to him, Alyabyev had 35% lung damage.

“This is a huge loss for our biathlon: he worked to educate the younger generation at a military institute.

We have lost such a person who has always been open to communication, has always expressed himself directly, has never played a trick.

My double namesake, we were on very good terms.

Unfortunately, the disease spares no one.

I was told that he had covid, 35% lung damage.

Maybe he turned late.

Please, at the slightest occurrence of symptoms, go to the doctors, get vaccinated, especially people of our age.

It's a pity, "Khovantsev said in an interview with Sport-Express.

Two-time Olympic champion Dmitry Vasiliev, in turn, said that he talked with Alyabyev before the holidays - he had a severe cough that prevented him from speaking.

At the same time, Anatoly Nikolayevich was first taken to a rural hospital and only then transported to the city.

“The reason is the coronavirus.

I called him before the New Year, he coughed so much that he could not say two words.

He seemed to have healed this thing, but then he started again.

I suggested that he go to the hospital, but he was sure that he would lie down and everything would pass.

When they already realized that this was definitely a covid and that things were bad, they took him to the city hospital, where they put him in intensive care, but they could not save him.

His wife is now also in the hospital with covid.

The two sons will take care of the funeral from the side of the family, as well as the VIFK and the St. Petersburg Biathlon Federation.

This is very sad, ”the specialist said.

It is also possible that Alyabyev was not vaccinated against coronavirus.

This assumption was expressed by the former head coach of the Russian men's national team Vladimir Alikin, who talked a lot with Anatoly Nikolaevich. 

“We talked with Tolya for a long time on his anniversary in December, and phoned after.

Everything was fine with him, but now such sad news came.

I fell ill and went to the hospital.

Lungs, pneumonia.

I don't know for sure, but they say that he was unvaccinated.

Perhaps the coronavirus has hooked his health.

Sorry for the guy, he was a very good person.

With a capital letter.

How many years were in the team with him, always supported each other.

We were not as close friends as we were with Alexander Tikhonov, but I could safely call him a comrade in arms.

Tolya was a calm, balanced, companionable person.

Big loss for world biathlon.

Sorry for Nikolayevich, ”said Alikin.

"Many took an example from such people"

Alyabyev did not come to biathlon right away.

His father was a lumberjack.

With him, the future Olympic champion often went hunting, where he sometimes shot a gun.

The boy had to ski to school: eight kilometers there and back.

And during his studies, Anatoly became interested in boxing and quickly fulfilled the standard of the first category.

Alyabyev finally decided on the sport only in the army, at first giving preference to skiing.

However, one day, quite by accident, I trained with biathletes.

As the Olympic champion later recalled, this day predetermined his future fate.

“After class I asked permission to shoot.

It turned out quite well - three hits.

It was then that the senior coach of SKA in winter sports, Vasily Afanasyevich Khorunzhiy, suggested that I switch to biathlon: they say, you have ski training and you can shoot, ”Alyabyev said.

The 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid became successful for the biathlete. First, the Soviet athlete won gold in the individual 20 km race, beating the German Frank Ulrich by only 11 seconds. We managed to keep the victory only due to clean shooting. At the same time, according to the memoirs of Alyabyev, the last shot was very difficult for him.

“On the way to the last firing line, our reserve Aleksey Ushakov, running alongside, shouted that if I shoot without a miss,“ at zero, ”then I am the first. And now the first four shots are accurate, but the fifth, I feel, I cannot do. By the way, it was standing shooting. The rifle is trembling, I am trembling all over. Usually I spent 40-45 seconds for five shots, and now the second minute is running out, and I just can't calm down this unfortunate trembling and make the last shot - I can't get the rifle to stop. All the time I was afraid that I would pull the trigger at the wrong time - there was a finger on it, and very little effort was needed to fire. But somehow I managed to pull myself together and hit the target, ”said Alyabyev.

A day later, the athlete took bronze in the 10 km race, where the victory was celebrated by the same Ulrich, who managed to get ahead of all competitors. The last type of biathlon program was the 4 × 7.5 km relay. Alyabyev was the last to run, having an advantage over the GDR national team in 39 seconds. However, the rival in the stage, the German Rösch, showed fantastic speed and managed to close the gap already at the first shooting range. Everything was decided on the second shooting - Resch missed once, and Alyabyev was accurate and brought victory to the USSR national team.

Unfortunately, this Olympics was the last for the biathlete.

At the World Championships in Finland, Anatoly Nikolaevich ran the relay with a temperature.

After an examination in Leningrad, it turned out that he had suffered pneumonia on his legs.

The athlete spent a month in the hospital.

As Alyabyev later explained, after being discharged, his immune system was weakened and there was a danger of colds.

“I played for the national team until the 1984 Olympics, and two weeks before it, pneumonia began, and I had to leave the big sport,” the athlete said.

After completing his sports career, Alyabyev began to train.

He participated in the preparation of the Russian national team for the Olympic Games, raised a huge number of athletes.

According to the three-time world champion Maxim Chudov, many took an example from him both in behavior and in relation to sports.

“Such a generation, they are trying to scoop everything out on their own. The hardening is serious. I express my condolences to the family and friends of Anatoly Nikolaevich. I had the good fortune to communicate with him and intersect at sports events. He supported me when I was just starting, saying: “Maxim, you will succeed! You are very determined. " I remember him as a decent person, a professional in his field. The Pleiad of that generation did a great job to lay the foundation for Russian sports. Many took an example from such people and behavior, and attitude to sports, and decency. Anatoly Nikolaevich is simply a unique person. This is a loss for Russian sports. From such gurus you need to draw something every day. It is clear that there are already new methods, but basic knowledge and vast experience can never be ruled out. He left at the wrong time, ”said Chudov.

The well-known Russian commentator Dmitry Guberniev believes that it was with Alyabyev that biathlon began for him. 

“Back when I watched his victories in Lake Placid as a spectator.

He was my close friend, he always supported me.

Alyabyev in history with veterans has always taken a balanced position.

He was a soldier, a teacher.

I am terrified and shocked.

I'm crying.

This is a huge loss for me.

In Lake Placid, and indeed, he was a real rock star.

I am in a very sad state.

In December, they called up, he turned 70, he called on New Year's Eve.

Uncle Tolya, how is it ... ”- said Guberniev.