Sprint men's biathlon Pokljuka. Russia has a medal in biathlon
After the end of the men's pursuit, the dejected Alexander Loginov was approached by Rico Gross. He patted his shoulder and asked how it happened that Alexander fell just before the finish line? Well, yes, the current coach of the Austrian national team is not a stranger to us, Gross was the head coach of the Russian men's team for several years. And yet the scene was characteristic. I testify: no sidelong glances, no catchy gestures and caustic words addressed to biathletes and coaches of the Russian national team. All. The boycott is over.
Well, yes, the doping cases of four of our athletes are under consideration by the IBU. On December 15, a meeting of the Union's Executive Committee will be held in the Austrian Hochfilzen, and the problem of four Russians is also on the extensive agenda. But among them is Evgeny Ustyugov, and we are talking about the period from 2012 to 2015. That is, under the threat of withdrawal, the most sonorous Russian medal in Sochi, for the victory in men's biathlon relay race.
Yet neither the Swedes, nor the Czechs, nor any of the recent debunkers of Russian doping are resuming their attacks. Former ill-wishers argue like this: if they find anything from the Russians, then these are things of the past.
And the current team is clean. And therefore - welcome home, to that very “biathlon family”. This alone is the most pleasant result of the first stage of this World Cup.
harsh men
Before the start of the competition in Pokljuka, I wrote that if I manage to win at least one medal, then there will be enough optimism for the rest of the season, even if there are no other successes. There were even two medals, bronze. Both were won by Alexander Loginov, one in the sprint, the other in the pursuit. Yes, he was also upset by the ill-fated fall, after which Alexander was consoled by Gross. Do not fall, I would have fought at the finish line with the younger Boe and Fillon-Maillet for the victory.
Rare bad luck went to Loginov in Pokljuka. In the individual race, I flew somersault on the descent, hurt my back, and, of course, lost time. In the sprint, he lost 0.3 seconds to the silver medalist. Well, in the pursuit out of the blue, he poked a stick into his own boot, fell down. And with such adventures, Alexander nevertheless became a two-time winner of the stage. Presumably, everything is pretty good with him, if only luck is not enough to win. Moreover, Loginov sees no reason to be amazed at anything. The normal result of a good job.
After the sprint, Loginov reasonably remarked: “I don’t want to get hung up on this race. I want to show the maximum in every race. It's good when you take fifth or seventh places. It seems to indicate stability. But that's not what you're training for. This is not the ultimate dream. Should this medal liberate me? But we don’t train to win one medal.”
And having become the winner in the pursuit, Alexander completely dismissed the assumption that he was more worried than usual.
“I am pleased with the very fact that today we managed to find a compromise between shooting and movement, I am glad that I managed to climb the podium. I hope that I found my conditions. But so far only one stage has passed, I hope that I will be able to keep my form until the end of the season. Today I just walked at my own pace, in my own pulse mode. Such that it is better to approach the shooting. And he fired in his own way. In terms of the combination of shooting and functional state, now I don’t have the best high level. Not even very tall. Therefore, I try to show a stable result, and, of course, I need to build up my form, ”Alexander calmly stated.
It is certain. Indeed, without two Loginov medals, the results of the men's team in Pokljuka look pale. Dmitry Malyshko finished 12th in the individual race and said that, of course, his form is not too good yet. Yes, he shot very quickly and accurately - just one miss. But he ran unimpressively.
“I knew that today would be such a feeling. Even in the relay, there was a drop in speed, and today there was a 20-kilometer race. But, I hope, after such a difficult distance, the body will work out, and we will look much better in the sprint, ”Malyshko promised.
Alas. The body may have worked out, but this did not help. Three prone misses in the sprint, and Dmitry did not even make it into the top 60 eligible for the pursuit.
Evgeny Garanichev took 36th, 22nd and 24th places in three personal races. Matvey Eliseev - the same: 20th, 27th, 29th. I was also terribly nervous before the start.
The fact that this is the first race of the season affected the nerves. Didn't cope with the first and second frontier. I am glad that with such nerves I made only one mistake at the first shooting. It was at the turn that there was a very decent excitement. Because of the nerves, the first round was a little twitchy, maybe I could not show all my technique. But then I had to work for Johanness (Boe - ed.) for two laps, caught my technique and got used to the track.
Matvey Eliseev
Russian biathlete
And although Eliseev performed more calmly in the sprint and pursuit, it turned out even worse. And Alexei Slepov seems to have forgotten how to shoot. Six misses in the individual race, four in the sprint. Well, about Eduard Latypov, the coach of the men's team Artem Istomin said that the whole problem of an athlete is in psychology. Istomin is an analyst, he knows for sure that Latypov's body is in working condition, but it fails on the track.
So it's not very good, is it? Not this way. Let me remind you once again that the team has a new coaching staff headed by Anatoly Khovantsev. And the national team works according to a new methodology, even according to new logistics. Back in September, Khovantsev told me that it would take a year just for everyone to get used to each other. For athletes to get used to new method, imbued with it. Yes, at least for everyone to clearly know what to do at every moment. While this is not the case, otherwise the stupidest force majeure would not have happened when Latypov, who was already psychologically unprepared, was brought skis to the start individual race with delay! Malyshko would not have made an amazing mistake for a professional, taking an empty clip into the race.
This is to say that I prefer not to consider Loginov's success a happy accident against the general dull background, but, on the contrary, to consider the failures of his partners precisely as failures and shortcomings. Read an interview with Artem Istomin on our website in a few days, you will understand a lot. And maybe you will accept my optimism.
Confident women
But in relation to the women's team, optimism is backed up by numbers.
It's strange, the young ladies didn't have any medals in Pokljuka, and the overall impression of the team is much better. To describe this impression briefly, two words will suffice. Reliable and happy.
At the same time, out of six athletes in the team, there are three debutantes, one "returned", and only two - with some continuous experience in big biathlon in last years. It was these two who performed worst of all - Ekaterina Yurlova-Perkht and Uliana Kaisheva. It is easy to guess why they have the worst results in the team. They shot very badly. Yurlova-Perht has four misses in the individual race and two in the sprint. Kaisheva has two in each of these races and a very slow run.
Ulyana has repeatedly said that she is not a “Decembrist”, but no one will change the international calendar for her. Kaisheva is well aware of this, she is a very smart girl. So, do we need to do something about it? And then after all, as it turned out, there are a dime a dozen competitors.
How we all cheered for Irina Starykh in the individual race! She returned after disqualification, made her way to the team, and here is her chance. If Irina had not missed her last (!) shot in the individual race, she would have been the second, or even the first. But she missed and finished 12th. It is extremely disappointing to miss such an opportunity for a spectacular return. But it didn't loosen up. One miss in the sprint, clean shooting in pursuit, and now Starykh is eighth in the overall World Cup standings, the best of ours!
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The only pity is that Irina, with surprising persistence, refuses to be interviewed. Like Yurlova-Perkht and Kaisheva. No, that's all. And the team has no press officer this season. It has been said that the new leadership is being adjusted with the new budget. And grind and grind, apparently.
However, without all this novelty, the same Starykh would most likely not have made it to the national team. But they decided that selection will take place purely sports principle, and - welcome, debutantes! Yes, how different. Margarita Vasilyeva, by the way, is 27 years old, she is already a mother. Her comments are sweet in their spontaneity. Here is the reaction to the performance in the individual race.
The first race, these 15 kilometers crushed me a little. There was no nervousness due to the fact that this is the first race, I was calm. They crushed us because we still do not have the strength, we do not have full readiness. We still have the whole winter ahead of us, and at the beginning of the season it is still difficult. We will accelerate with starts, but still I want it to be easy. To have enough strength. To have power, push. And now no power, no push, no strength.
Margarita Vasilyeva
Russian biathlete
After the sprint, Margarita happily described communication with her family and even with her own body.
“I started not in my strength, but a little faster, because I need to disperse the body, show it how hard it should be. In the individual race, I walked weakly and did not show my body what “hard” is, but today I was able to. We contact the family several times a day. The child watches TV and constantly asks: “Mom, how did you get on TV?” He understands that I am an athlete, he is pleased to see me on TV, ”the biathlete shared her feelings.
Finally, after the persecution, Margarita simply gushed with sincerity of emotions caused by the agility of her rivals.
“The race was such that you can’t even fix your glasses, you go with glasses at random. No time to do anything, no time to cough. Rivals ran as if stung, very quickly. And so it went from the very beginning. We don't have that at the Russian Championship. And here everyone runs headlong, no one gives themselves concessions, everyone runs very quickly the whole distance from start to finish, ”she said in surprise.
Valeria Vasnetsova, on the contrary, is very young. She is 21 years old, she still has the right to compete in junior competitions. And now the junior in three races, at ten lines, made one (!) miss. 49 out of 50. To me, that's so cool. She also willingly described her feelings from the competition with the strongest biathletes in the world.
“Maybe I haven’t retired from the race yet and can’t be that surprised. But for me very good result and I will try to give my all from race to race. I am glad that, as they say, I shot at the right moment. I can’t say that I’m satisfied with the move, I didn’t feel perfect, it was hard. Yes, there is a regret, of course, that it did not get into the top ten. I was literally three seconds short, but today I really gave my all in the race. I think that we will accelerate from start to start,” said Valeria, delighted with her 13th place, after the individual race.
And after the sprint, she already spoke differently. More solid and somehow even more bold.
“Practice shows once again that it is possible to fight, especially with zero. The fact that three newcomers to the national team shot to zero is not a coincidence. This is the result of a very good summer work, thanks to the coaches,” said the athlete.
But they really did a good job, since such results. Of these, the main one is that half of the women's team tried the World Cup for a tooth, and the teeth remained intact. And as for the medals, the appetite, in the presence of teeth, certainly comes in the process of eating.
Tool selection
Well, yes, there are a lot of mistakes and shortcomings. In the same functional training, for example. Alexander Loginov lost 6 seconds in the final 500 meters of the sprint, and could not explain why. Margarita Vasilyeva in the sprint left the second firing fourth, and finished 13th. Matvey Eliseev, comparing his progress in the individual race and in the sprint, said that they were two different people, but even the second one is not running fast yet. And Evgenia Pavlova, after the persecution, called her legs just wadded.
Enough and complete nonsense. In addition to Malyshko's already-mentioned empty clip and Latypov's late skis, there was Vasilyeva's attempt to lie down on someone else's rug, it's good that Margarita caught herself in time. But, I repeat, Anatoly Khovantsev honestly warned that it would take time for the team to start functioning without failures.
And who doesn't have them? Martin Fourcade, having won the individual race, completely failed the sprint, and none of the French, including Martin himself, could explain what it was. And in the pursuit, realizing that there is neither speed nor accuracy, Fourcade generally left the race.
Anastasia Kuzmina, who nevertheless decided to continue her career, until she even gets into the top ten, and this, by the way, is the most titled of the current biathletes. And so on. After the first stage, only two athletes can be said with confidence that they are in brilliant shape - about Kais Mäkäräinen and Johannes Boe. And even then, in the individual race, the Finn greeted the audience with four misses at the very first line, and the Norwegian almost lost the finish line in the pursuit, although Loginov's fall significantly simplified the task for Johannes.
And yet, for example, the German Kühn and the Norwegian Christiansen skied at the shooting range and almost broke each other's legs and equipment. And so on. What to do, the beginning of the season. Yes, even the post-Olympic season. The first season without Bjoerndalen, Domracheva and a few dozen former leaders. So what else to work and work with files, smoothing out all kinds of roughness.
The file will also come in handy for our team. But not an ax or even a planer. I guess the time for these tools is over. And this is the main source of optimism for me. At least for now. And it's never too late to be disappointed. But I wouldn't want to. And hopefully you won't have to.
16:40. The weather seriously adjusted the program of the first stage of the World Cup in Pokljuka. The men's 20 km individual race has been rescheduled for December 6th. Thank you for being with us. Goodbye, see you at the biathlon!
16:37. Ironically, as soon as the organizers moved the race to the next day, the fog began to rise. Visibility has improved markedly, but things change very quickly. There is no guarantee that the fog will not thicken again.
16:30. Thus, tomorrow, December 6, two individual races are waiting for us at once. At 12:15 Moscow time, the men will start, and the start of the women's race is scheduled for 16:15 Moscow time.
16:22. There is a final solution! There will be no race today. The Men's 20K Individual has been rescheduled for Thursday, December 6th. The start is scheduled for 12:15 Moscow time.
16:20. Athletes are ready for any decision. They have already passed the weapons check and, if necessary, will go to the start.
16:15. Shooting continues at the stadium in Pokljuka. A meeting with the participation of technical delegates and team representatives is about to take place. While there is no new solution - the race should start at 16:35 Moscow time.
16:05. This is what the shooting range in Pokljuka looked like a few minutes ago. It's hard to see anything in this fog.
15:55. While waiting for the race drags on, we offer you to have fun! Try to guess what's in the head of the one and only Voice Russian biathlon Dmitry Guberniev.
Guberniev came to a cemetery in the United States at night and sang the song "Wind of Biathlon". Really?
Do you want to understand what is in the head of Dmitry Guberniev himself? Well, at least try? Then you are here!
15:45. And we continue to believe in the best and hope for the favor of the heavenly office. The main contender for victory, of course, will be Martin Fourcade. Bets on his success are accepted with odds of 2.00. You can put Johannes Boe in first place for 4.25. The chances of other biathletes to win the first personal start of the season are extremely skeptical. Among the Russians, the odds for Malyshko's victory are the least - 41.00. This, by the way, is the ninth indicator.
15:35. Head coach Russian team Anatoly Khovantsev said that the race should start at 16:45 Moscow time, but, according to official information, the start is still postponed to 16:35. At least for now.
15:30. Lightning from Pokljuka from the special correspondent of the "Championship"! The start of the race has been postponed by 20 minutes. Thus, the start is now scheduled for 16:35 Moscow time.
15:22. Not the most pleasant news comes from Pokljuka. Fog thickened over the firing range. The organizers wondered if they could be allowed to compete in such conditions. The final decision will be made 15 minutes before the scheduled start time, that is, at about 16:00 Moscow time.
15:15. What is biathlon without the Great Martyr Sebastian Samuelsson?! The young Swede continues to share the details of the threats he is sure the Russians are sending him. Olympic champion I am convinced that the rest of the biathletes are in solidarity with him, but they are silent, because they are afraid of terrible comments on social networks.
Samuelsson: Russians wrote that they wanted me to die at the hands of terrorists
15:05. The performance of the Russians in the mixed relay races caused more positive than negative for the special correspondent of the "Championship" Govorov. Do you agree?
Did you think it would be worse? Why the Russian biathlon team is almost done
Although Yurlov and Loginov were frightened. But they are definitely better than they look. But Malyshko is a giant. If only the legs could hold.
14:50. There are no problems with snow at the Slovenian stage. But on the shooting range lies short-cut, withered grass.
14:40. In classical mixed relay for the Russian team, everything was much more fun. Irina Starykh, Ekaterina Yurlova-Perkht, and Alexander Loginov clung to the medal until the last stage, but in the end they were content with an offensive fourth place. But behind were the Norwegians with the Germans. Here are the highlights from that race.
14:30. The starting stage of the World Cup in Pokljuka will turn out to be rather extended. The first races took place last Sunday, December 2. In the supermix, Garanichev and Uliana Kaisheva were seventh, and the Norwegians won. Let's take a look at how things unfolded.
14:15. Biathletes have been preparing for the first personal start at the World Cup this season since the morning. The weather in Pokljuka is alarming. A thick fog hung over the stadium, visibility is very far from ideal. But you should not panic. According to the special correspondent of the “Championship” Alexander Govorov, the fog is gradually dissipating, so nothing threatens the race so far.
14:00. The Russian national team in individual men's races this season will be represented by six biathletes. In the individual race at the first stage of the World Cup in Pokljuka, they will run, who received the fourth starting number, Alexander Loginov(23rd), (41st), (82nd), (100th) and Matvey Elisey(103rd). In total, 110 biathletes will take part in the race.
10:00. Hello dear biathlon fans. The first stage of the 2018/19 Biathlon World Cup continues in Pokljuka, and today, December 5, the third race of the stage will take place: the men's individual 20 km race. This is the first individual race of the season, because so far only relay races have taken place at the World Cup. We will cheer for the Russian national team and hope that our team will please the fans with successful results. "Championship" begins its traditional online day. We will tell you about all the most interesting things that happen at the biathlon stadium and next to it. Stay with us and don't miss anything!
(Norway) - 23.46.3 (1 piece circle)
2. (France) - backlog 16.1 (0)
3. (Russia) - 16,4 (0)
4. (Norway) - 31,2 (1)
5. (Germany) - 32,5 (1)
6. (Norway) - 32,9 (0)...
22. (Russia) - 1.08.2 (1)...
27. (Russia) - 1.15.3 (2)...
43. (Russia) - 1.42.2 (1)...
70. (Russia) - 2.16.4 (3)...
76. (Russia) - 2.24.2 (4)
The men's sprint at the Biathlon World Cup stage in Pokljuka ended in victory. The Russian took third place.
Fast and accurate
The hope that this race could turn out to be successful for the Russians appeared after a successful start by Evgeny Garanichev. He started fourth and went very well until a single miss on the rack. But one uncovered target cost him dearly in conditions where many shot accurately.
Entering the distance later, under the 45th number, Loginov walked with Garanichev on the same foot, but he shot accurately, and on both lines. On the stand, he also worked very quickly - in 21 seconds, faster than all rivals. The Russian was leaving the shooting range second - 20 seconds behind the incredibly fast Johannes Beh in this sprint and with a tiny - two and three tenths - advantage over the Frenchman Antoine Guigonnat and bronze medalist prostitutes by Austrian Simon Eder.
The new ward of Rico Gross, who led the Austrian national team in the summer, fell behind during the finishing lap, and with the Frenchman Loginov hacked off in absentia, and seriously. Guigonne's lag at the control cutoffs seemed like he was blown away - 700 meters before the finish line, the Russian who walked behind and received all the necessary information won the opponent by 5 seconds, but in the end, Alexander lost three-tenths at the finish line. It's a shame. But the fact that the Russians still got on the podium at the very first stage of the World Cup is comforting.
Apparently, I was more tired. I tried to work and give my best. But, judging by the fact that he lost four tenths, it means that something was wrong, - Loginov said immediately after the finish in a flash interview
Nine misses for three
Best in Russian team in the individual race held the day before - Dmitry Malyshko and Matvey Eliseev - did not cope with the first shooting. Eliseev missed twice in prone, and Malyshko missed three times. It is clear that after that the race did not work out for both. Although on the stand both Matvey and Dmitry worked accurately and even shared third place in the team in terms of speed with each other. Both attributed the failure at shooting to an uncomfortable approach.
I think it's because the sprint and jerky approach. I wanted to go faster, but I had to go at my own pace. With all the misses, the dimensions did not close. Now there is no wind, and it's a shame that this happened. But we will fight on,” Malyshko promised.
Later Malyshko's "feat" was repeated by his countryman Alexei Slepov, who started one of the last. He also missed prone three times. Later, he added to this also a mistake on the counter. As a result, neither Malyshko nor Slepov got into the pursuit.
Loser Fourcade
The sprint of the seven-time winner of the Big crystal globe Martin Fourcade. After the individual race, where he did not guess with the starting group, he made his way along the broken track, but got the victory thanks to exceptionally clean shooting, obviously, he had run out of strength.
The Frenchman failed to shoot without mistakes in the sprint - he missed once on the prone. But this is half the trouble. Fourcade's move was unconvincing. In terms of speed on the track, he settled only at the end of the fourth ten, losing to Johannes Be 1 minute 11 seconds. Martin finished only 24th.
Be same, who took seventh place in the individual, was simply unstoppable. Even with one miss, he brought the closest pursuers 16 seconds each. In a clean move, the Norwegian was ahead of everyone by almost 20. After this sprint, he will intercept the yellow jersey of the World Cup leader from Fourcade. The rivalry has begun.
