Retired stars. Ukrainian biathlete: With successful shooting, I am ready to fight for high places

The three-time world champion remembers racing with Gross, Poiret and Fischer and helping Bjorn Ferry become Olympic champion.

Weak link

When I competed in professional sports, team races and relay races were the strong point of the Belarusian national team. They were suitable for countries with a stable quartet of biathletes. The result in the team race has always depended on the weakest link in the four. The faster the weakest ran, the higher the chances for the whole team. It is not customary to argue who was the most unstable among us. A separate character of the relay quartet was Alexander Syman - a very slow shooter by nature, he could not speed up on shooting, but at least he “picked zero”. It seemed that Sasha had a chronic stupor, and until you give him a slap on the back of the head, he will not start shooting. He had one task: to shoot for a long time, but accurately. I believe that today in team races the leadership should be with the Russians. The Norwegians can't shoot cleanly, the Germans do it too slowly, the Austrians and Czechs are missing a fourth man, the French have a weak link that drags the team down, and the Belarusians don't have a competitive team at all.

french foppery

I have always disliked the stateliness that the French allowed during races. Today, the continuer of traditions is Martin Fourcade. At the World Championships in Nove Mesto in 2013, he approached the decisive shooting with a colossal reserve of strength. The Frenchman decided to start his rivals and tried to speed them up right in front of the border. But most athletes have their own head, each approaching shooting at their own pace. Nobody fell for Fourcade's provocation. As a result, Marten hit the milk with the first shot, most of the guys coped with the shooting and left for the finish line. The Frenchman often gives up the fight when it comes to places off the podium. This is unacceptable, especially when you are in team races. Look at Domracheva: she leaves the last of her strength in the relay. It is clear that Marten is the strongest in the team, but this is not an excuse. Over the years, I have traced a pattern: French women are magnificent, humane, noble, and men are somehow “unfinished”, many behave like a woman in racing situations. In a farewell start for Poiret, Ole Einar snatched the photo finish gold from him and did not allow the Frenchman to leave as a winner. I think if there had been some Austrian in Rafael's place, maybe the outcome would have been different. Poiret had a reputation for being hysterical, like Fourcade, and perhaps this explains Bjoerndalen's uncompromising behavior.

Not Olympic, but the best

During my career, the best biathletes were Corinne Niogre and Martina Beck (Glagow), I enjoyed their shooting. Niogre was very confident in shooting for strength. female features pelvic bones, it seemed that no wind could shake her. And the German woman was distinguished by good motor skills of movements. IN men's biathlon Lukas Hofer and Vladimir Chepelin can boast of this today. Irina Tananaiko played for Belarus (and a little later for Ukraine), she had the nickname “clean machine”. Ira rarely missed, even though she shot slowly, but during the season she made fewer misses than fingers on one hand. I remember bright athletes who, perhaps, did not become Olympic champions, but had their own unique style. There are winners and champions of the Olympics Sergey Novikov, Evgeny Redkin, Elena Khrustaleva. I am very good to them. But it is difficult for fans to remember any stories from their careers, personality traits. And there are biathletes who, although they did not win the globes, were unique and remembered forever.

Women's biathlon is a separate sport

Some may resent me, but I believe there are two different types sports: biathlon and women's biathlon. Previously, the men would warm up during the women's races on the track. We could never fully understand whether the girls were warming up or already running into full force especially when they were without jackets. Women showed very low speeds compared to men. Therefore, for me, women's biathlon is a parody, but very beautiful :). Very few girls actually fight. In my time, there were separate shots among women who admired the manner of wrestling. The same Norwegians Liv-Grete Shelbrey (Poiret) and Gunn Margit Andreassen turned into predators, they simply tore the track. Or remember the German woman Neuner: when she drove up to the shooting range, everyone mentally prepared for a catastrophe with five misses. Magdalena never learned to shoot, but she was remembered for her charisma and talent. In women's races, the competition is completely different. For men, about forty people are cut in a crazy rhythm for prizes, for girls - six to eight athletes are fighting. At the Olympics in Sochi, there were generally two separate types of programs - one was performed by Dasha Domracheva, the other - all the rest. No one could compete with her, it was somewhat uninteresting to watch. And how many seconds women lose when they put themselves in order right at the turn. During the repetition of the Olympic race, I even showed my wife how many seconds she lost on fixing her makeup, hat, glasses, all that was left was to make up her lips. You can pay attention to the makeup with which Soukalova runs. Guys are generally different about it. Take the same Bjoerndalen: covered in snot, he rushes to victory. Although I never understood - is it really difficult to dry off? It doesn't take time at all.

Love behind the scenes

Stories by Bjorn Ferry

In one of his first World Cup seasons, Ferry came to me after a race and said, “I realized I couldn't shoot at all. How do you do it?" I knew how to tactically plan the race, and the Swede noticed it. For a long time I was in kind and remotely trained him, we spent hours on the phone. In Ferry's Olympic medal, maybe there is my merit. Then I was offered to train the Swedish national team as a shooting expert. But I understood that I did not want to take on non-systemic work, so that all the brains were sucked out of me and said goodbye. By the way, the Swede was one of the first to react to my doping story with the message: “How could you!” I answered him shortly: "How little you need to be disappointed in a person." After the Games in Salt Lake City, I did not plan to continue performing for health reasons (the immune system was destroyed) and switched to coaching in Canada. I just didn’t have time to officially “round off” my career, smart athletes saw this and soberly assessed what was happening. The same Gross at the first meeting patted on the shoulder, reassuring: "Vadik, life is cruel, it happens." Bjoerndalen was also sympathetic to the incident. Everyone was aware: I never ran on drugs, but just tried to recover at that time, and the doping scandal became a knife in the back of the outgoing athlete. A year later, Ferry apologized for his words. The 14th Dalai Lama said: "Before you judge someone, take his shoes and walk his path." I won't read Ferry Tales. His revelations simply speak of the level of human culture. It's like talking about your ex girls. I have been in the sport longer than Ferry, and there are more stories than he has. It’s just that I don’t do such nonsense, I don’t retell personal, intimate things.

Favorites and Talents

My favorite biathlete of all time is Frank Luke. He is the most competent athlete, who was quite quick-fire, psychologically and stress-resistant, remained accurate in the wind and correctly distributed forces along the track. Almost all biathletes have their own “zapadalovo”. The same Bjoerndalen has speed, but shooting is lame, Andersen has a cool run, but disgusting statistics at the turn. And Luke knew how to balance all the components and perform smoothly. Of the racers, Lars Berger has always been considered the coolest. He is the only biathlete I would give a ten for running technique. My hair stood on end with admiration when Berger ran by. He moved so beautifully and powerfully along the distance that it was hard to remain indifferent. Martin Fourcade's technique is elastic, well-developed, many call it exemplary. But Berger is a bird of a completely different flight.

Biathlon fails

Sometimes a stupid blunder could screw up the whole race. At one of the team starts at the World Championships, we got into a heavy snowfall, and after two shots, Sasha Popov asked: “Where are you shooting?” It turned out that he shot at his installation. I retrained and covered my three targets with the remaining bullets. But Popov dealt with three of his targets with four rounds, and one remained in his barrel. On the descent, he threw away the bullet, he thought he would manage. But I understood that sanctions were waiting at the finish line. We were later asked: why didn't Popov finish shooting his bullets at my installation? It's not prohibited. The Russians - Maigurov and Tarasov - did just that and received no sanctions. We finished fourth in that race, but two added minutes threw the team to the tail of the protocol.

Great, but tough

Bjoerndalen from the first race showed who he is. The Norwegian has a very high speed over the distance. But he can be caught on accelerations, because Ole Einar is a thin athlete, he often lacks muscle mass. At the World Championships in Slovenia, we fought with Ole for relay silver. At the entrance to the finish line, I had a margin of five meters, and I understood that Bjoerndalen should not be allowed to approach. Norwegian skis are always phenomenal - the best masters of the world are working on this. That relay race was already the fifth race of the championship for me, before that I fought for a medal in each, I had no strength left. At the decisive shooting, we distributed medals with Poiret, Rostovtsev and Bjoerndalen. Rafael was the first to run away from the line when we were just starting to shoot. I competed with Pashka, who had two Pokljuka golds, and Ole Einar, who always remained the great Bjoerndalen. Shooting is a tactical game. It is important to be the first to shoot and slow down opponents. This is what I did. Pashka "stuck" at the shooting range, probably flinched from our shots. And Ole Einar and I ran away to play silver and bronze. I worked very powerfully on the ascent, gave my last strength, and on the descent, the light just turned off for me. I could not keep my eyes constantly open, some photographic flashes flickered, I hit a tree with my shoulder, it's amazing that I could even reach the finish line. Until now, goosebumps from these terrible memories. He snatched a second from Bjoerndalen and brought silver to Belarus, and started his stage fifth.

Clamped "snotty"

At the very beginning of the race, it is not customary to impose a fight, it is important to take an advantageous position and roll at a calm pace, saving strength for shooting and finishing showdowns. In one of the races in Pokljuka (I don't remember what year) I led the peloton from the start, followed by Pasha Rostovtsev. And suddenly we noticed that the Norwegians are trying to impose a fight, provoking biathletes to accelerate. Pashka whispered to me in Russian: “Vadik, we’re shifting to the left, we’re pinching the snotty one” (that’s what we jokingly called Ole Einar). It seems ugly to do this, but we carefully moved to the side, and the Norwegians rolled back to their places.

Invulnerable Sven

According to physical data, Sven Fischer was the strongest rider, he had no weaknesses. Look at Fischer's back and legs. Sven had the power that Bjoerndalen lacked. The top 10 shooters of the world biathlon have always been distinguished by a high degree of reaction to postponing a shot. It seems that the shot should already be fired, but the athlete has an intuition: something can go wrong - and he starts the processing cycle again. This indicates the level of the shooter. Models in this were Rozhkov, Rostovtsev, Poiret. At the shooting range, a biathlete always hears: the opponent hit, missed, or was it a gauge. These different sounds - at first glance, little things - can change the course of the fight. Leaving the shooting range, the rider can lightly touch the opponent's ski with the tip of his own or even snow thrown off the ski. This is very unnerving for the opponent, so top biathletes are excellent tactics. Did they hurt me like this? I don't remember. The fact is that I was usually the first to leave the line.

Gross. Work. "Friendship"

I had the most interesting finishing spurts with Ricco Gross. He punished me twice at the finish line. My trump card is strong shoulder girdle, Gross has very powerful legs. Here I could not compete with him. I remember that after the second victorious finish, Ricco came up with surprise: how did he manage to beat me twice in the last meters, because he considered himself a weak finisher. Gross and I raced back in 1988 in Raubichi at the Druzhba competition among the socialist countries. I was second twice, and Gross was first and third. I ran then skate on classic skiing because the others didn't get it. For so many years we butted heads on an equal footing, my whole career has passed with Gross! I won't be surprised if my wife and I forget to be invited to the "Race of Legends" ... Last year, they invited us as a guest three days before the event. In any case, I will come and meet old friends.

Photo: Reuters, AFP, Peoples.ru, RIA Novosti, Bongarts, BSE.

The two-time Olympic champion does not hide the fact that he took doping

11-time world champion and two-time Olympic champion in biathlon Frank Luke started skiing in 1980, following the example of his father and grandfather, but soon left for biathlon. "It has always seemed to me a more spectacular and emotional sport," Frank explained.

Biography of Yegor Titov and doping scandal

Now about all of the above, but as detailed and detailed as possible. So, Yegor Ilyich Titov is a Russian football player who played as a midfielder. Most of its professional career he spent in Moscow playing for Spartak, in which he won many awards, including the gold of the Russian Championship and the Russian Cup. He was also a player in the national team, and even served as its captain for some time. As part of the Russian national team, Yegor Titov played 41 matches and scored 7 goals, the statistics are impressive - 21 wins, 10 draws and the same number of losses (he played for the national team from 1998 to 2007).

Was born Egor Titov V sports family and we can say that his biography, career and fate in general were predetermined (he had to become an outstanding athlete which eventually happened). By the way, the boy's father (a master of sports in skating) dreamed that his son would follow in his footsteps and become a skater, but Yegor was much more attracted to football with its excitement and team play. Therefore, from the age of eight, the future champion began to study at the Spartak football school, under the auspices of the best specialists.

Starting from 1992, Yegor Titov played for Spartak (in the team from the age of 16), and since 1995 - in the first team. He got into the national team a few years later, in 1998. Debuted in qualifying match to the European Championship against France, which ended in an offensive defeat for the Russians with a score of 2-3. By the way, a year later Russian football players again, as part of the qualifying round, they again clashed with the French and managed to take revenge on the opponent's field. Final result 3-2 in favor of Russia was in many ways sensational.

Biography of Yegor Titov in 2008, it was marked by one extremely unpleasant incident. The football player, having quarreled with the head coach of Spartak, was forced to leave the team (at that time, as part of the club, he had repeatedly won the Russian Championship, the Russian Cup and other prestigious competitions). As a result, by agreement with former teammate Sergei Yuran, Yegor moved to Khimki, and without any compensation.

In the new club footballer Yegor Titov, whose goal statistics was outstanding, did not play for long: on February 12, 2009, he left Khimki, and on the fifteenth he already concluded a new agreement, this time Lokomotiv Astana became his team. But here, Yegor did not stay long, because in March 2010 (on the 19th) he announced his retirement from big-time sports and his retirement. However, we note that the official point in the career of a football player was set only in 2012. September 9 farewell match Yegor Titov against Kyiv "Dynamo", which ended with a score of 5-3 in favor of "Spartak". The game was held at the Lokomotiv stadium with full stands and was covered by many TV channels.

Where is doping in this whole story and did Yegor Titov take it at all? Doping, namely illegal drugs, was, and a serious scandal unfolded against its background, with disqualification as a punishment. There was an incident in 2004 on the eve of the European Championship. As it turned out, Yegor Titov used Bromantane (a nootropic drug) illegal in sports, so he was given a one-year disqualification.

Everything would be fine, and the disqualification was not so terrible, because the football player Yegor Titov at that time was already an eminent athlete and his career, in fact, was not in jeopardy. However, due to a suspension from official competitions for a year, Yegor was forced to miss the 2004 European Championship, one of the largest tournaments for national teams, each victory in which costs a lot of money, prestige and points in the UEFA rankings.

By the way, many fans, and even experts, believe that it was precisely because Yegor Titov did not go to the tournament that the Russian team performed so unsuccessfully, losing 2 out of 3 of their matches at group stage. This statement is, to put it mildly, strained, but perhaps there is a grain of truth in it. Who knows, maybe Yegor Titov, for whom football was more than a job, as a captain and player of the main squad, could really bring meaningfulness to the game of the national team and influence his comrades. For reference: “Russia” won the only victory in the match against “Greece”, the future sensational victor of the entire tournament.

Doping cyclist Denis Galimzyanov

Now let's talk a little about cycling and consider, perhaps, one of the most famous scandals that have occurred in this discipline. We don’t touch Lance Armstrong on purpose, because, firstly, everything is not so obvious and understandable there, and secondly, everyone has already known his story for a long time. She has been teased so many times on television and in the press that there is hardly a person who has not heard about Lance and the drugs he allegedly consumed.

To the point: Born on March 7, 1987 in the city of Sverdlovsk, this is a famous Russian road cyclist who has been playing for Team Katusha for a long time. He is the representative of a small Russian sports a layer of sprinters who have achieved a huge number of victories at the world stages (from 2006 to 2011 he won more than fifteen different races, showing excellent results).

A little about what is the biography and career that cyclist Denis Galimzyanov can rightly be proud of. He began his performances in the amateur team "Premier" ("Premier"), being part of which he won several different stage races, as well as, no less important, the Five Rings of Moscow tournament and the Mayor's Cup. In 2008, after several outstanding performances, Denis moved to the professional club "Tinkoff Credit Systems", which soon changed its name and general concept and became "Team Katusha".

In his first Vuelta (one of the most prestigious cycling races, along with the Tour de France), Denis Galimzyanov participated in September 2010 and showed good results. He finished the stage five times in the top ten, but eventually retired. The following year, the cyclist was already more confident and purposeful - he won two stage races, but at the main start of the season (we are talking about the Tour de France), unfortunately, he retired at the equator. The most important achievement in his career Denis Galimzyanov earned in September 2011 - he won one of the oldest cycling races in the world, Paris-Brussels, after which he was honored to become the captain of the national team and take part in the group race at the World Championship.

Unfortunately for the World Cup cyclist Denis Galimzyanov faced another setback. More specifically, in the last kilometers of the race, he lost the wheel of his partner, who took him to the head of the peloton, and eventually finished only 11th. This case did not bother Russian athlete and a week and a half later he started at the first Tour of Beijing in China, where at the second stage he lost only to Heinrich Haussler, losing a few centimeters to him. There was also a victory in Beijing - the athlete Denis Galimzyanov, as Wikipedia suggests, left all his rivals out of their lot, finishing first on final stage race (as a result, he was also recognized as the best sprinter).

And now to the most interesting: in March of the year before last, 2012, during the analysis-test, it turned out that Denis Galimzyanov used doping, illegal drugs (the sample was taken as part of an out-of-competition doping control). More specifically, it was found that the cyclist used erythropoietin preparations that increase endurance and a number of other indicators. IN open letter Denis fully admitted his guilt and confessed to doping, refusing to open the sample, which was no longer necessary.

At the same time, Denis Galimzyanov clarified that he made the decision to use erythropoietin himself, and the team members were not aware of his act. Soon he also added that he first used doping shortly before the sample was taken, and the drug itself was purchased on the Internet from one of the anonymous distributors. The leadership of the Katyusha team took this event seriously and decided to remove the athlete from all competitions until the end of the proceedings and a statement from the Federation cycling Russia. In December 2012, Denis Ramilievich Galimzyanov learned the price of his act, it was a two-year disqualification for using the above-mentioned erythropoietin.

Prohibited drugs by Frank Luke

Biathlon again and again a major scandal, however, this time the athlete himself, without pressure from the press or the public, admitted that he used doping drugs (Turinabol) to improve his physical form. But let's not get ahead of ourselves too much, but rather tell us who we are talking about and why we turned our attention to this particular case.

Frank Luke- this is the most famous and, perhaps, the most titled German biathlete, who was born on December 5, 1967 in the city of Schmalkalden, Germany, then the GDR, who had already officially ended his career. The athlete has many awards of the highest standard won at the most prestigious world tournaments: 2 gold and 3 silver of the Olympic Games, 11 gold medals, 5 silver and 4 bronze at the World Championships (all this is not counting victories and achievements of a smaller / local scale).

Frank Luc began performing and conquering biathlon for the GDR national team, and later for the German national team, back in the late eighties / early nineties. Since childhood, the guy was fond of cross-country skiing, but fate decreed that in the 80s he had to switch to biathlon. Already in 1988, at the Olympic Games held in Calgary, Frank received the right to start with the national team. His debut cannot be called the most successful in history, but he was not a failure either - a fairly high sixth place was taken in the sprint race.

The following year, Frank Luke, according to Wikipedia, makes an incredible breakthrough and becomes a two-time world champion. Medals were won in the sprint and relay at the World Championships in Feistritz (Austria). Further, Luke's career developed on the offensive - the results grew, the achievements were added, but, unfortunately, in 1992, on the eve of the Olympics, he fell ill and, as a result, could not defend the colors of the national team.

Everything was fixed at the next Olympic Games in Lillehammer, where Frank Luc won gold in the 4x7.5 km relay race as part of the national team, and also won a silver medal in the most difficult individual 20 km race, losing only to Sergey Tarasov.

Subsequent Olympic Games in 1998 and 2002, in which biathlete Frank Luc already performed in the status of both a multiple world champion and an Olympic champion, they were also quite successful for the athlete. At the tournament in Nagano, he won gold - again in the relay team race 4 by 7.5, and in Salt Lake City - two silvers (individual race for 20 kilometers and relay race 4 by 7.5).

In the meantime, speaking at the World Championships from 1998 to 2004, Frank Luke, whose biography is full of ups and downs, continued to prove his superiority again and again. During this period, he won the following awards at world championships - 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals. In general, at the time of the official end of his career in the 2003-2004 season, Frank became one of the most titled German biathletes, demonstrating excellent results both in running and in shooting (accuracy indicators in the 2003/2004 season: prone - 93% of hits, standing - 90% hits, overall accuracy 91%).

You ask where the doping is, and when did Frank Luke take it? And here it is: in 2004, after the completion sports career the athlete made a statement in which he confirmed the use of prohibited substances (presumably repeated use). According to the biathlete, he resorted to doping, namely the drug Oral Turinabol, while playing for the national team of the GDR, i.e. up until 1990.

For reference: Oral Turinabol or simply Turinabol, which biathlete Frank Luke has been using for a long time, is a steroid that increases strength, gives an increase in endurance and allows for an increase in dry and hard muscle mass. It was developed in the GDR in the middle of the 20th century (in 1961). By the way, you can buy Turinabol and order many other topical and effective drugs in sports (fat burners, peptides, antiestrogens, and so on), you can easily and reliably in our store.

Tragedy and doping Antonio Pettigrew

Let's go back to athletics and consider another, quite famous scandal that occurred in this area. The culprit this time was Antonio Pettigrew (Antonio Pettigrew), at the time of the incident, who was already both a renowned world champion and an Olympic champion in the national team (he won the relay race).

To begin with, we will tell you what the biography of the athlete is, and what is famous for Antonio Pettigrew, what awards he has (had and still have), where and how he performed, and so on. So, the future champion was born on November 3, 1968 in small town Macon, in the central part of the state of Georgia in the USA. He became interested in sports at a young age and this interest was so strong that by the age of 23 Antonio had managed to reach heights that were unattainable not only for most of his peers, but also for many athletics veterans.

If we consider everything from a sports point of view, then Antonio Pettigrew is, first of all, an eminent American athlete who won the 400-meter race at the World Championships in Tokyo in 1991, and also won the Olympic gold in the 4 by 400 meters relay in 2000 year in Sydney. Subsequently, he was deprived of the medal, as were the compatriots who fled with him, but more on that later. He also had other prestigious achievements, in particular, all in the same 1991 year (World Championships in Tokyo), he, as part of the national team, managed to finish second in the 4x400 relay race, bringing a silver medal to the US piggy bank. Then Antonio Pettigrew, as a runner, won the relay races in 1997 at the World Championships in Athens, in 1999 in Seville and in 2001 in Edmonton. In general, he had a lot of titles in his career.

However, as with most of the stories above, Antonio's career has not only had major ups but also major downs. What is it about? On a case that occurred in 2008: during the trial of former coach Antonio Pettigrew admitted that he had repeatedly used growth hormone and erythropoietin as doping since 1996. The consequences were not long in coming - the athlete and his teammates were stripped of their Olympic medals for winning the relay in 2000, and they also took away the gold medals of the World Championships and the titles that he had won since 1997.

After what happened runner Antonio Pettigrew, almost all the achievements in whose career were crossed out, took up coaching, since he had enough experience and skills. In particular, he led the team at the University of North Carolina for some time, until a tragedy occurred: on August 10, 2010, Pettigrew was found dead in the back seat of a personal car. A suspicious white powder (presumably drugs) was also found inside the car. The police, in their statements, expressed the theory of a possible suicide (information on the results of the investigation is not available).

Biography of track and field athlete Tim Montgomery

Again Athletics(one gets the impression that this discipline is most often used in doping, but this is not so, it’s just that athletics accounts for most of the famous scandals regarding the use of illegal drugs), and again scandalous story with the participation of a titled athlete who has won more than one gold medal.

But at the beginning of the biography: Tim (Timothy) Montgomery is an American track and field athlete, born on January 25, 1975. In 2005, he was accused of taking steroids, as a result, almost all of his achievements were canceled, including the world record at a distance of 100 meters - 9.78 seconds. After the forced end of his career, the athlete was convicted, but not for doping, but for forging checks in New York, as well as heroin trafficking (was caught in Virginia). Since 2008, he has been imprisoned in a US prison.

But I think you are not interested in this (at least not only this), but what kind of athlete Timothy Montgomery was, what medals he won and what he achieved. Let's start from afar: before taking up athletics, Timothy played professional football and basketball for a long time. He studied first at Brenham College, later, starting in 1994, at Norfolk State University, located in Hampton Roads and known for its athletics team. First time competing in athletics during his studies, he took part in several junior athletics competitions and showed good results in the sprint and relay races.

In 1996, as a runner, he took part in qualifying tournament to the Olympic Games (in the 100-meter race), but, unfortunately, did not pass, so in Atlanta he was only involved in the 4 to 100 relay race, in which, by the way, the Americans won a silver medal (lost to the Canadian team). In 1997, Montgomery competed at his first World Championship. The result - a bronze medal in the 100-meter sprint. At the 1999 World Cup, he could not show the same high result in the individual sprint race, but he won the gold medal in the relay.

History partly repeated itself at the Sydney Olympics (2000), where Timothy Montgomery again won the relay (in individual races did not participate). Separately, we note the year 2002, which for Montgomery became one of the most successful in his career. The fact is that this season he managed to set a world record. With a tailwind of 2.0 m/s, Tim Montgomery ran the 100m in 9.78 seconds, breaking the previous world record set by Maurice Greene (0.01 second difference).

By the way, on this sports biography Timothy Montgomery is over as he faces a lengthy suspension in the future. In more detail, shortly before qualifying competitions to the 2004 Olympics, which Tim failed miserably (qualified seventh), Anti-Doping Agency The United States convicted him of using illegal drugs. The athlete told the press that steroids were given to him and several other athletes from the United States by specialists from the BALCO laboratory from San Francisco. The result of this case was a severe disqualification for 4 years (a long time for a single offense).

However Timothy Montgomery, who was going to visit both the World Championship and the Olympic Games, did not agree with this decision of the judges and filed an appeal with the Sports arbitration court based in Lausanne. Here another failure awaited him - on December 12, 2005, the final verdict was adopted, according to which the disqualification was only slightly reduced - to two years. Also, all the results of the athlete and awards won since March 31, 2001, including the world record, were canceled.

After the announcement of the verdict, athlete Tim Montgomery decided to end his career, leaving doping and the scandals associated with it in the past. It turned out badly for him, to put it mildly, because in 2008 he was again convicted of using banned substances - this time before the 2000 Sydney Olympics (it is assumed that he used testosterone and growth hormone). But that's not all: in 2006, the athlete was arrested in the case of money laundering, and in 2008 he was accused of selling heroin (he was found guilty in both cases).

Source: AthleticPharma.com

For almost two decades, the German trio - Sven Fischer, Rico Gross and Frank Luke - shone on the biathlon arenas of the world. As part of a series of materials about the stars of past years, Sportbox.ru talks about two inseparable champion friends - Luke and Fisher.

Ice and fire

They say that there is no friendship in sports, and that rivals remain competitors in life. Fisher and Luke are a vivid example of the fact that there are exceptions to any rule.

In 1980, young Frank Luc, following the example of his father and grandfather, came to ski race, but soon changed them to biathlon. “It always seemed to me a more spectacular and emotional sport,” explains the athlete. Fischer was more original - at first he tried his hand at the queen of sports - athletics, but the tartan track and starting blocks lost the battle to the rifle and ski track. “I have always enjoyed shooting more than running,” Fischer admits. The friendship of two future biathlon stars began in their school years. They met thanks to the fact that Fischer's first coach was Luke's uncle, Stefan.

Tall and energetic, Frank Luc showed himself at a young age and in 1988, at the age of 21, qualified to represent the GDR at the Calgary Winter Olympics, where he finished sixth in the sprint race. Everything did not go as smoothly for Fischer as for a friend - he went to the titles, as they say, through thorns. When Luke was already shining on the world stage, Fischer could only boast of achievements in junior competitions in Germany. Fischer was an accelerator, that is, he grew up very quickly, but this did not help him, but rather hindered him. The athlete had serious problems with his knees, which led to surgery. His career was in jeopardy. Fortunately, soon after the operation, Fischer began training, but to show high results I couldn't, and it was completely inopportune. In the 1990s, together with the unification of the FRG and the GDR, the two strongest German schools biathlon. Only the best of the best could get on the team. Frank Ulrich, who at that time, as now, led the men's team, believed in Fischer and gave him a chance to prove himself. And Fischer did not disappoint. Already in December 1991, at the European Cup, he won the sprint in Hochfilzen, and following the results of his debut season in the first team, he became the sixth in overall standings World Cup.

dad for two

Three years later, Luke and Fisher went to Olympic Games in Lillehammer. There, for the first time, they stood shoulder to shoulder on the podium after the 20-kilometer race: Luke got silver, Fischer got bronze. " The day Sven won his first Olympic medal was the happiest in my life. After birth, children, of course. I will never forget him", - later said the father of biathlete Willy Fischer, who for a long time was the manager of both his own son and his friend Luke.

« How many wins do I have? How many titles? I have not the foggiest idea. Sven Fischer kept repeating. “Only my father knows that. He keeps a close eye on all my titles as well as Frank's achievements.».

Since then, friends have tried on medals of various denominations together more than once and have become an integral part of the invincible "German car" - the relay team. Incredibly fast Fisher and surprisingly accurate Luke, like ice and fire, merged into a single whole, leaving no thought of victory to the opponents. In 2004, Luke decided to end his sports career, while Fischer fought for titles until 2007, and ended his performances for a completely understandable reason. But more on that later.

Failed kinship

« Over the years of our friendship, Sven and I have experienced everything, there has been both good and bad, Luke says. - In 1992, they even got into a car accident together. But we've always managed to be both distance rivals and brothers outside the stadium at the same time.».

Luke and Fisher, by the way, really managed to intermarry, only this relationship did not last long. Of the millions of beautiful women living on Earth, Luke chose Sven's sister Andrea as his wife, who was two years older than the biathlete. It is noteworthy that their wedding took place just in the year when friends first climbed the Olympic podium. True, the story about "they lived happily ever after and died on the same day" was not about Frank and Andrea. In 2001, Luke, who by that time had become a father twice, ran away from his wife to eminent German snowboarder Sandra Farmand. Many, by the way, until the last did not believe that such a seemingly happy marriage broke up. There were rumors that all this was nothing more than a cunning move, and the lovers were only evading taxes. But all the dots over i were dotted in March 2007, the year the couple Luc - Farmand had a daughter. It is not surprising that journalists and fans suspected that the long-standing friendship between Fischer and Luke was over.

The order, as always, was put in place by dad-manager Willy Fisher. " The black cat did not run between me, my son and Frank,- said, as cut off, Fisher Sr. - If people no longer love each other, this is not a reason to spoil business and personal relationships. Sven and Frank are still friends».

And he didn't lie. Luke, who is now a journalist for German television after his sports career, once personally helped Fischer set up a marathon before interviewing him. This is true male friendship!

A sinner in love

Fisher with his daughter.

Fisher, unlike Luke, approached family life in more detail. However, for a long time, the biathlete and his chosen one Doren lived, as our grandmothers said, “in sin”, that is, in a civil marriage (according to rumors, it was again about tax evasion). Even the birth of a daughter, who was named Emilia Sophie, did not force Sven and Doren to tie the knot. However, this event could not but affect the soul of the athlete.

« Once, when I returned home from the next stage of the World Cup, my daughter threw herself on my neck with the words: “Dad, dad, I missed you so much, when will you be able to be at home more often? Fischer recalls. - My heart trembled, and I realized that if I don’t change something in my life, I will miss the whole childhood of my child».

Here is the answer why the great biathlete decided to end his career. In 2007, he was 36 and, according to his father, Fischer could perform at high level at least a couple more years.

« To be honest, I regret that my son finished biathlon without fully realizing himself, - Willy Fischer says “But a family is a family, and no one has the right to condemn him. He acted like a real man.".

After some time, the ex-biathlete nevertheless decided on cardinal changes in his life. Contrary to popular belief that romance fades with age, Fisher came to his Doreen, fell on his knees in front of her and asked for her hand. “He didn’t even fall to his knees at the finish line!” his father laughs. On May 24, 2008, the long-awaited wedding took place. And soon Fischer had a son, Johan Alfri.

Fisher with family.

Together forever

Now Fischer, like Luke, works as an expert on the German TV channel ZDF. Friends are also accustomed to relaxing together, since they have similar hobbies. In their free time, ex-biathletes go hunting - this is their main hobby. Fisher is also a professional photographer, and he is used to spending his holidays with his family while traveling. It is interesting, of course, whether the Fisher family invites the Luke couple with them for company? But, this, however, is a completely different story.

Tatyana Pomelnikova, Sportbox.ru

Retired stars. German national team

In the fourth article from the cycle, read about the veterans of the Russian men's team!

The first to come to the center of our attention were the legendary German biathletes Katrin Apel, Ricco Gross and Uschi Disl, who until recently led the German national team to victories and medals, and now they are watching its successes and failures from the outside.

Katrin APEL - not a day without sports

If you list all the hobbies and hobbies of Apel, then the life of other ex-athletes will seem boring and monotonous. For example, immediately after the completion of a career caused by health problems, a German woman trained as a physiotherapist and practices at a medical center. In addition, Apel is a true fan of fitness and healthy eating. On her official website, she talks in detail about what you can and should eat. With typical German pedantry, she calculates the calorie content of all dishes and tells how to burn these calories. Apel also promotes the new kind fitness - the so-called nordic walking, or Nordic Walking. It uses special poles that resemble ski poles. Apel claims that this type of fitness allows you to burn much more calories than regular walking, and invites everyone to take a walk with her through the picturesque places of her native Germany.

For the second year, the ex-biathlete, together with famous athletes and politicians of Germany, has been participating in the charity program of the President of the country - the Tour of Hope bike ride. The purpose of the campaign is to raise funds for the treatment of children with cancer. So, during the "Tour of Hope-2009" it was possible to gain almost one and a half million euros!

“During a bike ride, we met a woman whose daughter was cured thanks to the money received during the last action,” recalls Apel. Tears of gratitude ran down her cheeks, and so did I. After such meetings, you understand that you do not live in vain.

Giving happiness to others is wonderful, but so far they have not been able to build their own happy Apel family. When Apel announced her retirement, she admitted that she was dreaming of a wedding with her lover Thomas Burmann, a big house and children. Burmann, by the way, is also a biathlete in the past, but against the background of the successful Apel, frankly, his meager achievements fade. However, Burmann found himself in another field - he holds a high position in a ski lubricant company. Here is the answer why at one time Apel skis glided better than others. Burmann and Apel have been together for a long time, but there is still not a word about the wedding ...

Ricco GROSS - a good fairy with a macho appearance

Gross is one of the most titled German biathletes. Four times he became the Olympic champion, and won the world championship nine times. In 2007, Gross said goodbye to biathlon, after which the German men's team seemed to be orphaned. However, unlike the same Apel, the German does not miss big-time sports. Moreover, now he is on the other side of the barricades: for several years he has been working as an expert for the German ARD television channel and will go to the Olympics as a journalist.

“I don’t feel nostalgia for the stress that always accompanies the life of athletes,” says Gross. - For example, I received a pass to Vancouver a long time ago. All athletes are worried, but I'm sure that I will be at the Olympics. The only downside is that I won't bring a medal this time. But I’ll tell you everything about everyone!”

Gross successfully combines commentary work with work with German junior biathletes, and also organizes regional competitions. It is Gross who owns the know-how in the education of young athletes: over the past three years, for the most talented in Germany, they have been looking for personal sponsors from among large companies. So Gross is a real good fairy for young people. True, this fairy has the appearance of a real macho. The German press claims that if not today, tomorrow Gross will become the new coach of the women's national team.

However, Gross does not limit himself to work alone. He considers the main achievement of his life not the Olympic gold medals, but his big family- wife, three sons and a white labrador. In his free time, Gross enjoys riding his motorcycle and playing golf professionally. By the way, the ex-biathlete is sure that it was his passion for golf that helped him improve the quality of his shooting, because in both cases extreme concentration is required. Gross's words can be trusted - in the 2003/2004 season, he was recognized as the most accurate biathlete on the planet.

It is curious that his eldest sons followed in the footsteps of the father-athlete: Marco had already achieved his first successes in ski jumping, and Simon preferred golf.

Ears DISL - Virus of love

Another representative of the German national team, Uschi Disl, ended her phenomenal career immediately after the Games in Turin. At the age of sixteen, she changed skiing to biathlon and was not mistaken. Diesel is a medalist of five winter olympics, 19-time medalist and 8-time world champion. And ski hardening more than once helped a biathlete who did not differ in accurate shooting. It is no coincidence that the fans nicknamed her Turbo Diesel, because she regularly won medals due to her speed despite numerous mistakes on the firing lines.

In January 2007, Dizl, who said goodbye to biathlon, had a daughter, Hannah. The former athlete herself decided to try herself as a commentator and began working on the ARD channel together with her former teammate Ricco Gross. However, three months ago, Diesel came to the conclusion that journalism was not her path. However, she immediately promised that she would never leave the world of sports. And she didn't lie.

Now Diesel is the face of a company that produces equipment for cyclists, and regularly participates in various promotions. The ex-biathlete herself, by the way, is also not averse to going on a bike ride with little Hannah.

It also turned out that Diesel is a big lover of pets. For several years she has been living with a black dog named Virus, who loves more than anything to lie on the bed of the hostess. Diesel only scolds him for this, but never drives him away. The athlete also leaves the Virus at home with reluctance, but there's nothing to be done - she has to travel all over the world for work. Sometimes business trips turn into more serious problems. Returning in December from a trip to Sweden, mother and daughter felt unwell. It turned out they had swine flu. Fortunately, Diesel and her child quickly recovered. But the superstitious athlete still insists that all hardships happen when the family is not together.

But really, what about the family? Where is Hannah's dad and why is the faithful dog Virus always left at home alone? Well, let's reveal the secret. Beloved Disl is the serviceman of the Norwegian national team, a native of Sweden, Thomas Soderberg. Well, he cannot leave Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and Emil Svendsen to their fate, and therefore he is constantly on the road. So poor Diesel has to be torn between work, her daughter and her beloved man. So, the other day, she promised on her official website that she would definitely come to Ruhpolding for the World Cup stage. And we will believe that the athlete simply missed ... biathlon.

Sportbox.ru continues a series of materials dedicated to the biathlon stars of the past years, who, having “retired”, are looking for themselves in new areas of life. This time we will talk about married couples brought together by biathlon - Liv-Gret and Rafael Poiret, Magdalena and Henrik Forsberg, Florence and Julien Robert, as well as the wife of Ole Einar Bjoerndalen Natalie Santer.

Liv-Gret and Rafael Poiret - biathlon parents

In the last days of the past year, the famous French biathlete Rafael Poiret had an accident while riding an ATV near his home. The eight-time world champion underwent a difficult twelve-hour operation and is recovering very slowly, but, according to doctors, there is no threat to his life. Raphael's wife, the famous Norwegian Liv-Gret Poiret, says only one thing: "My husband is strong, he can handle it ..."

The idyll in the Poiret family has always been admired by fans and colleagues. The friendship of two successful biathletes, as happens in love stories, one fine day grew into an ardent passion, which the athletes carefully concealed for several years. But you can't hide an awl in a bag. Their relationship became public property after the 2000 World Cup, when the lovers celebrated their victories with a passionate public kiss. A few months later they got married, and Liv-Gret Skielbraid became Madame Poiret. And three years later, on January 27, 2003, she gave her husband a daughter, Emma.

“A child is the best that a person is capable of,” says Monsieur Poiret. - I am not annoyed by the crying of children, and the fact that I often do not get enough sleep. But every day I see the happy eyes of my wife, and this is the best reward for me!

A year after the birth of her daughter, the beautiful Norwegian gained an excellent physical form, and spent perhaps her most successful season, becoming the winner of the World Cup and four-time world champion in Oberhof. Before her, none of the Norwegian biathletes achieved such results. However, after an unsuccessful performance at the Games in Turin, she decided to say goodbye to the sport. “I want to break with biathlon because of Emma,” the athlete explained. “I had a good childhood, and I don’t want to deprive my daughter of it.”

Soon hung up the rifle on a nail and her husband. In an unequal battle, family values prevailed over biathlon. As if in gratitude to her husband, Liv-Gret soon gave birth to a second girl, Anna, and at the end of 2008, a third, Lena. “Brides for the three sons of Ricco Gross,” the fans joke.

What if another girl is born in the Poiret family? Then, in 15-20 years, an invincible relay team of sisters may appear on the biathlon arena! Another thing, which country will she play for? Currently, a large and friendly family lives in Norway. Moreover, Rafael shocked all the French when, in tandem with the Olympic champion Egil Eland, he began working as a shooting coach for the Norwegian team. Athletes, especially young ones, idolize their mentor, because Poiret has always been an excellent shooter. And he learned the training methodology under the patronage of the former main rival, and now a good friend of Ole Einar Bjoerndalen. At one time they even trained together.

The great Norwegian, by the way, is not going to follow in the footsteps of his friend Poiret. He does not think about children, but plans to continue performing until the Olympic Games in Sochi. Bjoerndalen's wife, former Italian biathlete Natalie Santer, who has already retired, has said more than once that she wants children, but she nevertheless treats her husband's life with understanding. However, Bjoerndalen promised that he would try to provide replenishment in the family after he finished with the sport.

But Liv-Grete Poiret does not share the position of a compatriot and skillfully combines business with pleasure. Namely, maternal duties and the work of an expert commentator on Norwegian television, and is also the marketing director of one major advertising project. Fans of Liv-Gret still cannot come to terms with the fact that their favorite no longer goes to the track, and live in the hope that the athlete will come to her senses and return. However, Madame Poiret assures that biathlon is no longer a foot, even at the level of competition between veterans. “I love my family and my babies too much,” she says. - I deserve this happiness - to be a mother, and I'm not going to refuse it!

Magdalena and Henrik Forsberg - incomplete happiness

In 2002, the Swedish biathlete Magdalena Forsberg completed her brilliant career. She became famous for her incredibly accurate shooting, thanks to which for six years - from 1997 to 2002, no one could move her from first place in the overall World Cup standings. Before her, not a single athlete in winter activities. Even the legendary skier Bjorn Dehli has won crystal globe only five times. Once Forsberg even had to return to the stage twice to carry away all the prizes won at the end of the season ... However, she never managed to become Olympic champion. Forsberg's achievements at the Games are limited to two bronze medals. So, during one of the races in Salt Lake City, the athlete lacked only one accurate shot. “Everyone was so expecting gold from me that I simply could not stand the pressure and disrupted the shooting, although accuracy has always been my forte,” she later said.

In the early 2000s, Forsberg's popularity in her native Sweden went through the roof, and TV ratings of races with her participation broke records. The current life of the ex-athlete is also connected with television. Following the example of many former colleagues, she works as a commentator and also hosts on television. own program about travel. In addition, Forsberg collaborates with a sports nutrition company.

A couple of years ago, Magdalena's husband, Henrik Forsberg, also finished his career. Unlike his wife, he never bathed in fame and high titles does not have. But, according to the ex-biathlete, he became for her the most best man in the world. Their wedding took place in 1997, but the couple still has no children. To the question "why?" the athlete answers evasively: “Henrik and I dream of children, but ... it will not be now, a little later. Honestly, I do not have enough time for pregnancy! I have a lot of work and too many plans. For example, she will go on a trip with her husband.

Florence Baverel-Robert and Julien Robert - travel can wait

The Roberts married couple came to big sport in 1994 and just as synchronously left it in 2007. There is only one difference - at the dawn of their careers, they were not husband and wife. Julien Robert has always been a good shooter, but ski training often let him down. The Frenchman considers his main achievements to be bronze medals in the relay quartet at the Olympic Games in Salt Lake and Turin, as well as gold at the 2001 World Championship in Pokljuka. But in the piggy bank of his wife Florence Baverel-Robert there are more impressive awards: Olympic gold Turin in the sprint and nine world championship medals.

Monsieur Robert admits that he does not miss sports at all and enjoys freedom. The hobby of the Robert family is traveling. However, the couple is in no hurry to travel around the world, preferring to first explore every corner of their native France. “It’s easier than going, say, to Korea or Russia,” says the ex-biathlete. “Not that far, but incredibly interesting.”

But in the next couple of years, the Roberts will have to wait a little with travel. For a very good reason, though. On October 2, 2008, the long-awaited daughter Rose was born to Julien and Florence. Now happy parents spend all their free time with the baby. It is curious that the young lady was born almost simultaneously with the third daughter of the Poiret family - Lena, whose birthday is October 11th.

Ice and fire

They say that there is no friendship in sports, and that rivals remain competitors in life. Fisher and Luke are a vivid example of the fact that there are exceptions to any rule.

In 1980, young Frank Luc, following the example of his father and grandfather, came to cross-country skiing, but soon changed them to biathlon. “It always seemed to me a more spectacular and emotional sport,” explains the athlete. Fischer was more original - he first tried his hand at the queen of sports - track and field athletics, but the tartan track and starting blocks lost the battle to the rifle and the track. “I have always enjoyed shooting more than running,” Fischer admits. The friendship of two future biathlon stars began in their school years. They met thanks to the fact that Fischer's first coach was Luke's uncle, Stefan.

Tall and energetic, Frank Luc showed himself at a young age and in 1988, at the age of 21, qualified to represent the GDR at the Calgary Winter Olympics, where he finished sixth in the sprint race. Everything did not go as smoothly for Fischer as for a friend - he went to the titles, as they say, through thorns. When Luke was already shining on the world stage, Fischer could only boast of achievements in junior competitions in Germany. Fischer was an accelerator, that is, he grew up very quickly, but this did not help him, but rather hindered him. The athlete had serious problems with his knees, which led to surgery. His career was in jeopardy. Fortunately, soon after the operation, Fischer began training, but he could not show high results, and this was completely inopportune. In the 90s, together with the unification of the FRG and the GDR, the two strongest German biathlon schools also merged. Only the best of the best could get on the team. Frank Ulrich, who then, as now, led the men's team, believed in Fischer and gave him a chance to shine. And Fischer did not disappoint. Already in December 1991, at the European Cup, he won the sprint in Hochfilzen, and following the results of his debut season as part of the first team, he became sixth in the overall World Cup standings.

dad for two

Three years later, Luke and Fischer went together to the Olympic Games in Lillehammer. There, for the first time, they stood shoulder to shoulder on the podium after the 20-kilometer race: Luke got silver, Fischer got bronze. “The day Sven won his first Olympic medal was the happiest day of my life. After birth, children, of course. I will never forget him, ”said subsequently the father of biathlete Willy Fischer, who for a long time was the manager of both his own son and his friend Luke.

How many wins do I have? How many titles? I have not the foggiest idea. Sven Fischer kept repeating. “Only my father knows that. He keeps a close eye on all my titles as well as Frank's achievements."

Failed kinship

“Sven and I have been through all sorts of things over the years of our friendship, both good and bad,” says Luke. - In 1992, they even got into a car accident together. But we've always managed to be rivals on the track and brothers outside the stadium at the same time."

The order, as always, was put in place by dad-manager Willy Fisher. “The black cat didn’t run between me, my son and Frank,” Fisher Sr. said, as he snapped. - If people no longer love each other, this is not a reason to spoil business and personal relationships. Sven and Frank are still friends."

And he didn't lie. Luke, who is now a journalist for German television after his sports career, once personally helped Fischer set up a marathon before interviewing him. This is true male friendship!

“Once, when I returned home from the next stage of the World Cup, my daughter threw herself on my neck with the words: “Dad, dad, I missed you so much, when can you be at home more often? Fischer recalls. “My heart trembled, and I realized that if I don’t change something in my life, I will miss the whole childhood of my child.”

Here is the answer why the great biathlete decided to end his career. In 2007, he was 36 and, according to his father, Fischer could compete at a high level for at least a couple more years.

“To be honest, I regret that my son finished biathlon without fully realizing himself,” says Willy Fischer. “But a family is a family, and no one has the right to condemn him. He acted like a real man."

To be continued.