Biography

Alexey Anatolyevich Volkov(April 5, 1988, Raduzhny, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Tyumen Region) - Russian biathlete, Honored Master of Sports, four-time European champion, six-time Russian champion.

At first I was engaged in cross-country skiing under the guidance of Andrey Ivanovich Kolisnechenko. In 2003, Alexey and his younger brother Alexander decided to switch to biathlon: in Nizhnevartovsk they were concerned about creating a biathlon school where successful, fast skiers were recruited. In Nizhnevartovsk, Alexey worked for two years with Ivan Fedorovich Zelenin and Pyotr Nikolaevich Dubasov. Then he got into the district team, and then into the junior team of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug with coaches Valery Pavlovich Zakharov and Sergei Alexandrovich Altukhov. To biathlon Alexey Volkov came in 2003 from ski racing. First coach Volkova became Zelenin Ivan Fedorovich. And he has been involved in training with the main team of the Russian national team since the 2009-2010 season.

In the collection Alexey Volkov: - 3 gold, 3 silver and bronze at Russian championships - 2 silver at junior world championships - 3 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze at junior European championships

First race Volkova at the World Cup stage took place on December 5, 2009 in Ostersund, Sweden, and Alexey’s best result was 4th place in the sprint at the stage in Oslo-Holmenkollen, Norway on March 18, 2010.

Currently Alexey Volkov represents the TsSPKYU city of Khanty-Mansiysk and is a student of Surgut State University, and his coach is Sergey Altukhov.

Interesting: Brother Alexey Alexander Volkov He is also a biathlete.

Volkov debuted in the World Cup in December 2009, but was unsuccessful. After the Olympic Games, he was again called to compete in the World Cup: in one of the sprint races, he came close to the podium - 4th place. It is distinguished by a combination of high rate of fire and accuracy at firing lines. So in the 2010/2011 season he became the most accurate biathlete - 90% of hits.

In 2009, at the World Junior Biathlon Championships, he won a silver medal in the individual race. There, as part of the Russian team, he took 2nd place in the relay race.

At the European Junior Championships in Ufa, he earned gold in the relay and took third place in the pursuit.

At the 2010 European Championships, Volkov won medals in all 4 disciplines. He took first place in the pursuit race, became a silver medalist in the sprint and relay race (team composition: Volkov, Malyshko, Semakov, Vasiliev) and received a bronze medal in the individual race.

In April 2009 Alexey Volkov became the opening of the Russian Championship in Uvat. In terms of age, he is still a junior, but in terms of the number of medals he is ahead of absolutely everyone: he has two golds, a silver and a bronze. In addition, Alexey won " Prize of the Governor of the Tyumen Region", becoming its youngest owner in 15 years of existence.

In December 2009, he took second place in the individual race of the Russian Championship.

In April 2011, as a member of the first KhMAO-Yugra team, he took third place in the relay race at the Russian Championship in Tyumen, losing to an Udmurt athlete in the last meters of the distance Vyacheslav Alypov.

In April 2012, in Uvat, Alexey made a golden double, first winning the individual race, beating Andrey Makoveev by 8 seconds, and then the pursuit race, beating the same Andrei Makoveev by a minute.

In April 2012 in Tyumen at the Russian Open Cup - the prize of the governor of the Tyumen region, Alexey became second in the sprint, losing 20 seconds to Timofey Lapshin, and then won the pursuit race, receiving the main prize. At the 2012 Russian Biathlon Championship, which continued in Tyumen, A. Volkov first became second in the mass start, and the next day became a 6-time champion of Russia, winning together with the team of the Khanty-Mansiysk District in the 4x7.5 km relay race ( A. Trusov, D. Yaroshenko, A. Gusev, A. Volkov).

In March 2013, at the Russian Championship in Uvat, he became a silver medalist in the sprint, shooting without misses and losing to the winner Evgeniy Garanichev 3.5 seconds. A day later in the pursuit he also finished second with two penalties, losing to the same Evgeniy Garanichev 35 seconds. He also won a silver medal in the relay race as part of the KhMAO team ( A. Trusov, A. Gusev, M. Boyarsky, A. Volkov).

December 5, 2009 - made his debut in the World Cup in the sprint race in Östersund, showing the 74th result (5th out of 6 among Russian athletes).

On March 18, 2010, he took 4th place in the sprint race in Holmenkollen and was included in the flower ceremony for the first time.

On December 18, 2011, at the stage in Hochfilzen, he made his debut as part of a mixed relay team and immediately won the race.

On January 5, 2012, at the World Cup in Oberhof, he made his debut as part of the men's relay and took second place with Anton Shipulin, Evgeny Garanichev and Evgeny Ustyugov.

On November 25, 2012, at the World Cup in Östersund, he won the race in the mixed relay together with Olga Zaitseva, Olga Vilukhina and with Evgeny Ustyugov

On January 4, 2013, at the World Cup in Oberhof, he won his first victory as part of the men's relay team.

The Russian biathlete, Olympic champion, world champion and the only seven-time European champion in history has other titles that are important for his sports career, but one of the main events of his personal life was the birth of his daughter, who was born a year and a half ago.

Alexey Volkov’s wife is his colleague - many people know the name of the Russian biathlete Evgenia Seledtsova, who united her fate with him in April 2014 and from now on will compete in all competitions under her husband’s surname. Alexey is considered the most accurate Russian biathlete, and he showed his ability for biathlon already in childhood.

First, together with his brother Alexander, they began skiing, and later decided to try their hand at biathlon. The brothers were helped in their development in this sport by the fact that a specialized biathlon school was opened not far from their hometown of Raduzhny in Nizhnevartovsk, where the Volkov skiers, who showed good results in the races, were gladly accepted.

In the photo - Alexey and Evgenia Volkov

The first participation in a major competition - the 2009 World Cup, did not become something outstanding for Alexey - then he took only seventy-fourth place, but already in the individual race in Canada, held as part of the World Junior Championships in the same year, Volkov was able declare himself by taking first place, and for the relay he received a silver medal. This was the beginning of the young biathlete’s great victories, for which he trained hard, sometimes even forgetting about his personal life.

At the European Junior Championships, Alexey Volkov took third place and first place in the team relay race. Having moved from juniors to the adult category, Volkov did not get lost and continued to win notable victories - at the next European Championship, held in Estonia in 2010, Alexey performed very successfully and won prizes in each of the four disciplines.

While performing at competitions and training hard, Alexey did not forget that one cannot live only for today, and he entered YSU to major in physical education and sports.

In the photo - the wife of Alexei Volkov

Alexei Volkov's wife Evgenia Seledtsova grew up in a sports family, and therefore, like her husband, she has been involved in sports since childhood, and since her parents are skiers, she decided to try herself in this sport. Evgenia started doing biathlon after school, and for this she moved to Khanty-Mansiysk. Like Alexey, Zhenya entered Ugra State University, but not in the physical education department, but in the economics department and successfully graduated, although it was quite difficult, because she had to combine training and competitions with studies, it’s good that the teachers were cooperative.

In the future, higher education will undoubtedly be useful to the children, but for now they are busy with their sports career, trying to achieve even greater results. As for the personal side, Alexey and Evgenia Volkov still have everything ahead of them, and their daughter Arina will probably not be the only child in the family of Alexey and Evgenia.

The rapid career of the Honored Master of Sports, biathlete Alexei Volkov did not go unnoticed by the public. Within 6 years, the athlete became the only six-time European champion and eight-time Russian champion in history. Alexey is an Olympic champion, multiple European medalist and two-time world champion. What is the secret of such success?

Athlete's family

Alexey Volkov (biathlete) was born on April 5, 1988 in the city of Raduzhny, Tyumen region. The parents are not native residents of the city; they came to Raduzhny for production. Alexey's father is an electrician, his mother worked as a machinist.

As the athlete says, he didn’t do well at school; after ninth grade, they simply hinted to him that he wouldn’t finish eleventh grade. But this did not prevent the athlete from graduating from a professional lyceum as an electrician, and then receiving a higher education. Alexey is a graduate of Surgut State University.

Alexei Volkov's wife is a biathlete, master of sports, European silver medalist. Before the wedding, the young people dated for several years; the wedding ceremony took place in April 2014 in Khanty-Mansiysk during the Russian Championship. In October 2015, Alexey and Evgenia had a daughter. The athlete says that children are a great joy in life; leaving for training camps and competitions for a long time is now much harder.

Skiing is a childhood hobby

Alexey started ski racing at the age of 9. The first coach is Andrey Kolisnichenko. In 2003, a biathlon school was created in Nizhnevartovsk, which recruited successful skiers. In the same year, Alexey’s father was awarded a trip to the World Cup, where Alexey Volkov saw such competitions live for the first time. The athlete recalls that upon his return, when the coach came to sign up for the section, Alexey, without hesitation, switched to biathlon.

The athlete recalls that they were running cross-country in the park, and he wanted to ski. After three weeks he got bored with it, so he stopped attending the biathlon section. A year later, his younger brother Sasha went to biathlon school, his coach invited the best skiers to the team training camp, including Alexey Volkov.

The biathlete says that at that time leaving Raduzhny was a huge event. The coach promised to take Alexey to the training camp on the condition that he did not miss a single training session during the year. At that time, the young athlete didn’t even think about the Olympics. I just understood: if he trains well, he will be able to go to training camps.

First training camps

Alexey Volkov (biathlete) remembers the first training camp in 2003 in Kazakhstan well. He recalls that at that time it was difficult to find equipment, and it all came down to a cap and gloves. At the same time, the athlete was engaged in polyathlon - this is skiing over a ten-kilometer distance, pneumatic shooting while standing from 10 m and pull-ups. Therefore, the athlete shot well.

Alexey persuaded the coach to take him to the training camp in Khanty-Mansiysk, since due to his age he no longer qualified for the group. The athlete went to the training camp at his own expense. Then he took first place at the Championship, which surprised everyone, since it was his first competition. So Alexey got into the regional biathlon team.

Rapid success

Alexey Anatolyevich Volkov joined the junior team in April 2009 and became a real find of the national championship - he was ahead of all participants in the number of medals. In addition, he wins the prize of the governor of the Tyumen region - a car - and becomes the youngest winner of such a prize. In December of the same year in Sweden, the athlete participates in the World Cup.

Alexey is distinguished by his constant desire to win. The 2010 European Championship brought the athlete medals in four disciplines. In February 2011, participation in the European Championships brought him silver in the sprint and gold in the pursuit. In December of the same year, Alexey Anatolyevich Volkov took part in the race and won the competition. The biathlete’s sports career is rapidly rising:

• In 2012, Alexey won the individual race and the pursuit race in Uvat, took second place in the mass start, and became a six-time national champion in the relay team race.
• In 2013, Alexey was the silver medalist of Russia; the relay race brought the athlete a silver medal.
• In 2014 he received silver in the individual race.
• In 2015, he became the Russian silver medalist in the pursuit, relay and mass start.
• In 2016, he took second place in the relay at the World Cup.

The World Cup started in November 2016 in Sweden and will end in March 2017 in Norway. The Russian team took second place in the mixed relay. Alexey Volkov also plays on the team. The biathlete says that after the IBU Cup there was only 2 days for recovery. I didn’t feel very good, but I was pleased with my performance. There are plans to participate in the IBU Cup individual race in Arber.

Sochi 2014 Olympic champion, biathlete Alexey Volkov temporarily settled in Chelyabinsk

A Komsomolskaya Pravda correspondent approached the champion with questions about the environment and training until you drop. He found out what kind of weapon he dreams of shooting, how much a bullet and a rifle cost, how it runs on the highways of Europe, and where did the “golden” Olympic Mercedes go?

…Alexey Volkov’s collection includes six gold medals from the World Cup stages. The same number of victories at the European Championship. For this achievement, he has no equal on the planet. Two top podiums at the World Summer Biathlon Championships, multiple Russian champion...

So far, the main victories in life, according to Alexey, are the birth of his daughter Arina and the relay gold at the Olympic Games in Sochi.

Few people know that Volkov and his wife Evgenia have been living in one of the new buildings near ChelSU for a year now. This winter, as an honored guest, I attended competitions among local skiers and awarded the best athletes with certificates.

It turns out that Chelyabinsk has one more Olympic champion. And what kind! Let him play for Khanty-Mansiysk...

YOU JUST HAVE TO WORK IN TRAINING

There’s so much written about Chelyabinsk on the Internet today, I don’t even know who or what to believe,” Alexey Volkov sits down more comfortably. - They talk about emissions. Maybe we athletes are used to everything, but I don’t really notice anything. An ordinary metropolis, crammed with smoky vehicles. You need to approach this issue professionally. Take instruments and measure the cleanliness of the air. What are these substances and where do they come from? And the perpetrators will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Instead of unfoundedly shouting and blaming...

- Do you also react to criticism if our biathletes are scolded?

I react normally to criticism. Detailed criticism, as a rule, comes from people who are involved in this sport and know biathlon cuisine. This kind of criticism helps.

- Are you starting to train even more?

There are no miracles. We have to work hard in training. Our season has already begun. We were at a training camp in Bulgaria. Altitude under 2000 meters. We trained together with Anton Shipulin and Olympic champion in cross-country skiing Zhenya Dementiev.

On one of the shock days we rode up the mountain on roller skis for more than 30 kilometers. Classic plus a hobby. It took us two and a half hours to climb. It is something! Now we will train near St. Petersburg. The tasks are approximately the same volume, but we will increase the intensity.

I HAVE POOR ORIENTATION IN CHELYABINSK

You train for yourself and for your wife (she once ran for the national team - author's note)... Have you been together for a long time?

Eight years. We met at a training camp in Khanty-Mansiysk. Now we are raising a daughter. They called her Arina. We just liked the name - both us and the grandmothers.

- Almost everyone on the biathlon team is already married!

Main cast yes. But now there are a lot of young people. They are not yet ready to get married (laughs).

- Why did you decide to settle in Chelyabinsk?

My wife's parents live here. They have their own equipment center. And in Khanty-Mansiysk there is no one to help with the child in case of my absence. We spent our vacation in the Southern Urals. We went to see my parents in Yekaterinburg.

- Do they recognize you on the streets in Chelyabinsk?

Happened a couple of times. But I mostly travel by car. From home I run to the Shershnevsky Forest Park across the bridge. I roller ski on the track near the Elesina stadium. I still have trouble finding my way around the city. But I'm learning it little by little.

- Have you heard about plans to build a ski stadium in Chelyabinsk?

I know that they are choosing a place for construction. There is an option at Carp Pond. The descents there are quite steep. Everything needs to be done thoroughly.

- After the training camp, Alexey Volkov returns to Chelyabinsk. Does a wife greet her husband with borscht and dumplings?

I won't refuse either. But I usually order okroshka.

- Do you cook yourself?

I love to cook. I watch cooking shows and read recipes on the Internet. If I had more time, I would be happy to stand at the stove.

SECOND LOVE

- For winning the Olympics, all champions were awarded Mercedes SUVs. Where's the car?

I sold it without hesitation. I just decided to take another car.

- They say that our biathletes will start running with rifles from the Kalashnikov concern?

Several people are already running around with domestic rifles. The same Garanichev, for example, with BI-7–4. I'm with the German Anschutz for now. A rifle is a second love for a biathlete. Only I don’t sleep with her (laughs).

- A high-quality rifle is worth its weight in gold!

A small glitch and you're out of luck. The barrel alone costs me 150 thousand rubles. The quality of a barrel is when it is clamped into a special machine and 10 shots must accurately hit the same point. Our manufacturers can achieve this quality.

- Manufacturers make elite rifles to order for a specific athlete. How is that?

Under its anatomical features - shoulder girdle, back, neck, head, facial bones. There are many more subtleties.

By the way, my friend and I opened a small production of rifle parts - the stock, the base is made of aluminum, the attached parts are made of wood and carbon fiber. We make it for a specific athlete. We can fulfill any whim.

- Biathletes don’t use optics?

This is prohibited by the rules.

DON'T MIND SHOOTING FROM RPGs

- Several different questions. Have you ever had any funny things happen at the shooting range?

The biathlete on the shooting range must hold the rifle only towards the settings. Violation will result in disqualification from the race. Once in my youth, I turned to the trainer at the shooting range with a rifle in my hands, but immediately realized my mistake and pointed the rifle towards the installation. Then they forgave me, but gave me a stern warning.

- Is it true that in Europe fans along the track “kill” competitors by blowing tobacco smoke in their faces?

This happens at the World Cup stages. For example, in Oberhof, Germany. There are thousands of fans on the first long climb. But they are not doing this out of malice, they come to enjoy the holiday atmosphere. They brew mulled wine and smoke cigars. There's a smell there, I'll tell you! Everyone is trying to run up this mountain as quickly as possible, otherwise you might get drunk (laughs).

Some may be relaxing; everyone’s concept of rest at the end of the season is different. I would like to return home quickly.

The legendary Bjoerndalen ran around hot corners during training, and then sometimes immediately fired at targets...

Bjoerndalen was my idol. Now we compete side by side with him, but that doesn’t make him any less great to me. Over the coals? Extreme! I'm not a fan of such things. But if this is necessary for training, then I would run over the coals. The Europeans probably lack drive, so they are showing off. If they were born and lived in Russia, they wouldn’t even think about coal (laughs).

- The weight of your rifle?

A little over four kilograms. Previously I was generally 4.5 kg. And according to the rules, a rifle must weigh at least 3.5 kg.

- Do biathletes try their hand at shooting with other types of weapons?

I admit, I haven't tried it yet. I dream of shooting from some kind of “sniper”, for example an SVD, to hit the bull’s eye at 300 meters. You can also use a machine gun, a machine gun, an RPG... I would like to test my shooting skills with a different caliber.

- Maybe we can organize it at our tank training ground near Chebarkul.