Babikov and Tsvetkov: double triumph in Östersund! Who are Anton Babikov and Maxim Tsvetkov

Pavel Kopachev and Vyacheslav Sambur talk about the best race of the year.

In March, when the Russian team was in agony at the World Championships in Holmenkollen (0 medals), many were surprised: why hadn’t they noticed Babikov before? Why wasn't he given a chance?

“He has a Fourcadian body texture,” exclaimed the two-time Olympic champion Anatoly Alyabyev. - It is designed for contact racing! If Anton is rolled out for at least half a season, the result will definitely come.

As Alyabyev felt, it didn’t even take a month. And speaking in terms of numbers: only 11 races in the World Cup!

However, against the background of his peers - Pechenkin, Tsvetkov - 25-year-old Babikov never looked like a nugget. Yes, good physical data - but I didn’t always accelerate my body weight. Yes, he shot consistently - but to zero, and at decisive moments... But Anton is one of those athletes who not only opens up over the years, but also gets wiser.

Do you know what Babikov is remembered for? - our honored coach greets our call Nikolay Lopukhov. - He runs a 3-kilometer cross-country race at the stadium in 9 minutes. Of the biathletes, only Lesha Slepov can boast of this. And this is an indicator: the guy is a functional runner! Previously, not a single summer period passed without tempo work at the stadium. And now, I know, both Gross and Padin have returned this important point to the training process. Several times over the summer they test the guys and analyze their condition. And there is a result: today Babikov walked the distance very easily and harmoniously. I have gained in all components - in function, in strength, and in swing inertia. But the main thing is that he has matured; I'm so pleased to listen to his interview live. He says calmly and deliberately - well done, man!

There really aren't many victories on Anton's resume. In fact, gold in the pursuit at the 2016 European Championships is the main award; there, together with Victoria Slivko, he won the single mixed doubles. Then they started talking about Babikov seriously and even took him to the World Championships.

In Holmenkollen he certainly didn’t spoil the impression: he ran three individual races (23, 21 and 16 places) and a relay (his own stage - very worthy for a debut). Considering that before this he was taken to the World Cup only 4 (!) times and was entrusted with only 5 (!) races, the result is quite workable.

Just imagine, there is a capable biathlete on the team who wins the World Cup on his 11th attempt! He was just waiting for his chance - until the coaches noticed him and believed in him (you know how they don’t like rotation in Russia). In the end, Dima Malyshko has been expected to reach the podium for two years now, and Anton has shot at his first full season. At the very first stage of this season.

Today's double podium is like a return to the days of the Lopukhov-Gerbulov team. Then at each stage, either Shipulin, then Malyshko, then Ustyugov, then Lapshin, then Garanichev, then even Makoveev fired. Everyone was ready.

In Ostersund, in the pursuit race, even Martin Fourcade gave up under the pressure of the young Russians: approaching the final standing as a leader, he waved twice. But Babikov and Tsvetkov were shot cleanly. Fourcade's chase turned out beautiful, but inconclusive.

Anton is the first, Maxim is the second.

And this is Tsvetkov’s second podium in his career. Maxim, having moved from Vologda, trained for 7 years in Moscow in the experimental group Sochi-14 (just under Lopukhov). And now it is also progressing.

“I have already congratulated Max,” says Lopukhov. - He’s great, he’s physically stronger. I would even say that I over-pumped the upper shoulder girdle. You need to be a little easier, do cyclic work, different swings... But the coaches will figure it out. When a team has capable and talented guys, it’s easy and pleasant to work with them!

You should find out

- The last time a Russian biathlete - not with the last name Shipulin - won an individual race at the World Cup was 4 years ago (less than one month). On January 6, 2013, Dmitry Malyshko finished first in the Oberhof pursuit.

Since then, Evgeny Garanichev and Alexey Volkov, Evgeny Ustyugov and the same Malyshko, Maxim Tsvetkov and almost foreigner Timofey Lapshin, and Alexander Loginov, who has not yet contacted EPO, have stopped by the podium. There were many winners, but all these years only Shipulin won.

Then, January 6, 2013, the last victorious double of Russian biathletes happened: Garanichev was the first after Malyshko on that amazing evening.

And for the very, very last time, two of our guys stood on the podium on January 11, 2015: mass start - silver for Shipulin, bronze for Malyshko.

- Östersund is not the happiest place for Russian biathletes. The last time we won the mixed relay here was November 25, 2012, and personal successes go back to the 2008 World Cup, when Maxim Chudov became the best in the sprint, and Ekaterina Yuryeva won the individual race.

- Anton Babikov won his 11th World Cup race. Evgeny Redkin, who won his fifth start (also his debut at the Olympics), still remained stronger, but in the current lineup everyone lost to Babikov.

It took Malyshko almost three dozen attempts to win, Shipulin even a little more. Garanichev quickly completed the task - the 12th race brought gold. By the way, these examples clearly show that there is no direct connection between the time before the first victory and subsequent successes.

Malyshko’s condition in recent seasons is known to everyone. Garanichev cannot win a second time. But the long-suffering Shipulin is close to the absolute record for podiums and a clear second place in the number of victories in Russian history

Photo: REUTERS/TT News Agency/Anders Wiklund; RIA Novosti/Alexander Vilf (3)

On the street of long-suffering Russian biathlon fans - a small but very long-awaited holiday. In the final discipline of the first stage of the World Cup, which took place in Ostersund, Sweden,

On December 4, he won the men's 12.5 km pursuit race Anton Babikov, showing a result of 31.22.3 (1 miss). His compatriot finished second Maxim Tsvetkov, 10.5 seconds behind (0 misses). The third was a Frenchman Martin Fourcade, whose gap from the winner was 15.2 seconds (4 misses).

Why is this so important?

Winning one race at one stage of the World Cup is not God knows what an achievement for a country with a rich biathlon tradition. But for a country whose athletes not only did not win, but did not even get into the top three for 25(!) official races in a row, the result of Babikov and Tsvetkov is a real breakthrough.

The nightmare series of Russians lasted from February 2016, when Anton Shipulin became third in the pursuit race at the World Cup in American Presque Isle.

The first races of the 2016/2017 season were also depressing. The female part of the Russian team managed to lose not only to leading athletes, but even to representatives of Japan. For men, the picture was a little brighter, but few people hoped for medals in the pursuit race.

Who are Anton Babikov and Maxim Tsvetkov?

Until December 4, 2016, 25-year-old Anton Babikov had three gold medals at the European Championship to his name. One was won in the 4x7.5 km relay in 2015, two more in 2016 in Tyumen, in the single mixed relay, as well as in the 12.5 km pursuit race.

Babikov made his debut at the World Cup in January 2015. In January 2016, he loudly announced himself for the first time, at the stage in Anterselva, after 31st place in the sprint, he rose to 7th in the pursuit race. Babikov achieved his first victory at the World Cup in his 11th race in this tournament - this is considered very rapid progress.

Anton Babikov. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

24-year-old Maxim Tsvetkov has been considered a rising star in biathlon since he was a junior. In 2011, at the World Championships for athletes under 19 years of age, the Russian won three gold medals. In 2012, at the World Championships for athletes under 21, Tsvetkov won twice.

Tsvetkov made his debut in the World Cup much earlier than Babikov - in 2013. In his first sprint race, he took 8th place, which made the fans optimistic.

Then, however, everything became more complicated. Since the 2014/2015 season, Tsvetkov began to be regularly included in the relay, and the biathletes in the team won the World Cup stages three times. In individual races it turned out worse. It was only in January 2016 that Tsvetkov stood on the podium for the first time, taking 2nd place in the sprint race in Anterselva.

Maxim Tsvetkov. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

How did they do it?

In the sprint race, which determined the positions in the pursuit, Babikov and Tsvetkov were the best of the Russians, finishing in 7th and 10th places, respectively.

During the distance, Babikov showed a very good performance in “clean” skis, although he made one mistake. Tsvetkov shot perfectly, but was much weaker over the distance (19th result in “clean” skis). Such indicators were enough for both to be among the contenders for medals by the last shooting range. But not for victory - the race leader, Frenchman Martin Fourcade, had a solid advantage. The French biathlete could even make one mistake and remain in the lead. But Fourcade missed twice, and Babikov and Tsvetkov showed nerves of iron, thanks to which they left the stadium as leaders.

On the last lap, the Frenchman chased his rivals with all his might, but was only able to get a better look at the back of Tsvetkov, who finished second. At that moment, Babikov was already enjoying the victory over the finish line.

Where is Anton Shipulin?

The leader of the Russian team, in an interview before the opening stage of the World Cup, said that he did not like the races in Östersund because of its conditions. Shipulin fully justified these words, speaking unconvincingly.

In the sprint, for example, Shipulin finished in the third ten with two penalties.

True, in the pursuit race Anton showed that he does not intend to be an extra this season. He walked the distance well, and generally shot faster than anyone else at the shooting range. True, speed did not contribute to accuracy - three misses and, accordingly, three penalty loops.

Despite this, Shipulin managed to finish 8th, which, taking into account all the above circumstances, can be considered a satisfactory result.

What's next?

Legendary Norwegian Ole Einar Bjoerndalen in an interview with the Norwegian television channel NRK said: “The Russians have been good for several seasons, but last year they failed. Now they are coming back."

The nearest competitions should show how well the Norwegian’s words correspond to the real state of affairs. On December 9, the 2nd round of the World Cup starts in Pokljuka, Slovenia. Before the New Year, the 3rd stage will also take place, which will begin on December 15 in the Czech Nove Mesto.

Babikov and Tsvetkov, as well as Shipulin and other members of the men’s team will need to prove with action that what happened on December 4 is not an accident, but a pattern.

As for Russian women, I would like to wish them a good mood. You hang in there, girls.

He won an unexpected victory in the pursuit race at the World Cup in Östersund. Starting seventh, he managed to get ahead of Martin Fourcade.

Everyone believed in Fourcade's absolute leadership. However, he gave a small surprise by missing twice at the first turn. This helped competitors get close. Babikov led the chase eight seconds behind the Frenchman. and Matvey Eliseev supported their teammate and entered the preliminary top ten, also closing the gap with Fourcade.

After the second shooting, Eliseev’s place in the top ten was taken by , who handled ten shots perfectly. Babikov continued to be the only pursuer of Fourcade, and Tsvetkov was located at a distance of 10–15 seconds, also not making a single mistake in the prone position. After the next shooting, the Frenchman's advantage over the Russians increased - Babikov could not show the third “zero” in a row, so, having run back a lap, he overcame the control cutoff together with Tsvetkov, 32 seconds behind the leader. Shipulin was unable to join his teammates; after a sharp dash behind his competitors, he failed to hit two out of five targets on the stand.

And at the final stage, Fourcade could not decide the fate of the victory alone, making two more mistakes. Babikov and Tsvetkov took advantage of the given opportunity 100 percent, running away together ahead of the Frenchman. The Frenchman was unable to catch up with any of the Russians.

World Cup. 1st stage. Östersund (Sweden)

1 (7 - in the sprint). Anton Babikov - 31.22.3 (1 miss)

2 (11). Maxim Tsvetkov (both - Russia) - +10.5 (0)

3(1). (France) - +15.2 (4)

4 (3). Arnd Peiffer - +52.7 (3)

5 (15). Eric Lesser (both - Germany) - +55.1 (2)…

8 (28). Anton Shipulin - +1.02.1 (3)…

17 (16). Matvey Eliseev - +1.31.8 (4)…

26 (31). Dmitry Malyshko - +1.46.9 (3)…

30 (49). Evgeniy Garanichev (all - Russia) - +2.17.1 (2)

Anton Babikov: I retained enough strength to maintain an advantage over Fourcade

Elena VAITSEKHOVSKAYA
from Östersund

This race could have been the 26th: in twenty-five previous cup starts in a row, none of the Russian biathletes managed to be among the winners - such a depressing series, by the way, has not happened to the team for more than twenty years. But she became the first. The first of the season, where our men's team managed not only to win, but also to win silver. The first victory was for Anton Babikov. The first in Östersund - after many years of performances.

The intrigue of this final distance began just a few minutes after the start: at the first stage, shooting in an absolutely comfortable mode, the great and invincible missed twice, and Anton Babikov, who started seventh almost a minute behind the leader, took second position.

Even if Fourcade had not had two more misses in the final stand and he had retained the championship, I suspect Russian fans and coaches would still have been happy. What can we say about such an outstanding result!

Fourcade was extremely discouraged by his own performance. I noticed that I didn’t expect to push myself too hard at distances. However, two inaccurate shots changed the entire tactics, and Martin had to really resist.

“I didn’t understand why I made a mistake in shooting,” the Frenchman briefly summarized, without hiding his frustration. But he added that this defeat does not at all interrupt the pleasure that winning the individual race gave him. And at the same time the sprint. Now there will be time to take a break and re-analyze everything: Fourcade planned to leave home from Östersund immediately after the race, but he will arrive in Pokljuka only at the very beginning of the stage.

Finish by Anton BABIKOV. Photo by AFP

STAGE-MOOD

One can, of course, say that defeating a two-time Olympic champion with so many of his mistakes is not a great achievement. But just in this race, such words would sound unlawful. It would be more logical if Babikov and Tsvetkov also missed at the final line: they arrived at the stadium a little later than Martin and his shooting drama unfolded, one might say, before their eyes. And this is not for the faint of heart: it is extremely difficult in such a state not to twitch, anticipating the medal that is coming into your hands. But the Russian guys managed to practice the final shooting perfectly.

If you try to find the most appropriate description of the first stage of the World Cup, I would say that this is a mood stage. And perhaps I would categorically disagree with the point of view widespread among Russian coaches that there is nothing wrong with defeats at the start of the season. From the point of view of further results, perhaps not, especially since we usually don’t get to fight for the World Cup. Of course, you can treat the Ostersund stage as a competition that you just need to endure and quickly forget, like a bad dream. But there is another option: right here, when everything around is gloomy, slippery, cold and unlucky, try to break the back of bad luck at any cost, take the situation into your own hands and make the local biathlon gods, if not smile, then at least wink.

Babikov and Tsvetkov succeeded. What can I say - it was cool!

1. BABIKOV - 31.22.3 (1). 2. FLOWERS - backlog 10.5 (0). 3. M. Fourcade (France) - 15.2 (4). 4. Peiffer - 52.7 (3). 5. Lesser (both - Germany) - 55.1 (2). 6. S. Fourcade (France) - 56.1 (2)… 8. SHIPULIN - 1.02.1 (3)… 17. Mat. ELISEEV - 1.31.8 (4)… 26. MALYSHKO - 1.46.9 (3)… 30. GARANICHEV - 2.17.1 (2).

Russian biathletes in Finnish Kontiolahti held two sprint races, which were qualifying races for athletes at the starting stages of the World Cup and IBU Cup. There were some surprises - for example, in the men's team, neither the main nor the reserve team will have team captain Maxim Tsvetkov.

THE MOST HONEST AND OPEN

This was definitely the most open and fair selection in Russian history. Almost any athlete who could reach Finland could participate in the two sprint races. There are members of the main and reserve teams, as well as biathletes admitted separately.

20 points for first place in the race and further downwards. The six athletes who scored the most points over the two races were supposed to go to the World Cup, the next six to the IBU Cup. Only one place was allocated to the coaching council, which ultimately exercised its privilege only in the women's team. Ulyana Kaisheva received a ticket “out of competition”.

BABIKOV IN RESERVE, TSVETKOV AT THE RUSSIAN CUP

The main “victims” of the new system were the current world champions in the relay race - Anton Babikov and Maxim Tsvetkov. Both failed two races, never even finishing in the top six. Babikov was a little better, reaching seventh place in the second sprint, and eventually qualified for at least the IBU Cup. Tsvetkov, with “zero” qualifying points, remained last among the participants. Sochi Olympic champion Alexey Volkov is not far behind - he has only three points from two races.

The coaching council showed integrity and did not invite titled athletes even to the IBU Cup. Tsvetkov and Volkov will start the season at the Russian Cup, from which they will be able to get out, at best, at the end of December at the Izhevsk Rifle. There are many examples where one unsuccessful selection in November actually ruined the entire season. Although it is, of course, better to believe in the resurrection of Tsvetkov and Volkov until the last moment.

“I would not overestimate the status of Babikov and Tsvetkov,” says two-time Olympic champion Dmitry Vasiliev. — Yes, Tsvetkov finished last season beautifully, won the World Cup stage - great, but this is just an intermediate start. Babikov and Tsvetkov look so unattractive that it’s difficult to drag them into the team. Then people wouldn't understand at all. With such preparation and results, it would be strange to see them in the lineup. Everything is fair here.

SHIPULIN WITHOUT WORLD CUP UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR

The best Russian biathlete of the decade is not yet on the team. Anton Shipulin had a guaranteed place in the starting lineup regardless of selection. But in the end, he decided not to compete in either the two races in Kontiolahti or the December stages of the World Cup. Instead, he will continue to train with the reserve team and begin the season with the IBU Cup and Izhevsk Rifle.

“After so many years of hard training, missing a few months will lead to the fact that he will be inferior at the beginning of the season,” says two-time Olympic champion Anna Bogaliy. - But he has competent eyeliners, he is quite capable of being in better shape in March. He doesn't need to rush. Especially with the World Cup. Why do you need a negative experience? We need to gain strength, improve the component in shooting training that is lame, in order to return again as the strongest biathlete.

WOMEN LACK STABILITY

The women's team remains the most mysterious so far. More than half of the squad are World Cup debutants, the leader based on the results of the selections is Irina Starykh. However, it seems that the leaders here will change in each race. Almost no one showed stable results in Kontiolahti. Even the experienced Ekaterina Yurlova-Perkht won the first sprint, but failed the second with four penalties.

Our best biathlete following the results of the Pyeongchang Olympics, Kaisheva, is approaching the season in unclear conditions. She was included in the squad only by decision of the coaching council and did not shine with either shooting or speed on the track. But it is likely that the situation will change before the start of the World Cup or immediately after it.

Composition of the Russian national team.

world Cup

Women. Irina Starykh, Evgenia Pavlova, Margarita Vasilyeva, Ekaterina Yurlova-Perkht, Kristina Ilchenko, Valeria Vasnetsova, Ulyana Kaisheva.

Men. Dmitry Malyshko, Alexander Loginov, Evgeny Garanichev, Alexey Slepov, Matvey Eliseev, Eduard Latypov.

IBU Cup

Women. Natalya Gerbulova, Irina Kazakevich, Svetlana Mironova, Victoria Slivko, Leysan Biktasheva, Anastasia Morozova, Ekaterina Moshkova.

Men. Yuri Shopin, Anton Babikov, Alexander Povarnitsyn, Sergey Korastylev, Pyotr Pashchenko, Igor Malinovsky, Vasily Tomshin.