Biathlete Liv-Grete Poiret: biography, personal life and achievements. Poiret, Raphael Raphael Poiret and his new girlfriend

Date of Birth: August 9, 1974
Place of Birth: Rives commune, Isère department, France
Location: Bergen (Norway)
Height Weight: 174/70
Education: Bachelor
Currently working: construction company employee
Foreign languages: Norwegian, English, Italian
Family status: married. After a long and seemingly happy marriage to Liv Grethe Poiret, née Skjelbreid, the legendary couple announced their divorce in July 2013; however, they continue to raise their daughters together: Emma (b. 01/27/2003), Anna (b. 01/10/2007) and Lena (b. 10/10/2008). In the summer of 2016, Rafael married again. His second wife is Anne Thunes, a Norwegian from Bergen, to whom he has been engaged since the spring of 2015.
Hobbies: cinema, tennis, motorsports, music, travel

Personal coach: Dumont
Club: Vercors Ski De Fond

Rifle: Anschutz
Ski brand: FISCHER
Glasses: CEBE
Costume: ODLO
Ski poles: ONE WAY

Shooting statistics (2006/2007 season data):
Overall accuracy - 86%
Lying down - 88%
Standing - 83%

Achievements:
Olympic Games:
· 2002 (Salt Lake City): silver (pursuit), bronze (relay)
· 2006 (Turin): bronze (relay)

World Championships:
· 1998: bronze (pursuit)
· 2000: gold (mass start), bronze (pursuit)
· 2001: gold (mass start), gold (relay), silver (pursuit)
· 2002: gold (mass start)
· 2003: bronze (mass start)
· 2004: gold (sprint), gold (individual), gold (mass start), silver (pursuit), bronze (relay)
· 2005: bronze (mass start)
· 2006: bronze (mixed relay)
· 2007: gold (individual), silver (mixed relay), bronze (mass start)
World Cups:
· Four-time World Cup winner (1999−00, 2000−01, 2001−02, 2003−04)
· Silver medalist in the overall World Cup (2005−06)
· Bronze medalist in the overall World Cup (2004−05)
· 103 World Cup podiums (44 first places, 39 second and 20 third)

Raphael Poiret is one of the most titled biathletes in the world. He started biathlon when he was ten years old. He made his debut in the World Cup in the 1995/96 season and took 17th place, which was a very good result for a young athlete. A year later, Raf was already among the top five biathletes at the end of the season. Unfortunately, at that time Poiret's shooting performance left much to be desired. Shooting training under the guidance of Jean-Pierre Ham (Amat) became a turning point, and in the 1999/2000 season, Raphael won his first Big Crystal Globe.

Rafael had a triumphant year in 2004, when he won almost all the races at the end of the season, won three gold medals at the World Championships (not counting the silver and bronze), the Large Crystal Globe and the Small Globes for victory in each biathlon discipline.

Raphael Poiret was the best biathlete of his time based on the results of mass starts. At the World Cup stages, he became the winner in this category nine times, climbed to the second step of the podium four times and showed a bronze result three times. In addition, he won four of his seven mass starts at the world championships.

Poiret won five biathlon competitions at the Holmenkollen Ski Festival: three times in the mass start (2000, 2002 and 2004), once in the pursuit (2004) and once in the individual race (2007).

Raphael Poiret retired during the 2006/2007 season. After his victory in the individual race at the World Championships, he announced that he had promised his eldest daughter Emma to spend a lot of time with his family, and therefore would retire from biathlon after the end of the season. His last race, however, was a stunning mass start in Holmenkollen, where he lost to his main rival Ole Einar Bjoerndalen by 3 centimeters. In his last season, Rafael was a potential World Cup winner, but did not go to the last stage in Khanty-Mansiysk.

Poiret's post-biathlon life was successful. He left military service and, having not received an invitation to coaching from the French Biathlon Federation, became the coach of the second Norwegian team. In particular, he was the shooting coach of Lars Berger, Stian Eckhoff and other Norwegian biathletes. In November 2007, a book by R. Poiret, written by him in collaboration with Ives Perret, was published.

In the 2012/2013 season he was the senior coach of the Belarusian men's national team. Unfortunately, this experiment was unsuccessful for a number of reasons.

After a short collaboration with the Belarusian national team and working as a commentator, Rafael completely changed his field of activity and chose an industry that had nothing to do with sports - he became an employee of a large Norwegian oil company. He worked as a shift worker on an oil platform at sea and did not see his loved ones for a long time. In the summer of 2015, due to the financial crisis, Poiret lost his job, but soon found a new job - now he works for the Norwegian construction company Vassbakk & Stol.

During the 2016 World Cup, held in Oslo, Raphael Poiret was invited to the French Eurosport as a commentator, but after the championship he returned to his job in a construction company.

Today, one of the most titled French biathletes, Raphael Poiret, turns 39 years old. "SE" recalls the brightest moments in the career of the multiple world champion.

Raphael Poiret was born on August 9, 1974 in Riva, and grew up in La Chapelle-en-Vercourt, where he began training in biathlon. He made his debut in the World Cup in 1996, finishing 17th at the end of the season. The Frenchman won his first victory at the cup stage in 1998 in Ruhpolding and finished fifth in the overall standings. Since then, Raphael has never gone below this place. Poiret won his first personal gold medal at the World Championships in 2000 in the mass start in Holmenkollen.

One of the most titled French biathletes took part in the Olympic Games three times - in Nagano 1998, Salt Lake City 2002 and Turin 2006 - but he never became an Olympic champion. The Salt Lake City Olympics was the most successful of the three for Poiret: silver in the pursuit and bronze in the relay. In Turin, Italy, he had to be content with only a bronze medal in the relay.

In Salt Lake City, Raphael and his wife Liv Gret Poiret became the first married couple in the history of the Winter Olympics to take Games medals to different countries. Rafael was second in the pursuit race, repeating his wife’s achievement in the 15 km individual race.

Rafael met his future wife, Norwegian biathlete Liv Gret Shelbraith, in 1992 during the Junior World Championships. Eight years later, in May 2000, the couple got married, and since then three girls have been born into their family - Emma, ​​Anna and Lena.

To all the questions about whether it was difficult for a married couple to train together and compete under different flags, Raphael Poiret answered that it did not matter to them. “I know that I owe my successes to Liv Gret, and she thanks me for her victories,” he added.

The World Championships in Oberhof in 2004 became truly triumphant for the Poiret couple. Rafael won three gold, one silver and one bronze medals, and his wife surpassed her husband, adding four golds to the family treasury.

After such a triumph, the Frenchman and Norwegian began to be called “Team Poiret”. But this was by no means a journalistic find. It was under this name that the biathlon family settled in one of the small hotels near Oberhof.

In total, Rafael became world champion eight times during his career.

Rafael decided to end his sports career in 2007. In the last race (in the 15 km mass-tart at the World Cup in Holmenkollen), he lost only a few centimeters to his eternal rival Ole Einar Bjoerndalen. The outcome of this confrontation was decided by a photo finish.

In 2011, the couple became the proud owners of their own hotel - Skjelbreid Poiree. It is located in the Norwegian municipality of Bergen. " We invested our own money in furnishing this hotel,” said Liv Gret. - We don’t expect our idea to pay off in the first years, But we hope that this is t business will bring us profit in the future."The hotel is located on land owned by Liv Gret's sister Anne-Helen and her husband Egil Jelanne, who were also former ia tlonists.

After retiring from his career, Poiret managed to work as a coach with French and Norwegian biathletes. And in 2012, the Frenchman led the Belarusian men's team. “In fact, there was nothing unusual for me in this decision,” Poiret explained his decision. “I finished all my business in Norway, where my hotel was being built, and was looking for something new. I received a call from one of my best friends, who is preparing skis for the Belarusian national team, and said that they need a good coach. In May, I came to this country for three days to look at the guys and talk with the management. We quickly understood each other, the proposal was very interesting for me, I discussed it. him and his wife, and she fully supported me. So I agreed.” However, already in April of this year, the Frenchman left his post.

At the end of 2009, the eight-time world champion was in a serious accident. He was riding an ATV with his daughter and crashed into a snowdrift. The car overturned, the Frenchman managed to protect the child, but he himself ended up under the ATV. With severe injuries, Poiret was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery that lasted 12 hours.

“For three days it was incredibly difficult for me,” the Frenchman admitted. “I was unable to take medicine, I was suffering from pneumonia, I almost couldn’t breathe. Only the thought of children helped me not to give up. Later the doctors said that I was lucky : a couple of centimeters in the other direction - and I would have remained paralyzed."

Liv Gret and Raphael Poiret were considered one of the strongest married couples in world biathlon, but in July of this year, the couple’s fans received unpleasant news: after 13 years of marriage, the couple decided to divorce. "We have decided to divorce, but we will still remain best friends and closest neighbors. This was our mutual decision, and we will still be one family," the athletes said in a press statement.

At the “Race of Legends” that took place last Saturday in Raubichi, biathlon celebrities dazzled the eyes. Sven Fischer, Michael Greis, Ricco Gross... And among the women, one of the brightest stars was a NorwegianLiv-Grethe POIRE - eight-time world champion and former wife of the equally famous Frenchman Raphael Poiret.

He, as we remember, managed to train the Belarusian men's team. Liv-Grethe, also known by her maiden name Shelbride, retired from acting in 2006. Now the Scandinavian woman is already 41, but she is still charming, attractive and very smiling. In Raubichi, the participants of the “Race of Legends” had a program scheduled minute by minute, and it was not so easy to do a detailed interview with any of them. However, Poire kindly gave the PB correspondent a quarter of an hour.

- What emotions did you experience while participating in the “Race of Legends”?
- Oh, this is very fun and funny! The competition itself was an interesting fight, it was exciting. But the main thing is to meet old friends, those with whom we performed together for more than one season in the past and just had a good time.

- In general, do you rarely see them now?
- Yes, almost never. We haven’t met some of them for ten years, since I ended my career. And some left biathlon even earlier, so we didn’t meet each other even longer. For example, Galina Kukleva - I don’t even remember the last time we saw each other. Well, it’s all the more pleasant to chat in Raubichi!

- How did you feel while roller skiing?
- To be honest, I’ve already lost the habit of them. Over the past ten years, I’ve gotten on roller skates three or four times, no more. Maybe that's why my speed left much to be desired. However, this is understandable. Now I no longer have the same body, the same muscles as during the seasons of active performances. However, the body remembers everything. Therefore, we continue to willingly participate in such competitions.

- Are you upset that you didn’t win any of the Raubich races?
- No, what are you talking about? Of course, winning is always nice, but current competitions are more of a show and a meeting with old acquaintances. At the same time, in the super sprint I was close to first place, so I performed well. True, Florence Baverel-Robert turned out to be even faster, so my congratulations to her!

- How do you like the organization and atmosphere of the “Race of Legends”?
- This is something incredible! It's nice to see that so many people came to Raubichi to see us. Very good. Therefore, I would like to say thank you to Daria Domracheva, who invited us to Belarus. Thanks to her, I experienced wonderful emotions.

- Is this your first time in our country?
- Yes, I’ve never come before. I liked Belarus - I feel like there are great people here.

Your ex-husband Raphael Poiret coached the Belarusian men's team several years ago. Did he say anything about his experience?
- Even quite a lot - about racing, conditions for training. I remember Rafael also emphasized that there are many good people in Belarus.

- Why did he leave quickly enough?
“It wasn’t so easy for him to work, if only because of the language barrier.” I had to speak English, which is not Rafael’s native language. Probably, for successful work you need smoother communication, when you have the opportunity to clearly convey your requirements to the athletes.

- Daria Domracheva invited you to the “Race of Legends”. Do you know her well?
- I won’t say very much. However, we can talk when we see each other. This is an outstanding athlete of our time. Today she is the best in the world.

- What makes Dasha so phenomenal?
- Of course, she trains well. But character is even more important. It is clear that Domracheva is a purposeful person who gives her all to complete her tasks. This is very important in our sport. And, of course, excellent technique, excellent physical shape. In short, there is a whole complex of factors that contribute to achieving success. And Dasha, it seems to me, is not arrogant. I don’t know her that well, but that’s the impression I get. I see that she willingly communicates with other athletes, even if she is much stronger than them.

- Due to illness, Daria misses the coming season. Do you think this is the right decision?
- Right now - probably yes. When you have an injury or illness, you need to listen carefully to your body every day. If you feel that it’s better not to perform for a while, then it’s not worth the risk. On the other hand, after some time the situation may change. But now Daria clearly needs time to completely get rid of the disease. At this stage, this is the most important thing for her. Because if you rush and force things, you can subsequently lose many years. I know what I'm talking about - I myself suffered from injuries and illnesses.

- Who do you consider the favorite of the upcoming season in the absence of Domracheva?
- Don't know. Much will depend on Kaisa Mäkäräinen's shooting. As we know, she runs very fast, all that remains is to hit targets just as consistently. However, there are other girls. You know, it’s generally difficult to predict: the new season will be a new challenge for many athletes.

- Do you regularly watch races on TV?
- Yes, it still makes me happy. I watch almost all major competitions. This has, to some extent, become a profession - I work for the Norwegian TV channel NRK as a biathlon expert. I go to some races myself.

- Is this your main occupation now?
- More like seasonal work. After all, races only take place in winter. In general, I have a hotel that I bought several years ago. It is located in the town where I grew up and still live. Managing it takes a lot of time.

- Do you miss the times when you took part in races?
- Certainly. But time passes - I am no longer twenty years old. This is a natural process, it has to end at some point. And I was so lucky - I was able to perform for many seasons. And she ended her career at the optimal moment. The time has come for younger biathletes.

- But Ole Einar Bjoerndalen is your age, and is still in service...
- Ha ha! Indeed, he is in no hurry to retire. But I’m not Bjoerndalen!

- Do you understand his motivation?
- The man has won everything possible. However, biathlon is his life. Since he still likes it, I treat it with great respect. And for me, sixteen years of career is more than enough. I probably could have stayed in racing for another one or two seasons. True, already at that time the eldest daughter Emma was born, it was necessary to pay more attention to her. At first I even took her to races, but it was hard, the child was often sick. Therefore, at 32, I told myself: stop, enough is enough. And she ended her career.

- Was it difficult to adjust to normal life?
- In the first year, on the contrary, I felt relief. No pressure, no training, everything is calm and measured. I took care of my family. But in the second and third years everything changed. There was a feeling that something was missing. Races, competitions, this whole exciting process. But what can you do? Over time, I got used to living in a new rhythm.

- Do you regret anything in your career? Perhaps about the fact that you never managed to win Olympic gold?..
- There is nothing to regret. I tried my best. Yes, she didn’t win the Olympics, but she became world champion eight times. And in general I had a lot of great races.

- Which of them is the most memorable?
- Most often I remember the World Championships, which took place in Oslo. This is an important moment in your career. In general, there were so many competitions and it was difficult to single out something.

- What else do you associate Belarusian biathlon with, besides Domracheva?
- Oh, you now have a good women’s team, strong and progressing girls. I think they will have a good chance in the relay in the new season. If they improve a little compared to last season, then I suppose we will often see them on the podium. There are also guys who are growing up too. In biathlon it is important to progress steadily - year after year. You train not just for one season, but for many.

- You and Raphael Poiret have three daughters. With such genes, do they have a direct path to biathlon?
- I don’t put pressure on them in any way. Let the girls make their own decisions. If they want, for God’s sake, I will only support their choice. All three are trying to do biathlon. One also plays football. But what happens next depends on them. Will they go into sports or learn another profession? In life, a person must determine his own path. I'm glad that my daughters are doing well. Rafael and I were unable to save our family, but the main thing is that the children feel comfortable. By the way, my ex-husband stayed in Norway and settled very close to me, so we still see each other regularly. We don’t live together, but we have maintained good relations - one might say, even friendly ones. We are connected by many things - not only biathlon.

- Is it true that you were fond of football as a child?
- Ha, your information is correct - until the age of fifteen I played constantly.

- Could you become a professional?
- Hardly. In football I felt best without the ball! I knew how to run well even then, but my technique was lame and my handling of the ball was not so good. In general, I grew up as a sports girl. I also went kayaking...

- What did you like more in biathlon - skiing or shooting?
- It's hard to choose. It seems like there is only one sport, but these activities are so different from each other... Perhaps, I still preferred to shoot. When you close the target, it’s such a pleasure! A unique feeling.

Daria Domracheva at one time shot at someone else’s target, confused “stance” with “prone”... Has anything like this happened to you?
“I also somehow managed to shoot at the wrong target!” It’s funny, of course, but this happens in biathlon. Sometimes you concentrate too much - probably due to excessive tension, such incidents occur.

Raphael Poiret is one of the most titled French biathletes, four-time World Cup winner, eight-time world champion, three-time Olympic medalist... This is what Wikipedia will answer you. And I’ll tell you this: Raphael Poiret is one of the greatest athletes in the world, who combines all the best sports and simply human qualities.

But it is unlikely that on August 9, 1974, anyone could even imagine that on this day one of the greatest biathletes in history was born in the small French town of Rive.

From the age of 10, Rafael became seriously interested in biathlon. And almost 10 years later he made his debut at World Cup competitions, where he subsequently shone for 11 seasons.

As soon as he burst into the “big game”, Rafael immediately loudly declared himself, finishing his debut season in a high 17th position in the general classification. By the way, in the future he never fell below the 5th position.

The next 2 seasons, 1996/1997 and 1997/1998, the young and undoubtedly talented Frenchman, thanks to his amazing speed, secured a place in the top 5 of the World Cup, however, due to extremely unstable shooting, Rafael finished both seasons in 5th place in the overall standings .

Not wanting to put up with this order of things, Raphael worked hard on shooting under the supervision of Jean-Pierre Amadt. Diligence and hard work bear fruit: in the 4th season of KM Raf wins his first Big Crystal Globe.

In subsequent seasons, given that the Great and Terrible Bjoerndalen showed excellent form, Rafael did the incredible: Raf won the World Cup for 3 seasons in a row. Apart from him, only the legendary Frank Ullrich can boast of such an achievement in men's biathlon.

At this point, perhaps, we should pause and tell about the One who inspired Raphael to great achievements.

Raf and Liv-Grete met at junior competitions, but their relationship began years later, when both athletes were already competing in the World Cup. In 2001 they got married. This couple is deservedly considered the most beautiful in the biathlon world. Liv-Grete supported her husband in everything.

Largely due to the fact that Rafael could not ignore his pregnant wife, in the 2002/2003 season he did not show the best form.

However, already in the next season, Raf returned triumphantly: at the World Championship, he, however, like Liv-Grete, won 3 gold medals out of four personal races.

At the end of the 2003/2004 season, Rafael once again wrote his name in the history of biathlon: for the first time, at the end of the season, one athlete won absolutely all the World Cups, both in the overall standings and in the standings of individual disciplines. Until now, no one has managed to repeat his achievement.

In subsequent seasons, Rafael was consistently in the top three: season 2004/2005 - 3rd place in the overall standings, 2005/2006 - 2nd.

During these years, we could watch the most exciting struggle between the strongest biathletes of those years: Sven Fischer, Ole Einer Bjoerndalen and Raphael Poiret. Each race was a real thriller and no one could know in advance which of them would be the best this time. And just as exciting, intense, and sometimes tragic as these seasons was Rafael’s departure from the sport.

The main reason for Rafael's departure from the sport is that family turned out to be more important than titles for Rafa.

“I promised Emma that I would finish my career in her mother’s homeland, at the penultimate stage of the World Cup - 2006/2007.”

“In the morning my wife called and said that a daughter was born. I heard a baby crying over the phone and felt a surprisingly pleasant feeling. But when the conversation ended and I was left alone, a feeling of emptiness suddenly came over me. It was terrible. That’s when I decided that I would leave big sport.”

Watching Raphael's final races, where he won race after race, critics wondered how an athlete who was perhaps in his best form could leave the sport.

Raf kept his word and the mass start in Holmenkollen became the last race of the Great Athlete at the World Cup stages. This race will forever go down in history as, perhaps, the most spectacular in recent years: the strongest biathletes in the world met in the last fight, the fight went on to the last and once again the long-time rivals Bjoerndalen and Poiret reached the finish line. Nerves to the limit. Who will win?

Ole Einer won that fight, the count was by millimeters. But despite the fact that Raf came second, it is difficult to imagine a better ending to the saga of the exploits of the great Poiret. Only a legendary finish like this is worthy of Raphael.

After finishing his career as a biathlete, Rafael began coaching. At first, he became a coach in the French national team, but it was not ready for the reforms that Raf wanted to carry out. But Norway turned out to be. Rafael became the coach of team “B”, working with “problem” biathletes.

On October 11, 2008, Poiret's third daughter, Lena, was born. Poiret is a happy father of a large family, however, without forgetting about biathlon, he works with athletes and pleases us with interviews and various forecasts.

During his sports career, Rafael climbed to the podium of the World Cup more than 100 times. He has 44 WC victories to his name.

There is probably some irony of fate in the fact that such a great biathlete never became an Olympic Champion, settling for a single personal silver medal and two bronze medals in relays.

“I don’t think that not winning a gold medal deprives me of anything important in life. I have Olympic medals and I am a multiple world champion. The most important thing is not victory, but how you go towards it. All the work that needs to be done".

He left unexpectedly, as if the strongest biathlete in a contact race on the last lap, going first with a comfortable advantage, suddenly decided to quit the race. But it was very beautiful. For which many thanks to Rafael.

The legendary French biathlete talks about the problems of Anton Shipulin, Russian doping and the dubious prospects of Ole Einar Bjoerndalen.

Raphael Poiret practically settled in the press center of the Biathlon World Cup in his native France. Despite his regalia, the current TV commentator was the first to arrive and one of the last to leave. True, he spent a significant part of his time in a nearby restaurant, communicating with colleagues. Still, even ten years after the end of his career, Poire is a real star for France. He was eclipsed in popularity in his homeland only by his compatriot, current World Cup leader Martin Fourcade.

AS FOURCADE OVER THE YEARS, IT HAS BEEN HARDER TO KEEP MOTIVATION

Rafael, how important was the victory in the final mass start of this biathlon year for Fourcade?

This was a very important victory. In the last two or three races, Martin was not at all the Fourcade we know. For some reason, he was calculating the places that were needed to retain the yellow jersey of the World Cup leader... On the eve of the mass start, we just had an interview with him. And I said: “Marten, you must play with your opponents like a cat with mice!” He began to say that he couldn’t do it, that he was dissatisfied with his form. But you see, in the end I managed to put aside all the problems and show the best I could.

Do you think Fourcade's defeat to the Norwegian Johannes Boe is more a matter of psychology?

Martin has been absolutely the best in all components for the last five years. Now, with the advent of Be, he finds himself in a completely new situation for himself. Now there are two of them, and not just him. Plus, as you get older, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay fit and motivated.

Unlike Fourcade, you always had rivals who competed with you on equal terms. Do you think it is easier to stay on top in such a situation?

Certainly. I have said more than once that I would never have achieved what I have achieved if it were not for Ole Einar Bjoerndalen. It was he who shaped me as a biathlete. I think that in the end, Johannes Boe will also motivate Fourcade to new achievements. Their rivalry makes biathlon more interesting, this is a huge plus for viewers and for television.

When will Be leave Fourcade behind?

Johannes is younger, so it's probably a matter of time. I don’t think Fourcade will get much better. He has reached his ceiling. But Johannes will take a small step forward every year. It's normal for a new generation to move on from an older one.

What can you say about the performances of your former rival Ole Einar Bjoerndalen? It seems that the time has come for him to make way for a new generation?

Every year I say that maybe it’s time for Bjoerndalen to stop. And then he comes to the World Championships and wins a medal there. But this season is probably the most difficult for him. Apart from a good stage in the relay, he showed nothing. The most difficult thing for him will be qualifying for the Olympics. If he can qualify, then anything can happen in Pyeongchang. But I'm not sure that Ole Einar will succeed. To be honest, I don't like seeing him in this position as he is now.

Don't you think the Norwegians might take him to the Olympics, at least out of respect for his outstanding career?

Of course not. In Norway, in order to go to the Games, you have to prove on the track that you are the best. No one is guaranteed a ticket to Pyeongchang there.

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO GROW A WORLD CHAMPION IN A YEAR

Russian Anton Shipulin, in his best form, was able to compete with Fourcade. What do you think is happening with Shipulin now?

It seems to me that Anton will soon get into shape. It is usually very good in January, and especially in Anterselva. In theory, I expected somewhat better results from him in Annecy. But the mass start distance was very difficult for Anton.

Shipulin often talks about pressure from outside and he himself constantly expects and demands podiums from himself. In your opinion, should he take racing easier and enjoy the process itself?

The problem is that Shipulin is now the only star in Russian biathlon. You don't have any strong athletes anymore, so all the expectations are tied to him. But we should not forget that sport is essentially a game. And to be the best at it, you need to play, and not drive yourself into a corner.

At the time of your performances, Russian biathlon was noticeably stronger. What happened now?

I previously coached the Belarusian men's team and saw how different our training philosophy is. In Norway and France, the methodology is simply an order of magnitude higher. Hence the difference in results that we see now.

Your coaching experience in Belarus ended in failure. Do you intend to return to this activity again, or will you work only on television?

At first I really liked it in Belarus. But the level of the team was comparable to that of juniors. I tried to explain to management that the team needed to be created almost from scratch and that it would take from five to ten years. But they wanted to see a world champion within a year. It doesn't happen like that! To get results, you must first build something.

One of your former rivals, Ricco Gross, by the way, coaches the Russian men's team.

Ricco was a great athlete and knows how to achieve victories. But I think he faces the same problem. People simply don’t understand that it’s impossible to raise a world champion in a year.

How do you feel about the fact that Russian biathletes will compete at the Pyeongchang Games with the status of “Olympic athletes from Russia”?

I am truly sorry for your athletes. It was a problem of the system, and I’m sure not all of your biathletes were involved in it. It's not fair to punish everyone! Perhaps political issues interfere here...

Do you support holding the World Cup final in Tyumen this year?

Of course, we need Russia. Our sport is popular in your country, you always have an excellent organization and many fans. I would like to see more strong athletes appear in Russia in the future, especially in the women's team. After all, without Russia, world biathlon really cannot exist.

Anton Pavlovich Chaika, and I think that I have achieved it, because the body also has a limit for accepting various nasty things - sooner or later rejection begins...))

Alas, Anton is not Fourcade! I'm rooting for Beo))

“he has demanding parents (on the one hand, this is good, but on the other, they force him to conform all the time)” - Yes, paradoxically, the local mentality plays an important role in the formation of personality. Anton overloaded himself with all kinds of needs and responsibilities - to his family, parents, coaches, country, fans. Poiret said it right - this is a game!

gavaler,
Well, not everything is pure with Fourcade, no matter what he says.

Arina,
I don't even compare Anton with careless foreigners. Even compared to our other athletes, he pulls a heavier load. Look at Anton Babikov - he is cheerful, relaxed, easy, because he is essentially responsible for himself. There is no result, but God bless him. And Anton completely feeds his family, is to some extent tied to his sister Anya’s business, worries about Nastya, and has demanding parents (on the one hand, this is good, but on the other, it forces him to conform all the time). Again - the fund. Etc. Therefore, it is difficult for him to win easily (pardon the pun).

Dmitry, he writes based on his own experience and does not at all deny WADA’s involvement at the moment.

Elen, his reasoning seemed naive to me in the part in which he explains everything with different levels of development of pharmacology and different levels of access to Vadov’s structures - in terms of their work on new methods for detecting doping. Give it up! Why on earth do you think that WADA tests everyone fairly? Well, why is this all of a sudden?
I repeat the question that no Vyacheslav answered me: are the conditions for testing athletes the same for everyone (number of samples, research methods)? And I’m immediately ready to answer it myself - DIFFERENT! That's all. And in this situation, there is no need to develop any pharmaceuticals, there is no need to monitor its inclusion in the “prohibited lists.” It is enough just to have “blat” in WADA so that you are tested according to a pre-agreed schedule using previously known methods.

gavaler, what is the point of checking Fur if he has “special blood”?

MarkK, “I used to coach the Belarusian men's team and saw how different our training philosophy is. In Norway and France, the methodology is simply an order of magnitude higher.” “It looks like it is.”

This is the problem of doping in Russia. Our sports officials, instead of developing and implementing modern methods (and this is a waste of effort), rely on pharmaceuticals. For them it’s faster and, most importantly, effortless.
They all need to be judged. For all our humiliations and broken destinies of athletes.
____________________

Anton Pavlovich Chaika, “it seems to me that Anton has a colossal burden of responsibility. He is a native everywhere. He pulls the team, he pulls the family. But there is practically no real help. He can really get upset. He is very talented, with excellent anthropometry, but very overloaded with responsibilities and obligations. He owes everyone, but no one owes him.”

I just came across this article:

Timofey Lapshin: “...But I look at our guys from the outside and see how tense they are. Everyone walks around gloomily, and there seems to be running text on their foreheads: “Leave me alone, it’s hard for me.” And I was like that myself. He lived with one thought: just to close himself, just not to let him down, just not to say too much. You will close yourself as if in a shell, group yourself and be afraid.

What are you afraid of?

Total. One mistake and you will be pecked from all sides and thrown out of the team. If you say the wrong word, they will pull you back. If you smile, you will be wrong about that too. There is a feeling that you are always to blame. I look at Nastya Kuzmina, she is relaxed, giving interviews before the races, smiling. I also come to this state. I run along the track and think: how good it is. They believe in me here, there is no tragedy due to a mistake."
sports.ru

Anton Pavlovich Chaika, And I noticed that it’s time for Fura to go on an IV, like Sukalova, otherwise they’ll be deprived of Olympic medals like ours. What if they check it for real?!

I hope Yosya will raise Marten’s ceiling higher! Marten will rebuild and accept the challenge, and the last mass start is like a rebirth for him)

“I used to coach the Belarusian men's team and saw how different our training philosophy is. In Norway and France, the methodology is simply an order of magnitude higher.” - It seems that it is so.

Elen,
It seems to me that Anton has a colossal burden of responsibility. He is a native everywhere. He pulls the team, he pulls the family. But there is practically no real help. He can really get upset. He is very talented, with excellent anthropometry, but very overloaded with responsibilities and obligations. He owes everyone, but no one owes him.

About the Olympic Games, pharma, doping and so on. Article by a former athlete. I don’t agree with the author on everything. but I found the article interesting.
worldcrisis.ru

About Fourcade: I don’t think his song is over yet. And Yosya is a good incentive. It’s difficult to determine the height of the “ceiling”. High), I can’t reach it)).

Regarding our training methods, Rafael is right, and even a layman can see this.

“The problem is that Shipulin is now the only star in Russian biathlon. You don't have any strong athletes anymore, so all the expectations are tied to him. But we should not forget that sport is essentially a game. And to be the best at it, you need to play, and not drive yourself into a corner.” - GOLD WORDS!

I believe that I have not achieved it, because pharmacology is moving forward. :))

I wish the whole team could hit the same ceiling)