russian cyclist Ilnur Zakarin has lived up to expectations with his career, the Vuelta and Giro d’Italia winner told Denis Menshov .
Zakarin announced his retirement on Sunday. The 32-year-old runner announced at the end of 2021 that the 2022 season would be the last of his career. But due to the sanctions against Russian sports and in particular his team Gazprom-Rusvelo, the athlete was deprived of the possibility of driving the remaining races in 2022.
– I would like to say that at one time there were high expectations about Ilnur and he justified these hopes, pleased the fans, gave a lot of emotions. He, as an athlete, can be congratulated on his fine career.
– He awarded very seriously for the last season. Was he ready to prove himself (Menshov was a member of the Gazprom-Rusvelo management team – approx.)?
– He was very motivated. The desire to prove to myself and to the fans that it was good to drive the remaining races was great. Unfortunately, the circumstances of the end of a career are not what they should be, of course.
Zakarin is currently the latest Russian rider to break into the top 3 of the overall Grand Tours standings – he finished third in the 2017 Vuelta. He has eight professional victories to his name, including stages of the Giro d’Italia and the Tour of France.
Source : MatchTV
