At the Malinovka training camp, biathlete Kazakevich looked stronger than some skiers from the Borodavko group, Spitsov said

Biathlete Irina Kazakevich at the training camp in Malinovka (Arkhangelsk region), in some respects she looked stronger than some athletes from the group of the honored coach of Russia Yuri Borodavko declared the Olympic champion in cross-country skiing Denis Spitsov .

In July, Kazakevich, who is part of Mikhail Shashilov’s group, held a joint training camp with Borodavko’s athletes in Malinovka.

– She rather surprised us, even on the electric inserts she looked stronger than some of our girls. Ira destroyed the stereotype that biathletes can’t do long strength workouts. She was fully prepared for our team and our work,” Spitsov told .

Three-time Olympic champion Alexander Bolshunov also praised Kazakevich’s work in training camp.

– There was a kind of biathlete, but she didn’t have a gun (laughs). She seemed to be training well, at least she tried. I completed all the tasks that were set by the coach, I tried to reach out to our girls,” Bolshunov added.

The 2022 Olympic Games winner in the relay Yuliya Stupak called the improvement in speed and functional results a good trend in biathlon.

— I really enjoyed training with Ira. She is very kind, open and sincere. I love these people very much and I sincerely hope that everything will go well for her and that she will win all the medals she wants.

It is a long-dead myth when it was said that skiers are stronger than biathletes precisely in terms of functionality. Of course not. The world elite proves it, we meet them on certain competitions. They have long since begun to show their strength. It’s a good trend that biathletes are gaining both speed and functionality,” Stupak said.

Kazakevich is the Beijing Olympics silver medalist in the women’s relay.