Call of rivals Vasily Tomshin one of the best of the current season and the fastest finisher in the country. Such epithets are not accidental – the 26-year-old biathlete gave the most powerful month in terms of results. Since December 24, he has won medals in four of the five individual races.
On Thursday, the fifth stage of the Commonwealth Cup in Raubichi (Belarus) started with the men’s sprint, in which Tomshin did not perform so well, but there are still two contact races before the stage, in which he is extremely strong.
— Daniil Serokhvostov in an interview with , he said that the strongest Russian biathlete is now you. How do you perceive these criticisms and what can you tell Dana?
– I think Danya said that about the emotions after my victory in the mass start at the previous stage in Raubichi. Yes, I managed to show a good consistent result this winter in the Commonwealth Cup races, but the same cannot be said for the last sprint. I do not consider myself the strongest biathlete in Russia. Danya Serokhvostov, Eduard Latypov are much stronger on the track. The fact that I was ahead of them in some races earlier is probably due to their mistakes.
“Who do you consider the strongest in Russia?”
– Right now it’s Latypov. When he’s good at shooting, he’s the strongest. Besides the fact that Eduard is generally a very fast and powerful biathlete, he is also very well arranged tactically over the distance, he knows in which sections he can win the most, and he uses it.
— Natasha Gerbulova in an interview with , she noted that they cite you as an example of the best finisher, that you are the fastest to cover the last 100 meters of the distance. Where do you get it from? Is it possible to train it on purpose – to give the end of the track so powerfully?
– In any case, this aspect can be formed. But how exactly – it is better to ask the coaches. As for my finishing segment, it’s partly due to the fact that I find it difficult to give everything on the whole circle, I have a reserve of force that I can use in the last meters. Sometimes the excitement pushes me, I see the finish line and I want to mobilize all my strength.
– Which of the foreign biathletes do you consider the best finisher?
– The finishes appear immediately in memory Shipulin , Landertinger , because in those years I closely followed biathlon on television as a fan. In modern biathlon I think the best finisher is Christiansen .
– Would you like to cut yourself with Christiansen at the finish line?
– Sure!
– Do you want to overtake him?
“We have to cut ourselves first, then we’ll see.”
What skills would you like to develop at home?
– I understand that it is premature to draw conclusions, the season is still ongoing and the main competitions are yet to come. But I have to improve my distance speed, this season is my weak point.
– Before Thursday’s sprint, you had 4 medals in the last 5 individual races. What happened during the sprint where you finished 21st without fail?
– During this race, there were difficult weather conditions, in which I could not adapt. I completely collapsed in the distance. Technically and functionally I couldn’t do anything with the track. I was drowning in this mess, the very structure of my movements was unsuited to these conditions. I did repulses like the trail was hard, and only buried deeper in the snow. If you watch the video you can see I’m not dying on the track, but those quick moves were burying me, I was marking time.
– The season is coming to an end. What are the goals for the remaining races?
– I aim to do well in the Russian Championship, I hope to compete for medals. This is the main start of the season, all my projects are mainly related to it. I would like to win medals in all races. There is not as big a difference in biathlon as in cross-country skiing between a sprint and a marathon. We have all the distances that are alike, I will fight in all disciplines.
— Former President of the Russian Biathlon Union Viktor Maygurov talked about the national team’s problems with inventory. Tell me, how is your situation personally?
– Finding a manufacturer of skis that an athlete uses can become a global problem. The Salomon skis I ride have taken a hard line that in the current situation they will not ship their equipment to Russia. Now I run with skis that I had since last season. What will happen next – I don’t know.
– How about switching to Russian skis?
– If Russian manufacturers offer something interesting, of course, I will consider options. Ideally, I would like to continue working on the skis I use now.
– Who gives you the skis now?
– Partly, my sports organization in St. Petersburg, the Higher School of Sportsmanship, helps me. She provided me with several pairs of skis for this season, but it’s still not the level of skis that I received directly from the manufacturer.
– The IOC has stated that it will consider the possibility of admitting Russian and Belarusian athletes to world starts in a neutral status, who have not actively supported the NWO. Do you think there is more hope of coming back?
– This statement from the IOC, of course, gives us some hope, although there are no details yet. In any case, for me, as an athlete, it is very important to have the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games, in the main world competitions. I really want to participate in the Olympics and show a good result.
– Are you ready to play in neutral status?
– Oh, sure. It is important for me to participate in the biggest competitions in the world and to compete with the best biathletes in the world. From neutral status, my nationality will not change, everyone around will know which country I come from.
– On Friday your wife Anastasia Batmanova finished 19th in the sprint with three penalties. How would you rate his performance?
– Nastya is ready to show much better results. Even today, she made several errors in the bend, which did not allow her to climb higher. At the moment, I cannot give a more precise answer, because we have not yet analyzed this race with Nastya.
– Before the women’s sprint Dmitri Guberniev posted a photo with Nastya on her Telegram channel with the caption “Batmanova will win everyone? We’ll know at 10:40 at the Match! Is this attention good?
– The attention of the media and, in particular, of Dmitry Guberniev, of course, is very pleasant and important for the development of biathlon as a whole. Thanks to such attention, one way or another, we constantly appear in the media space.
– Guberniev densely covers biathlon. Do you think Guberniev is necessary for the promotion of cross-country skiing?
— On skis Bolshunov With Ustyugov And they do it wellLaughs). Constantly create information leads. If you give them more Dmitry Guberniev, in general, there will be a fiery mixture (Laughs).
Do you discuss shopping with Nastya, do you give advice to each other?
— Of course, we try to help each other, to analyze the race.
– In your opinion, what else should Nastya add?
– This is what all biathletes work on – muscular endurance, power, everything, like everyone else. Moreover, Nastya is now working very hard on her technique, she is making great progress in this area. Shooting is a natural part of a complete workout. In this regard, Nastya also works very well. I think she will bring a lot to this part.
January 11 was your birthday. What did your wife give you?
– On my birthday, I was in Ufa at a training camp and I knew in advance that we could not be together that day. Even before the New Year, he asked Nastya to give me a good razor. I have such a physiology that facial hair appeared not so long ago, and now I need a permanent machine. Tired of shaving with disposable razors, so I asked for such a gift. And Nastya gave it to me in advance, after the New Year.
– Nastya recently said that you signed on October 3. Didn’t you specifically announce your marriage?
– Our painting procedure at the registry office was not solemn. We decided to separate the painting and the solemn celebration. We have postponed the wedding celebration in the spring in order to organize everything well in advance.
– The painting was modest, without witnesses?
— Yes, the woman in the office gave us some documents through a small window. At the same time, she put the music on her phone and gave a solemn speech that surprised us (Laughs). If we had known this would happen, we would have invited the parents to this room.
Did they exchange rings there?
– No, at the time of painting, we had not yet finished the rings. The rings were ready a few weeks after the registry office.
What will your spring wedding be like??
The wedding will take place at the end of April. After the season you will have to go to the May collection for sunset, so before the collection we will celebrate our wedding. The wedding will take place in Yekaterinburg. The site has already been chosen, we are solving other problems. At the moment, we plan to invite 50 to 60 people. I call all the guys on my team, including the coaches.
– Nastya is going to change Batmanov’s name to Tomshina?
Yes, she will take my last name. While we’re thinking, when it’s best to do it. Either this spring or after Nastya finishes her professional career, so she can stay Batmanova, Batman for the rest of her biathlete career.
– But now, she does not plan to put an end to her career?
– Of course not. Now there is no clear discussion about it.
– You call Nastya Batman?
– I called Nastya only in the first year of our acquaintance. She is positive about it.
– Will you have a honeymoon? Where do you plan to relax?
– We want to go to Sakhalin, but it is not certain yet. Nastya plays for Sakhalin, and she has to settle some papers there. For me, it will be a very interesting journey. In addition, there you can hide from spring allergies. Of course, I do not suffer much from spring flowering, but it still affects, I feel discomfort.
– What about holidays by the sea? Lie on the beach in a relaxed way.
– Nastya and I are not fans of beach vacations. We are for active recreation and you can lie on the couch at home.
On January 28, at the Commonwealth Cup Stadium in Raubichi, the men’s and women’s pursuit races will take place. Live broadcasts will start at 10:40 a.m. and 1:40 p.m. (Moscow time), respectively, on the channel and on the matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru sites. Watch the program “Biathlon with Dmitry Guberniev” on January 29 at 1:00 p.m. (Moscow time).
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
