Biathlete Ekaterina Noskova in an interview with , she spoke about the benefits of Russian sport’s international isolation and the need for a fairer rotation between national teams if she were to play abroad again.
At the Russian Championships taking place these days in Khanty-Mansiysk, Noskova won two medals – gold in the mixed relay and silver in the pursuit.
– Have you thought about the fact that international isolation has played into the hands of many Russian athletes, including you? Those that have been on the sidelines for years are now outperforming nominal collections.
– In some respects, perhaps, the situation has advantages. Now we compete all season, and it’s a visual rivalry. Previously, there was only one selection, then they were divided into teams. One went to the World Cup, the other to the IBU Cup, the others stayed in Russia. There was little chance of moving on to a higher level: no matter how well you performed in the country, they weren’t even taken into account in the rotation for foreign departures. When we are back in world sport, and I believe that will happen, it would be good to develop new approaches on this question.
Now, as a whole, in Russian biathlon there is a massive and long selection on the basis of fair competition. Everyone can prove themselves not in one race, but throughout the season. It is perfectly clear who is capable of what, it is only important to remember: some manage to maintain stable results, others are good at leading themselves to the main departure and giving extravagance there. Both are in demand in biathlon and should be taken into account when recruiting national teams.
– Have you already taken part in the control races in November, when a failure can deprive you of international departures throughout the season?
– Many times. And almost never selected, except perhaps by a coaching decision. The fact is that I usually start the season hard, so I can’t show a decent result already in November. To accelerate, I need several starts. Statistics prove that it doesn’t depend on coaches and training methods, it happens to me every year. I gain fitness gradually, entering the optimal mode in February-March. This season it was the same,” Noskova said in an interview with .
On April 1, on , as well as on matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru, watch live broadcasts of the women’s relay race (from 8.40 a.m. Moscow time) and the men’s mass start (from 11.40 a.m. Moscow) on the PARI Russian Biathlon Championship.
Source : MatchTV
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