President of the Russian Biathlon Union (RBR) Viktor Maygurov said that he did not see the superiority of Belarusian biathletes over Russian biathletes.
Previously Belarusian Anton Smolski achieved three victories in three races at the first stage of the Alfa-Bank Commonwealth Summer Biathlon Cup. The athlete became the best in sprinting, pursuit and mass start.
— What results can we summarize after the first stage of the Commonwealth Cup?
— The season has started. Thank God everything went well: without injuries or falls, because before the start of the stage there were some problems due to the weather. It is gratifying that quite a large number of athletes took part: there were about 60 men, more than 30 women, this is a good indicator for the Commonwealth Cup. As for the organization itself, we had a good atmosphere, because it’s boring for athletes to perform in front of empty stands.
I would like to congratulate my colleagues from the Belarusian federation, because Anton Smolsky won three races. I can’t say that our athletes are much inferior. Yes, they are inferior in terms of shooting, which is what we need to pay attention to, which is what we often talk about. We will evaluate the activities of coaches and the performances of athletes based on the results of two main competitions: Spartakiad and the Russian Championship. Based on the results of these competitions, the criteria for the composition of the national team for next year will be approved. Naturally, an athlete cannot participate only in these two tournaments, he must somehow be ranked.
The mass starts on Sunday were very interesting for the spectators; the intrigue of our sport remains. For me, new Belarusian names have become a pleasant discovery. But it is not very happy that among the men only three members of the national team are in the top 10. This probably cannot be ignored, but no one will draw a conclusion based on just one start. We will see how this work progresses this winter. Athletes who excel in summer are not always among the leaders in winter. We will certainly not draw conclusions about the work of coaches or the preparation of athletes. It is gratifying that Loginov and Nigmatullina, who missed the season, return to the first group of athletes. I hope all this continues, because to get in shape you need competitive activity. This is a good example for the young athletes who have competed here. I hope they draw the right conclusions to refine the problems that currently exist. We won’t be able to say anything definite about them until spring, but it’s probably hard to expect a miracle if you perform poorly in December, January, etc. », Reports the correspondent of , reporting Maygurov’s words.
From September 16 to 19, the Alfa-Bank Russian Summer Biathlon Championship will take place in Tyumen. All races will be broadcast live on the channel and broadcasts will also be available on the matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru websites.
Source : MatchTV

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