Double Olympic champion Viktor Mamatov did a lot for biathlon, his departure was a big loss, the double Olympic champion told Anna Bogali .
On Friday it became known that honorary vice-president of the Russian Biathlon Union (RBR) Mamatov died at the age of 86.
— An era has passed with him. It’s great that four years ago in Novosibirsk we managed to report on him together with Maria Korobova ( correspondent). Alexander Karelin’s press service also made a mini-film. They are on the Internet. It is difficult to describe it in a few sentences. He himself taught, coached, mentored and passed on some of the subtleties of biathlon. He wrote manuals and developed standards while in leadership positions. In 2002, he led the delegation to the Olympic Games, my first Olympic Games.
This year, in a month, there will be an anniversary tournament in Novosibirsk named after him. All these years, Viktor Fedorovich always attended these competitions as much as possible. I myself took part in it in 1994. I was 15 years old, my first starts took place on the road, for the first time I got into the regional team – Murmansk. Then I was amazed by the sun and the birches in Novosibirsk – in Murmansk the polar night had already begun, it was dark. The atmosphere of the competition was festive; for me, when young, it was a special experience.
Viktor Fedorovich built a biathlon complex in Novosibirsk. On his 85th birthday, I quietly asked him, “Will you be willing to have your name?” As a result, the school is named after him, and within the school this stadium is used as a sports facility. At first he said, “Well, why, why?” At the end of the vacation, I was already saying: “If you do it, I’ll be happy.” It was always a pleasure to come up to him and talk to him. This man has done a lot for biathlon and for the country as a whole. It is all the more difficult to talk about him in the context of his departure. It’s hard to believe.
The last time we visited him was with Viktor Viktorovich Maygurov and Elena Sedykh. I was flying to the “Russia is a sports power” forum. It was time and we came to visit him. It’s a heavy loss,” Bogaliy told .
Mamatov is a double Olympic champion (1968, 1972) in the 4×7.5 km relay and a quadruple world champion (1967, 1969, 1970, 1971) in biathlon. After completing his career, he received the title of Honored Coach of the USSR, from 1989 to 1992 he headed the USSR Biathlon Federation and from 1993 to 2002 he was the first vice-president of the International Biathlon Federation (IBU). .
FILM “PROFESSOR OF BIATHLON”:
Open a video
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.
