“The Russian biathlon team is not discouraged by the lack of international competitions” – Albina Akhatova

Olympic champion Albina Akhatova told that in Russian national team biathlon athletes are not discouraged by lack of international competitions.

Earlier, Akhatova told that in the summer she could contribute to the work of the headquarters of the Russian men’s national team, led by coach Yuri Kaminsky.

— Can our biathletes get bored with the stages of the Russian Cup?

— A rather complex subject. Athletes who are used to participating in international competitions and who aim to become world champions probably find it difficult to achieve this. Nevertheless, they try to maintain their motivation. I would like to note that other Russian athletes see the leaders, so competing with them benefits them. I hope that in this context the level of Russian athletes will increase. The regions had the opportunity to come to the stadiums and encourage the leaders of this sport live, and also thanks to for the quality of the broadcasts. All this encourages the younger generation to take up sport.

— When do you think Russians will return to international competitions?

— This is a difficult question, it is unlikely that anyone will be able to answer it now. We all hope this will happen in the near future.

— Isn’t the Russian team discouraged because of this?

— The guys are not discouraged, the young people are very motivated to be part of the Russian team. After all, they have been involved in sports for most of their lives and they have a dream: to win a medal at the Olympic Games. They all hope that this situation will end and they will be able to realize their dreams,” Akhatova told .

Akhatova is the 2006 Olympic relay champion and four-time world champion.

Watch live broadcasts of the Alfa-Bank Russian Cup and Commonwealth Biathlon Cup races on the channel, matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.