“I opened a food store, I’m trying to expand in this area.” How is Volkov, champion of Sochi 2014, living?

In the spring of 2022, Alexei Volkov was disqualified for violating anti-doping rules nine years ago. This did not affect his career in any way, as he left the sport in 2020, but he had to stop coaching.

His disqualification ended in December, but Volkov is in no rush to return to his coaching position. Last year, the 2014 Olympic champion opened a store selling prepared meals. In general, the fate of the participants in this biathlon relay turned out to be very different: Shipulin became a deputy, Malyshko admitted that he was engaged in the construction of a mine and invested in a mobile application, and Ustyugov has been suing CAS for the right of all four to win gold at Sochi 2014 for a year now.

In an interview with , Volkov explained what his business partners thought about his sports past, said that he did not consider Evgeniy Ustyugov guilty of using a banned drug, remembered why he left the group by Mikhail Shashilov and also explained what the competitions were like. he is the most painful of my career.

“We have a team of salespeople. The store manager is my wife.”

— In 2021, you left Mikhail Shachilov’s headquarters in the Russian national team and began to gradually fade into the shadows. Why did this happen?

— In fact, everything is simple: the season ended, and my contract was not renewed. But I learned it not in person, but through the Internet. Well, I went to work in the region where I had agreements at that time. Besides, initially, the region did not want me to join the national team, but my wishes were later taken into account.

— So no one spoke to you personally about your departure from the national team?

– No. For what?

—And then you didn’t communicate with Mikhail Viktorovich?

– What about? (Laughs).

– At least for the sake of self-esteem. Did it hurt you yourself that they didn’t treat you very kindly?

– What’s the point of being offended and holding a grudge? Some needed it, some didn’t.

— Were there any misunderstandings in your work with Shachilov?

— Everyone has their own vision of the training process. He has his own opinion, I have mine, but of course we found common ground.

— In 2022, you left the regional team due to disqualification, what are you doing now?

— I don’t work as a trainer, because due to disqualification I couldn’t do it. I opened prepared food stores. One is in Yekaterinburg, the other in Tyumen. There are plans to open more.

– Wow, how did you get there?

— I thought: what can I do in general, apart from sports? I saw the franchise, met people, and that’s how it happened. Things are going well, I’ve been doing this for a little over a year.

— The disqualification ended before the new year. You can already start coaching. To want?

– I don’t know, honestly. When I was in the national team, I wanted it, but now I’ve gone a little in the other direction, towards entrepreneurship. I’m trying to grow in business. I started this whole thing from scratch. I haven’t taken any courses, but now I’m reading a few business books. I often communicate with my partners about how to do things better.

– A big team?

— We have a team of salespeople. The store manager is my wife. For now, it’s the staff (laughs).

— Do your partners even know that they are dealing with an Olympic champion?

– It’s different for everyone. I’m the type of person who doesn’t usually shout that I’m an honored athlete and that I played for the national team. More often than not, people can figure it out. And they will find out about it only later, after a while, even if we have been communicating for a long time.

— From the start of the disqualification, did biathlon cease to interest you?

— Due to the fact that I started working closely to open a store, I did not have time to follow biathlon. Well, after being kicked out of the World Cup, interest waned a bit. This season, I’m watching the races a little more, I’ve even planned to come to the Spartakiade in Zlatoust to meet up with friends.

“After the individual race, I started doing all the preparation myself”

— Do you realize that 10 years have passed since the Olympic Games?

– Maybe yes (Laughs). But everything goes one way or another very quickly.

— What do you remember from the Games?

“We did all their preparation in one stadium – in Laura.” Every day we took the same route: number – route. All! We didn’t even see any other Olympic venues, so we didn’t experience any great emotions. The people who watched us in the stands or on television experienced many more emotions than us. We didn’t have time to worry, there was only one thing on our minds: we had to show results.

— So you didn’t like it at all?

— I received it, but the joy with which people were watching… I didn’t feel those emotions (laughs). I was advised to rewatch this race. Well, I came and looked. What did I get out of it? I just drew conclusions and analyzed (laughs). Again, I felt no emotion. I like to see them happy.

— Are you really tired of the stadium-hotel journey?

— After the end of the Games, it became morally easier.

— When you came back to Laura later, how did you feel?

“I placed more emphasis on the training moments that I can give to the new generation. I came there as a coach, so I thought like that.

— Was it difficult from a psychological point of view the day before the relay?

“I just wanted to perform well.” I only competed in two races at the Olympic Games: individual and relay. You either take yours or you’re left with nothing – that’s the attitude I came out with.

— Is it true that before the relay, Shipulin, Malyshko, Ustyugov decided who would take part in the relay: you or Garanichev?

— Yes, the guys had the choice to choose who they would like to race with. They trusted me, for which I thank them very much. And a low salute.

— Garanichev wasn’t offended?

“I didn’t ask, but from the way we communicated later, I didn’t notice any resentment on his part that we were enemies to him.” It was a collective choice. Well, if the coaches gave the team a choice, then what can be offended? If one person decided that, then yes. And here is democracy (laughs). When the guys made their choice, they asked me: “Lech, how are you, ready?” I answered in the affirmative, which motivated me even more.

— Are you satisfied with how you completed your stage?

— I would give it a C, or a C plus. I didn’t work the turn as planned. And on the track, the coaches held me back for two laps and said, “Don’t drive me. And when I went to the third one, they shouted at me again: “Don’t lead me. In turn, I thought: “How can I not drive?!” If everything is already done, the baton will soon be passed.” Then I finally turned on and made up a lot of the gap. Moved to third. My personal opinion: the acceptable lag during the first stage is 15 seconds. If it’s more, you don’t have to include this step as an asset. I had 16.1 seconds. They told me everything was fine, but I realized I could do a lot better.

– Why did the coaches say that?

— The track was difficult and no one knew how much it affected me. After the individual race I started doing all the preparation myself.

— Without coaches?

– Yes. I realized that my individual race was a failure. The only option to get through the Games was to take part in the relay, so I approached it as I saw fit.

— Did the coaches react well?

— Lopukhov was not strongly opposed to it.

“I don’t think Zhenya Ustyugov is rightly accused”

— There was no party after the relay?

– Well, what kind of celebrations are there? We sat in our circle, discussed it – and that’s it. We poured all our emotions out on the track. I just wanted to lay down and relax, there was some kind of devastation.

—And then they had a party? Still, a long-awaited victory in the relay race.

– Only if later, during meetings with leaders in Moscow.

“Then they put the cars back. What is the fate of your Mercedes-Benz?

– I sold it immediately.

– For what?

— I wanted another one (laughs). I took the Porsche Panamera. Before the Olympics, I told myself: “If I win a medal, I will buy the car I want. » That was my reward, and then I rewarded myself.

— Is Porsche still with you?

– No, I sold it too.

— Do you think that your four can rightfully bear the title of winners of the Olympic Games?

– Yes. We, as a quartet, have won World Cups.

— Am I talking about the fact that for several years the story around the medal in Sochi has been surrounded by not the most pleasant news related to Ustyugov’s doping?

“Everything is dragging out, and we are also waiting for the results. Personally, I don’t think Zhenya is rightly accused.

—Did he explain the situation to the four?

— Yes, when I was in Krasnoyarsk, we met. He told everything about what he was accused of and what checks had been carried out. It is best to check with Zhenya for details.

— In the career of every athlete and coach there are both pleasant and unpleasant moments. Give an example of each.

— The 2018 Olympics are a sensitive subject. When they didn’t allow it, there was a lot of outrage. Family and loved ones helped at that time. When the Games started, I watched them on television and cheered on those who were admitted. I was very worried about the guys.

—Is this the most offensive moment of your career?

— Throughout my career, yes. It’s hard to say how I would have performed at the Olympics, but at the World Cup stages before the Games I felt good. And the most pleasant memory is our team. When there is a friendly team that is keen to show results, everything goes well. When everyone is focused on themselves, nothing good comes of it. I have something to compare, because I joined the national team right after the juniors, when Chudov, Cherezov, Kruglov, Makoveev were still in the running. Then I caught the moment when they finished, and I already became an elder. You could say that I hooked two or three generations. And all the while, the team was really friendly. We were all united by a common goal. I didn’t have envy towards anyone, maybe that’s why I got along with everyone (Laughs).

– Why not now?

— We had only one men’s team and one women’s team. Now there are groups. And for me, there was a division. Again, if it’s common sense, then great. I wouldn’t want to go into that topic because I’ve always been interested in the outcome and why it happens – everything.