Former Russian national team biathlete Alexey Volkov told that he was very sensitive to being denied access to the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
In January 2018, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not invite Volkov and a number of other Russian athletes to the Games in South Korea. Then the Russians competed under the Olympic flag and with the inscription Olympic Athlete of Russia (Olympic Athlete from Russia) on their uniforms. From the national biathlon team, Anton Babikov, Matvey Eliseev, Ulyana Kaisheva (now Nigmatullina) and Tatyana Akimova were allowed to compete.
— 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 any 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, as for me, a division has occurred. Again, if it’s common sense, then great. I wouldn’t want to get involved in that, because I have always been only interested in the result and why it happens,” Volkov told .
Volkov won relay gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics with Evgeniy Ustyugov, Dmitry Malyshko and Anton Shipulin. But their result could be overturned if the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejects the appeal in the Ustyugov case for use of a banned substance. Volkov also won the World Championships in 2017 and seven gold medals at the European Championships. He ended his career in the 2019/20 season.
Source : MatchTV
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