Smolsky: “There have never been such long seasons in history. It’s a new experience for the body.

Belarusian Olympic medalist Anton Smolski said that the last biathlon season was the longest in his career and for the body it was a new experience.

Smolsky took third place in the mass start of the Alfa-Bank Commonwealth Cup stage in Murmansk on Sunday and won the overall tournament ranking for the 2023/24 season.

— Were you afraid that it would happen the same way as last year, when illnesses prevented you from fighting for victory in the Commonwealth Cup?

“Perhaps because we had this experience last year, we took certain measures this year and were able to approach the competition in normal form.

“A lot of people thought this race would be a battle of nerves. Were your nerves stronger during the mass start?

– Maybe. I was still nervous in the morning, and during the race as well. I understood that I had to control Eduard (Latypov) and work as best as I could standing.

— Did the 11-point advantage before the race help?

— If three positions separated us, that would be more than 11 points. It was always anxious and nervous. I realized it was very little. Latypov is very strong.

— How did this season go?

— The season is hard and long. It started at the end of August and is only finished now. This has never happened in the history of our biathlon. It’s a new experience for the body; more resources are needed.

— Given your state, do you consider the final victory your merit or a gift from Eduard?

— I had two failed races. I regretted that it didn’t work out for me in Ufa. If I had been in the top ten in the sprint and pursuit, I would have had an advantage of over 60 points. So it’s not a gift from Edouard, but work and competition,” reports the correspondent, according to Smolsky’s words.