Why doesn't Vilukhina compete in biathlon? Russian biathlete Olga Vilukhina, who announced her retirement. Interview with O. Vilukhina

Olga Gennadievna Vilukhina(March 22, 1988, Mezhgorye, Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic) - Russian biathlete. Honored Master of Sports of Russia. Two-time silver medalist at the 2014 Olympic Games (sprint and women's relay). Bronze medalist at the 2012 World Championships in the pursuit. Three-time Russian champion (2013 - relay, 2014 - sprint, relay).

Biography

Born in Mezhgorye. Father - Gennady Viktorovich Vilukhin, an engineer at a construction company, mother - Olga Viktorovna Vilukhina, works as an operator in a boiler room. Sister - Zlata, software engineer. She studied at school No. 3, graduating with B's and A's.

My favorite book is “Eleven Minutes” by Paolo Coelho.

Sports career

Junior achievements 2006-2009

Since 1998, she has been involved in cross-country skiing, and in June 2004, on the advice of her coach, she decided to switch to biathlon, which she practices under the leadership of Valery Vladimirovich Ivanov.

The 2006 Junior World Biathlon Championships in American Presque Isle was the first for Olga Vilukhina in her career. In the individual race she took only 28th place, but in the rest she won a full set of medals. Olga won gold in the sprint, bronze in the pursuit, and silver in the relay race together with her teammates. The World Championships a year later in Martello were not so successful for the athlete. She again won silver in the relay, but her best personal result was 9th place in the pursuit. At the European Championships in Bansko, Olga was able to achieve success only in the relay race, winning a gold medal, but in the individual disciplines she could not reach the podium, showing the seventh time in the individual race and sprint and the sixth in the pursuit. At the two subsequent championships, she was also able to achieve success only in relay races: silver in Canmore and gold in Nove Mesto. The most successful for Olga was the Championship in Ufa, where she became a four-time and absolute European champion among juniors, winning gold medals in all four disciplines - sprint, pursuit, individual and relay races. This is an absolute record for the European Championships, which have been held since 1994. Before Vilukhina, no young sportswoman had ever managed to win so many awards during one continental championship.

Performances at junior and youth championships

World Cup debut

The successes of Olga Vilukhina forced the national team coaches to pay attention to the young talent, and Olga received an invitation from them to perform at the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk. On March 27, 2009, she made her debut in the sprint race. And the debut was a success. Having shown the sixth time among all athletes in the sprint and the best among Russians, Olga got into "flower ceremony".

At the end of the 2008/2009 season, she was included in the national team for centralized training.

Season 2009/2010

For the 2009/2010 season, Olga prepared for the first time with the main team. At the training camp in Oberhof, the athlete’s health suddenly deteriorated. After training in the mountains, a very high level of hemoglobin rose - and Olya’s hemoglobin level is already high by nature - and against the background of the heat, the blood began to clot. She was getting worse, her temperature rose to 40 degrees. They checked for everything - blood poisoning and pseudotuberculosis... But an exact diagnosis was never established. The recovery process was quite difficult. Immediately after returning from Oberhof, Olya spent two weeks in the hospital and underwent a full course of treatment. As a result, her health condition was normalized, but Olga lost her form and, based on the results of control training, was unable to qualify for the World Cup stages, and the coaching staff decided to delegate her to the IBU Cup.

Famous Russian biathlete Olga Vilukhina (full name Olga Gennadievna Vilukhina) born in the closed Bashkir city of Mezhgorye. This event occurred in 1988, on March 22. Olga Vilukhina is a master of sports.

Like many biathletes, Olga Vilukhina first became interested in ski racing (in 1998). In 2004, Olga Vilukhina decided to switch to biathlon. Valery Ivanov became her coach.

In 2006, in the American city of Salt Lake City, Olga Vilukhina took part in the Junior Biathlon World Championships for the first time. He was able to earn the entire set of medals (a gold medal in the sprint race, a silver medal in the relay race and a bronze medal in the pursuit race), but “let us down” only in the individual race, taking 28th place.

The following year, at the World Championships in Martell, Olga Vilukhina performed somewhat worse than before. In the relay she was able to take second place, and in the pursuit she became ninth.
At the European Championships in Bansko, Olga Vilukhina won a gold medal in the relay race. She took sixth place in the pursuit race and seventh place in the sprint race.
At the biathlon championship in Canmore, Olga Vilukhina earned a silver medal in the relay race. In the city of Nove Mesto, Olya also won a gold medal in the relay race.

The European Biathlon Championships in the capital of Bashkiria, Ufa, became very successful for Olga Vilukhina. She won all four gold medals, becoming the overall European biathlon champion. This result was a record for the European Biathlon Championships since 1994. Apparently, houses and walls help!

Spring 2009 Olga Vilukhina competed for the first time at the Biathlon World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk. It was a sprint race. She took sixth place and made it to the flower ceremony.

Based on the results of the 2008-2009 sports season, Olga Vilukhina was included in the Russian biathlon team.

Olya Vilukhina was preparing for the next sports season with the national team. At a training camp in the city of Oberkhov, Olga developed health problems - her hemoglobin level rose and her blood began to clot. The exact reason could not be determined. After treatment, Olga Vilukhina was not selected for the World Cup, the coaches decided to send her to the IBU competitions.

In the Swedish city of Hydra and in the Italian city of Ridnaval Ridanna, Olga Vilukhina twice became second in the sprint race. In the Austrian city of Obertillach, at the IBU Cup, an unfortunate funny thing happened to Olya, because of which she was not among the winners of the race. Olga Vilukhina forgot to put the starting numbers on her legs. By the time they brought her numbers, about 40-50 seconds passed, which she lost to the winner, ending up eighth in the sprint race. In the German city of Altenberg, Olga Vilukhina took 17th place at the IBU Cup. Olya developed otitis media and refused to continue participating in competitions.

In the 2009-2010 sports season Olga Vilukhina took 14th place in the IBU Cup with 254 points.
After Olga Vilukhina regained her health, she began to participate in the Russian biathlon championship. In the city of Ufa, Olga Vilukhina took first place in the individual race. She was selected for the European Biathlon Championships. There, Olga Vilukhina took 15th place in the individual race, and was able to win a bronze medal in the relay. Unfortunately, Olga also had to end this season early due to health problems. At the end of the season, Olya was included in the list of candidates for the biathlon team.

In 2011, in the city of Hochfilzin, Olga Vilukhina took first place in the mixed relay. In January 2012, in the city of Oberhof, Olga Vilukhina also won the relay race.
On Old New Year 2012, Olga Vilukhina in the city of Nove Mesto took 5th place in the sprint, setting her personal record.

In recent years, biathlon has begun to gain popularity in Russia. The names of the best shooting skiers are familiar to all sports fans. One of the best biathletes of the last five years is Olga Vilukhina. Biathlon lost a lot when Olga announced her retirement in 2016. She was considered one of the most accurate athletes, her percentage of hits on target exceeded 85 percent. Due to health problems, the athlete was forced to end her career in the prime of her life. However, she managed to win awards at the World Championships and win medals at the Olympic Games.

The beginning of the way

Olga Gennadievna Vilukhina was born in the Bashkir Mezhgorye in 1988. The girl's father works as a civil engineer, and her mother is an operator in a boiler room. My sister chose to work as a software engineer.

Olya first saw biathlon competitions while watching the broadcast of the 1998 Nagano Olympics. Soon one of her new idols came to her hometown - shooting skier Valery Ivanov, who organized a ski section. Due to the fact that Mezhgorye was a closed military town, the girl did not have the opportunity to participate in biathlon. She skied without a rifle until 2004, and then took up her favorite sport seriously.

Junior exploits

The first major tournament for Olga was the 2006 World Junior Championships. Vilukhina failed the individual race, but in subsequent disciplines she managed to collect a full set of awards. The biathlete took gold in the sprint, was third in the pursuit race, and rose to the second step of the podium in the relay.

The next couple of seasons didn't go very well. At the World Championships, she did not achieve success in individual disciplines, but still performed well in relays. However, the 2009 continental championship, held in her native Bashkiria, was the tournament after which the national team coaches paid attention to such an athlete as Olga Vilukhina. The biathlete became the absolute champion of the continent, winning gold in each of the four disciplines.

Difficult transition to adulthood

After the triumphant European Junior Championships, the athlete is included in the main Russian team and given the chance to compete at one of the stages of the World Cup. At the starts in Khanty-Mansiysk, Olga Vilukhina showed the best result among Russian women, becoming sixth in the sprint and earning the right to participate in the flower ceremony.

After the 2008-2009 season, the coaches decide to include the athlete in the main team for targeted training.

However, serious health problems occurred during the training camp in Oberhof. Vilukhina naturally has a high level of hemoglobin. Intense training in high altitude areas worsened her condition. The temperature went over 40, because of this the blood began to clot. The athlete went to the hospital. Doctors could not even establish an accurate diagnosis of the disease. After a long recovery process, she returned to the ski track, but had already lost her form.

Link to the second division

The coaches decide to send Vilukhina to participate in a less prestigious tournament - the IBU Cup. She did not achieve much success at these stages, only twice finishing second in the sprint at tournaments in Hydra and Ridnaud Val Ridana.

A curious incident happened to her at the stage in Obertillach. For the athlete herself, however, there was little reason to laugh. Olga Vilukhina went to the start, forgetting to stick the numbers on her uniform. The delay lasted 40-50 seconds, and during this time the rivals had already managed to run far away. As a result, she reached the finish line, just those unfortunate 42 seconds behind the winner.

Throughout the season, Olga was plagued by health problems. In Altenberg, she competed for the last time this season at the IBU Cup stage, after which she came down with otitis media. Having recovered, she takes part in the Russian Championship, where she wins the individual race. She made the team for the European Championships, but at these competitions she aggravated her previous shoulder injury.

Despite this, the coaches hoped that Olga Vilukhina would be able to help the main team at the World Cup in March, but at that time her temperature jumped again and the athlete ended this unhappy season in a hospital bed.

Return to the top level

Despite all the failures of the 2009-2010 season, the coaches include Olga in the main team for the next season. The athlete justified the trust of her mentors and performed successfully in the mixed relay race in Hochfilzen, where she helped her team win. At the stage in Oberhof, she was entrusted with the honorable right to close the relay race among women's teams. Olga did not disappoint and finished ahead of all her rivals.

In March 2012, Vilukhina won world championship medals for the first time in her life, becoming third in the pursuit race.

The biathlete started the 2012-2013 season in the best possible way. At the Östersund stage, she won bronze in the sprint, and in subsequent individual races she did not fall below fifth place.

Her performance in the mixed relay was especially impressive. Her teammate Olga Zaitseva passed the baton to her, 11 seconds behind her opponent. Vilukhina was able to not only win back this gap, but also give the men almost half a minute of a head start.

Finally, in Khanty-Mansiysk she showed her best result at the world cup stages. In addition to silver in the pursuit, in other races she was certainly among the top four.

Olympic awards and retirement from sports

In general, the Sochi Olympics did not go very well for the Russian women's biathlon team. However, Olga Vilukhina, whose photos subsequently graced all the covers of sports publications, was able to prepare perfectly for her main competitions in life. At the sprint distance, she shot calmly, without making a single mistake, and passed both shooting lines cleanly. However, in speed she was inferior to the leader of the race, Anastasia Kuzmina, who defended the colors of Slovakia.

Olga Vilukhina was able to add silver in the relay race to her individual award in the sprint, becoming a two-time Olympic medalist.

After the end of the Olympics, health problems surfaced again. The athlete decided to skip the next season to get herself in order. In all interviews, Vilukhina said that she dreams of maintaining her form until the next Games in Pyeongchang.

However, in the end, health and personal life turned out to be more important. In November 2016, the titled athlete announced the end of her glorious career.

Olga Vilukhina left sports early, but did not part with biathlon. Together with her husband, she is engaged in coaching, and fans may hear the glorious name of the honored athlete more than once.

Alexey Avdokhin sees off the most mysterious Russian biathlete from sports.

Olga Vilukhina is the most mysterious Russian biathlete of the last generation.

She was not a brilliant athlete, did not have super talent (old man Pichler spoke about this) and, it seems, treated biathlon as a hobby. It’s a paradox, but even so she didn’t realize herself in it even halfway.

Vilukhina’s entire career in big biathlon fit into three short seasons. Olga was often sick for a long time, and really trained only in those rare moments when her health allowed. And it rarely allowed it.

An incredible coincidence - Vilukhina came into her best form in Ruhpolding 2012 and at the Sochi Olympics. Two of her five personal podiums happened at the main competitions, and after the Olympic silver in the sprint (and relay), it seemed that everything was just beginning.

But Vilukhina did not spend the next two years on biathlon. No one, neither Olga herself, nor the coaches, nor the president of the federation, gave a clear explanation for her disappearance. Again they heard something about poor health, fatigue from biathlon, the need to rest - it seemed that Vilukhina was not 26, but twenty years older.

“Olga is not the person with whom I will go on reconnaissance. She always has her own game, which she doesn’t talk about,” Pavel Rostovtsev, who worked with Vilukhina for several years, later tried to paint her psychological portrait based on parting with two coaches. First with Pichler, then with Korolkevich.

For two post-Olympic years, Vilukhina was on the national team and indicated a desire to return. Seriously or for fun - only she knows. The leadership of the SBR believed in her return (or pretended) - in general, there is a lot of murky and unsaid in this story.

They say that after Sochi, Olga really wanted to give birth, but it didn’t work out - and for her, a home and family woman, this moment was fundamental. And they also say that for her sake, Vladimir Korolkevich remained in the team, who did not want to work with the Tikhonov-Kravtsov tandem at all, but saw great potential in Vilukhina: “She can definitely be in the top 3 of the World Cup - Olga has all the data.” But Vilukhina, having taken two Olympic silvers, took a pause and did not warn the coach. I told him about my plans only in August 2014, when it was too late to change jobs.

And when she returned in the spring of 2015, Olga still hadn’t fully decided: should she work with Korolkevich, Gaidysh, or her common-law husband, Valery Ivanov? As a result, I had to bet on a loved one. And it’s not a fact that it was right.

Her last year's attempt to come back through the IBU Cup looked awkward, but not hopeless - two top-ten finishes, one podium (we probably won't remember 63rd place). Similar results at the same time were shown by other collections that crowded on the threshold of the base - Nechkasov, Shcherbinin, Sleptsov.

The current team, where a biathlete who has never been in the top 15 during the season is considered a reliable relay participant, and almost everyone failed the relay races, perhaps even such a Vilukhina would be useful.

Moreover, back in the summer, Vilukhina sparkled with optimism: “I’m very motivated now. There is an attitude and a desire to set big goals for ourselves.” People started talking about Pyeongchang as the main goal as soon as the home Games ended.

In such a sluggish regime, all this could well continue further - at least until the Games in Pyeongchang. Are there not enough examples of athletes who have taken a break and promised to return to big-time sports, and for these promises they receive monthly payments on their bank cards?

But Vilukhina decided to do differently. This is strange, if only because:

– it’s strange for a promising and still promising person to leave biathlon

– losing motivation without winning a single personal victory in the World Cup is strange

– to be left without a goal a year before the main start of life is strange

– quitting sports for the sake of a personal goal (did you still understand what Olga meant?), which is still only in plans and does not interfere with training in any way – strange

And yet this is an honest act, for which Vilukhina definitely cannot be condemned - only questioned. Which, of course, no one will answer.

The best biathlete in Russia at the end of 2014, a two-time Olympic silver medalist, spoke about her childhood dream, the thorny path to it and why she is not ready to devote her whole life to sports.

Dossier:

Olga VILUKHINA

Honored Master of Sports.

Two-time silver medalist at the 2014 Olympic Games (sprint and women's relay)

bronze medalist at the 2012 World Championships in pursuit

three-time Russian champion (2013 - relay, 2014 - sprint, relay)

Absolute European champion among juniors 2009

- Olga, is it true that biathlon began for you in 1998 while watching TV?

Yes. I was 10 years old then, I watched broadcasts from the Olympic Games in Nagano. Most of all I liked the beautiful, spectacular biathlon. Especially how the athletes covered these black cups. And the moment when the biathletes were shown at the turn sank into my soul! Then the dream appeared - to win a medal at the Olympics!

Then Valery Ivanov, a participant in these very Games, came to our city of Mezhgorye (Republic of Bashkortostan)! He headed the cross-country skiing section. My physical education teacher led me to him by the hand. Since then I started riding. True, we did not have a biathlon department. Mezhgorye is a closed military city, and shooting there is strictly prohibited. So biathlon came into my life a little later.

It took 16 years to fulfill a childhood dream! In Sochi, you won two silver medals at once - in the women's relay and in the sprint race. Has anything changed in how you feel? Has life changed since you won an Olympic medal?

The goal has not yet been achieved. Yes, I won two silver medals, but my ambitions were not realized. I really want to perform in Korea (in 2018 the Winter Olympic Games will be held in South Korea. - Author's note) and win a gold medal. But at the moment I am haunted by pain. I want to get rid of them and quickly continue performing and pleasing the fans. Due to the fact that I am missing the season, many people are waiting for my return. This is my drive, my motivation, my duty. I am obliged to people and want to meet their expectations.

What has changed in life? I feel respect from people. I have something to tell about myself. Made a lot of good friends. In general, I meet very good people in my life.

At the Olympic starts you performed in the final stages. This is both an honor and a huge responsibility... Where do you feel more comfortable - opening, closing the race or in the middle?

I love stage four. If you manage to “get into the prizes”, if this is also a victory, you really want to finish with the flag. So when the opportunity to close a race arises, I take it!

Yes, at the World Cup in Ruhpolding, you were only a few seconds ahead of the German woman, but you risked slowing down and taking the flag!.. Many perceived this as a rash risk.

From the angle that was shown to the audience, it seemed that she was literally two meters away. But if you look at the video in profile, you can see that the advantage was about 70 meters. I wouldn’t risk it if the gap was smaller, because victory is at stake.

I want people to trust me and not raise false alarms. I then reassured people: “Trust me, I’m in control!” You see, these are indescribable emotions, and I wanted to give them to people! It’s great that we won then. And it’s a pity that this victory was later taken away from us because of the unpleasant doping history of the Tyumen athlete.

What's the most exciting thing for you? When is the entire target covered? When is the baton passed? When are the last meters left to the finish? Or when you are already on the pedestal?

The whole race is not exactly a thrill. It's excitement. As soon as the starting gate opens, you are all in the race. You know, at the beginning of my career there was excitement. And then it disappeared. I've moved to a new level and now I'm getting inspired. The most important thing is to get started so that the race is fun.

- Which Olympic medal is more valuable to you - for the individual race or the relay?

Both! I was charged throughout the entire competition. And when I managed to become second in the sprint, in the personal race, I exhaled with relief and great joy. I remember how difficult it was, how difficult the path to this medal was over many years.

- And the responsibility is huge - home games, the whole country is waiting for victories!

We have experienced particular pressure since 2007, when Russia won the bid to host the Games. From that moment on, they only heard: “Sochi, Sochi, Sochi...” It was a colossal responsibility! And when I came second in the sprint, I felt incredible joy and relief.

- Did you get yourself in any special mood before the competition?

There was a strange mood before the relay. I came for breakfast and met with Lena Khrustaleva, a biathlete from Kazakhstan. She and I began to discuss what we would do after the end of the season. So breakfast smoothly turned into lunch. Maxim Chudov came and started talking to him. The mood was on the rise. It would seem that you need to go into the room, close yourself, and tune in before the race. But I understood that I felt good and was physically ready. It’s enough to warm up, take aim and do everything in my power for the team.

I remember when Yana Romanova entered the first stage, I was in the weapons room, doing blank training. All the guys were watching TV. I assessed the situation from the outside with such composure...

Yes, inexplicable things happen at the Olympics. This is a coincidence of circumstances when the French women “fell off” - Brunet fainted, the German women “shot themselves”, and Yana passed her stage perfectly... Then Olga Zaitseva ran, I watched her, too, without panic or excitement. I watched Katya Shumilova shoot from the stadium. And then I went to the start in a good mood, calm, and everything turned out well.

- And now a year has passed since the Olympics. And you are back in Sochi, but now as a participant in the holiday show!

Yes. We then wanted to go to hockey and other disciplines, but we were not allowed. This time we were able to at least see the Olympic venues. Everything is so beautiful! I also really liked the show in honor of the anniversary of the Olympics. What a wonderful idea to do such a show!

We had several rehearsals with Ilya Averbukh. When he suggested going out on the ice on skis, we thought: “How is this possible?!” “Should we put on skates?” - we offered him. He was adamant, they say, what skates, you are biathletes! There were also falls, fortunately they were cut out of the broadcast. Everything went great and fun. I saw many people from show business live, took pictures with the skaters, met with teammates, congratulated Olga Zaitseva on her new role (Olga Zaitseva was appointed acting head coach of the Russian biathlon team. - Author's note). I also wanted to go skiing, but I couldn’t change my ticket.

This year you took a time out and are focusing on your health. We recently had surgery on our arm and two days after the cast was removed we were already on the ski slopes in Mordovia. Can we say that Olga Vilukhina is returning?

I went to Mordovia to conduct a master class for children - this was the main goal. And of course, I just drove through. Yes, I put on my skis, my number, and when the athlete puts on his number, a click goes off in his head: “I need to run!” But physically I’m not yet ready to return to the highest level, so there was no task to run as hard as I could. This cannot yet be called a return to sports.

- When do you plan to enter the competition?

So far there are plans for the next two months. I’m going to compete in the marathon in Khanty-Mansiysk and stay at the competition with Sveta Sleptsova, she invited me. After that I will go to Kamchatka to ski. I would like to combine training with relaxation: go for a ride, look at volcanoes and the ocean. I have been to Kamchatka many times, I am very drawn there, I love this place. And Anya Bogaliy invited me to go skiing in Sheregesh. I, of course, gave my consent.

You already took a break in 2009. Is it psychologically difficult to be out of action for a while and then come back?

There was no skipping the season as such in 2009. I just moved down a rank and competed in Russia. Yes, there were health problems, and besides, it was a period of transition from junior age. Apparently, then I couldn’t withstand the psychological stress to a greater extent. Now - physical. This stage in life must be overcome. I'm sure I can handle it.

I’m ready to compete in Russian competitions, I want to grow and grow. There is only one goal - the Olympics. I will try my best.

2009, by the way, was also remembered by your fans for the story when, at the IBU Cup stage in Obertilliach, Austria, you forgot to put on your starting numbers on your feet, were delayed at the start and lost...

I don’t know what stopped me from wearing these numbers then... Lack of concentration, stupidity, inattention, absent-mindedness...

It was an Olympic year, and you could jump on the last car and go to Vancouver. But no, I missed my chance. I lost my trip to the World Cup and, accordingly, did not qualify for the national team, but went to Izhevsk for the Izhevsk Rifle. Then I was blown away psychologically. I still haven’t forgiven myself for this. But everything that is done is for the better!

- The last Olympic season also turned out to be very difficult for you.

Yes, it wasn’t easy for me. Firstly, she left Pichler for Korolkevich. It was a deliberate decision that took two months. A serious start in life was at stake, and I understood that I needed to train differently. At the same time, I was worried about how I would continue to communicate with Wolfgang, how to look him in the eye, how he would accept it and whether he would accept it... Fortunately for me, he understood my position. I wrote a long letter, urging me to understand, and began to prepare with Korolkevich.

Secondly, in the fall the thyroid gland made itself known - for many years I was diagnosed with goiter. Accordingly, I couldn’t train intensively; my heart rate was very high - over 100 beats only when I woke up! Doctors prescribed hormonal medications. Because of them, I gained 5 kilograms. It was a disaster! Before the Olympics I was on a strict diet. In the evenings, I used to break down and could eat 10 candies at a time. She asked: “Take these temptations away from me!” It was difficult. After the competition I was so happy that I overcame all this and now I can eat normally!..

- Your career is full of difficulties and obstacles. Nothing comes easy!

Otherwise it would be boring, and we would have nothing to talk about! Yes, in my life everything is like that - through trials. And I am ready to overcome them. This is interesting!

- You conduct master classes for children. Do you see yourself as a coach in the future?

My husband is a coach. Now he is working with those whom he wants to bring to the Russian national team - with Maxim Burtasov, Anya Nikulina... At the same time, he wants to work with children. I am ready to help him, but this will be just one of the paths in my life. While my head still doesn’t agree to take a break from sports. I want to realize myself inside and out, so now I’m only thinking about my development, about how to prepare perfectly and be in very good shape in Korea. I'm just living 2018!

What qualities must an athlete have to become a champion? From your example it is clear that perseverance!..

You need to experience sports passion, some anger, love for what you do, a desire to win. It is also important for an athlete to be healthy. I have never been known for good health, but my dreams lead me forward.

- Your advice, parting words to those who have just started skiing and picked up a rifle.

For those who really want to achieve high victories, I wish them not to be distracted and not to deviate from their goals. If you work halfway, a little here, a little there, nothing will work. If you want to be the best, train, be patient, reach for the stars. I wish you success and health. And take care of yourself.

- I know you love to cook and experiment. What's your favorite dish?

My parents are gourmets, and I myself love to eat delicious food. It would seem that dad has been preparing pilaf for so many years, but he is still improving - he constantly adds new ingredients and spices! I also love pilaf, and I learned from my mother how to make manti and cook borscht. Sometimes my friends and I get together and make dumplings.

- What do you do in your free time from training?

I mostly watch films - I really want to watch Zvyagintsev’s “Leviathan” - and take care of my health. She also entered the second higher education - at Moscow State University, at the Higher School of Cultural Policy and Sports. And of course, I don’t forget about skiing - now mostly mountain skiing. And when my body gets stronger, I will get in physical shape and do special work.

- Do you go to the shooting range with your friends to shoot?

No, I don't go. I understand that this is deceiving people. They twist the diopters, knock down the sights, don’t allow you to shoot... It’s impossible to win there. Then what's the point? Spending money to get scammed?

- Do you have an idol among athletes? Eternal Bjoerndalen?

No, there are no idols. Eternal Bjoerndalen... (Laughs. - Author's note) He inspires admiration. This man belongs entirely to biathlon. The way he finds motivation and strength, despite the fact that our sport is considered age-appropriate, is impressive! I’m probably a slightly different person and I’m not ready to devote my whole life to sports. I have certain goals outside of biathlon. I want to realize myself as a woman, as a mother.

text: Natalya TYUMENTSEVA

photo: Valentin KOPALOV and from the personal archive of Olga VILUKHINA

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