Great Patriotic. Alexander Privalov

Life’s interlocutor was an 83-year-old two-time Olympic medalist, an outstanding Soviet coach who knows absolutely everything about biathlon.

“Yes, there were people in our time, // Not like the current tribe: // Bogatyrs - not you!” - with these lines from the poem “Borodino” by Mikhail Lermontov on my lips, I was returning home after an interview with Alexander Vasilyevich Privalov, a pioneering biathlete and outstanding coach.

Once upon a time, the Soviet Union biathlon team inspired fear and respect in its opponents, but now Russian athletes do nothing but fight off doping attacks on the Internet...

Why such a difficult situation has developed in Russian biathlon and what needs to be done to return the former glory to the domestic knights of skis and rifles, Privalov told Life.

We met with Alexander Vasilyevich at his workplace in Moskomsport - now the outstanding coach advises athletes. And this at 83 years old! Many at such a respectable age are already retiring and only spend their time watching television. But Privalov is still in the ranks and, it seems, cannot imagine his life without biathlon.

If you get hung up on age, you’ll quickly grow old,” Privalov shared the secret of his performance as we rode up in the elevator to the fourth floor of the management of the Luzhniki Sports Complex. - I don’t think about age at all.

Many people ask me: “Alexander Vasilyevich, do you do exercises?” “No, I don’t,” I answer. I'm just living a normal life. However, I stopped skiing: I have no time and no desire. You know, I’ve done so much that now I just want to live in peace.

- Do you often communicate with your “comrades in arms”?

I am in touch with everyone, I often call Alexander Tikhonov, Anatoly Alyabyev, Alexander Ushakov. You can’t list them all. We still live the life we ​​lived as part of the national team. I remember when I had my 80th birthday, everyone wrote reviews. I read them and almost shed tears. “Am I really what they say I am?” - I thought. It was a pleasure.

And just recently we visited Vyacheslav Fetisov at his club in connection with the anniversary of Alexander Tikhonov. So, Seryozha Chepikov (two-time Olympic champion and two-time world champion in biathlon) was there. - Approx. Life). Naturally, we indulged in memories. Sergei says: “Do you remember how we were on the bus to the Olympic relay in 1988?” “Of course I remember,” I replied.

Here is how it was. I look, my guys are sitting, tense, tense. I thought that I needed to distract them somehow, and suggested singing “Katyusha”. We started singing and immediately came to life, and then beat the strongest team of the GDR, led by Frank-Peter Reutsch himself. Such moments in life are of great importance... They remain in memory for centuries.

I didn’t have enough experience in Squaw Valley; in Innsbruck I couldn’t feel my arms or legs

Alexander Vasilyevich has done so much for the national biathlon as a coach that some no longer remember that he was once a talented athlete. It's no joke, Privalov is a two-time Olympic medalist - 1960 and 1964, a two-time silver medalist at the world championships and a six-time champion of the Soviet Union. Moreover, in the entire history of Russian biathlon, only two athletes won medals in individual races at two Olympics: Sergei Chepikov and our hero.

People who are far from sports do not know that I was once an athlete. (Laughs.) But sports awards are much more noticeable achievements than coaching successes. Two-time Olympic medalist - that sounds proud. The coach always remains a little in the shadows. Nobody cares how many Olympic champions you have trained.

Alexander Vasilyevich, you took part in the Olympics, where biathlon was presented for the first time. It turns out that you stood at the origins of this sport...

It turns out that way! It was 1960, I was superbly prepared, I felt great. In a word, I had all the data to win a gold medal, but neither I nor our coaches had enough experience. On three firing lines I didn’t make a single mistake and was in the lead. But before the last stand they shout to me: “Sasha, everyone loses, the only hope is in you!” In general, I could not withstand this crazy psychological pressure and was able to hit only two targets - three would have been enough for me to win. In the end, they only hung bronze around my neck.

- After four years in Innsbruck, you had more than enough experience. Why not gold again, but silver?

Indeed, by 1964 I was already an experienced athlete, a team leader. But here's the thing. I approached the competition overtrained and simply couldn’t move. I realized this a few days before the competition during training. I went out into the distance and felt that my arms and legs were not obeying me.

In general, I came to the senior coach, Evgeniy Ivanovich Polikanin, and told him: “Evgeniy Ivanovich, I can’t move.” “Go and rest,” was the answer. The day before the start, I went to the distance and felt that nothing had changed. “Take me out of the competition,” I asked Polikanin. To which he said: “Run as fast as you can.” And I ran...

Imagine, at a distance I did not feel either movement or shooting. I remember that in the final standing I made two shots well, but on the last three I got hammered. And I literally tortured myself with these shots... When at the finish line they told me that I had won a silver medal, I was extremely surprised.

By the way, first place in that race was taken by another Soviet biathlete - Vladimir Melanin.

Usually we competed on equal terms, but in Innsbruck I lost to him by about three minutes in the process. You could say that compared to him, I just stood there.

After the Olympic Games we were invited to a government reception. Volodya and I stood next to Defense Minister Malinovsky, and then Nikita Sergeevich said: “Rodion, bring your guys here.” Malinovsky responded: “Nikita, let them go themselves.”

Volodya and I approached, Khrushchev congratulated us, and then we drank a glass of champagne together. “You guys are great, you glorified Soviet weapons, you didn’t make a single mistake. If the enemy approaches the border, shoot him right in the forehead,” these words of gratitude from Nikita Sergeevich are forever etched in my memory.

I invited Sasha Tikhonov to biathlon because he was the strongest junior skier

The Innsbruck Olympics was Privalov's last as an athlete. At the 1968 Games in Grenoble, France, Alexander Vasilyevich arrived as a coach. He was only 35 years old then...

I really wanted to become an Olympic champion, I prepared hard for the Games in Grenoble. My friend, journalist Slava Tokarev, told me then: “Everything is fine, you are going according to plan. You have bronze, now silver, which means that in 1968 you will have to win gold.” And I had the strength to do this. But it didn't work out...

I had already graduated from SCOLIFK and received the specialty “coach-teacher” when I was invited to the sports committee. The management’s proposal literally stunned me: “We would like you to lead the country’s biathlon team.” To say that I was shocked is to say nothing. What kind of coaching job? I wanted to become an Olympic champion.

I was given three days to think about it. Honestly, I didn't know what to do. After all, we were connected with ski racers back then, and I didn’t really want to depend on someone. However, working with the team seemed more important to me: the team, after all, stands above personal ambitions.

In general, I agreed to become a coach and immediately ran into a problem... I was about the same age as the guys from the team, we trained together. Well, how was it to work with them, teach them something? Fortunately, the fact that I was the team captain for many years and enjoyed authority played a role.

Have you ever wondered why the position of coach was offered to you and not to Olympic champion Vladimir Melanin?

Hard to tell. (Thinks.) Probably Volodya had no education, and I had just graduated from college. Perhaps the management had other considerations.

When I took the helm of the national team, I decided to rejuvenate the squad. Sasha Tikhonov was already the champion of the Spartakiad in cross-country skiing. I had the opportunity to invite a talented athlete to biathlon when we were at a training camp in the Estonian city of Otepää. I invited him to shoot when the team went on a “hike” - this is such a long training.

I gave Sasha my 7.62 caliber Mosin rifle, which our fathers and grandfathers fought with in their time. It was difficult for him to shoot, but he tried, and I told him: “Go to biathlon.” Of course, it was not easy to take it away from the skiers - they were also interested in good athletes, but in the end I succeeded.

Now Sasha is an authority, but then he was a boy, but with character. Imagine, at the Grenoble Olympics, while still a junior in the individual race, Sasha made only two large-caliber misses, this was an outstanding result. During the course, Tikhonov, of course, was the best, but the Norwegian Magnar Solberg, who eventually won the race, shot at zero. Sasha came second: it was unrealistic to play four minutes - and then they gave two penalty minutes for a miss.

We also won the relay in Grenoble. For the first time in history! And for six Olympics in a row they did not lose first place to anyone. I think no one else will be able to repeat this result. Why did we perform so well? Yes, because they worked hard, really worked hard.

Martin Fourcade has a weak spot!

Alexander Vasilyevich believes that Russian biathletes have a chance to perform well at the World Championships in Hochfilzen, Austria. Let us remind you that the competition will be held from February 9 to 19.

This year our biathletes are seriously preparing for the main start of the season - the World Championships! - says the specialist. - Yes, we are losing a little to the leaders of world biathlon during the races, but the shooting component of our athletes is at a higher level.

The last stage of the World Cup showed that the psychological state of biathletes is of particular importance. For example, Martin Fourcade could not withstand the tension and suffered breakdowns in shooting. This is primarily due to the fact that, having reached the peak of sports fame, he believed in his invincibility. And the fact that during the competition he was thinking not about work, but about victory, caused him jitters that he could not cope with. There are many such examples in biathlon... What am I talking about? When preparing for the main start, our guys will need to take these points into account. Fortunately, Russian biathletes have time to prepare and enter the competition in good shape.

At the end of the sports season, it will be necessary to analyze all the preparations for this year and sort out the mistakes made, and there were enough of them so that we would no longer have problems when preparing for the Olympics.

Separately, I would like to ask the media not to draw undue attention to the Fourcade - Shipulin fight before the World Championships. This prevents Anton from concentrating on the main tasks...

- How do you evaluate the performance of our guys at the World Cup?

At the sixth stage, the team won gold and two bronzes. We would like it to be better, but perhaps this situation before the main start of the season is even more advantageous for us, because it is psychologically easier for outsiders to perform than for leaders.

We need to write a manual on how Ustyugov prepares

Alexander Vasilyevich, despite his advanced age, follows all competitions and reads the latest news from the world of sports on the Internet. When the doping scandals began and the subsequent persecution of Russian athletes, he was very worried, although he was sure that there is no smoke without fire.

As soon as the first cases of doping in biathlon became known, they had to be stopped immediately, says Privalov. “It was necessary to seriously punish not only the athletes, but also the coaches and functionaries. Why didn't they do this?

In 2014, a talented guy, Sasha Loginov, was caught doping. He received a two-year disqualification, but the others who fed him this crap were not punished. That’s why other athletes are now attacking Sasha on the Internet. Of course, they can be partly understood, because there are athletes who did not take anything, and they are offended by those who are trying to deceive the sports world, but still they are wrong: not only Sasha was to blame for this whole situation.

Another reason why they still took up arms against Russia lies in the fact that everyone felt its power and was afraid. We have become a serious competitor to the United States, and the Americans want to destroy us by any means necessary. And sport is one of the areas where blows are very painful. Take Richard McLaren's list...

Fortunately, the President of the International Biathlon Union (IBU), Anders Besseberg, in my opinion, chose the right position. He said this: “Until you have serious evidence, we will not apply any sanctions against the Russians.” I know him very well...

- In your opinion, is Besseberg fair?

I will say this: Norwegians can somewhere cross the line of justice if they are interested in this. When the international federation developed a biathlon program and signed a contract with the Eurosport channel, our sport began to receive huge amounts of money.

Besseberg understood perfectly well: if you remove our guys from the World Cup stages, then watching the races will no longer be so interesting. Take, for example, the confrontation between Fourcade and Shipulin. That's why he said that in order to remove the Russians from the World Cup stages - which many sought - there must be strong evidence on hand. Otherwise, the multimillion-dollar Russian audience would lose interest in broadcasts, and this is fraught with large material losses.

- Which Russian has pleased you the most in recent weeks?

Of course, skier Sergei Ustyugov. I was terribly surprised by his performance at the Tour de Ski. This success of his will not prevent biathletes from seriously analyzing and adopting how he prepares. I have a manual where it is scientifically developed and substantiated how and what needs to be done in order to get results. So, it states that in biathlon you can achieve victories only through volume.

- Maybe it’s worth writing a manual on how Ustyugov prepares for competitions?

Why not? I think his experience would be useful to many biathletes. Of course, adjusted for the individual characteristics of each.

Ustyugov is, of course, a leader; his place in the team is guaranteed. Some people have to look for options in order to perform at a high level. You've probably heard that biathlete Ekaterina Avvakumova received South Korean citizenship... Do you think she's wrong?

Every athlete wants to achieve something in life, and in Russia the competition is very high, so some people argue like this: “It’s better to be first in the village than last in the city.” Of course, if a person is a patriot, he should remain under his flag, no matter what, but we now have democracy and people are looking for options for career development. We've been through this, we know. I think our team will cope without Avvakumova.

I would like to note that strong athletes rarely leave the country, but, admittedly, we missed some talented biathletes. For example, Kuzmin and Domrachev. Do you know what this says? About the coach's inattention. The coach must feel and ring all the bells as soon as a bright athlete appears. I felt...

- How?

Firstly, I paid attention to the results, and secondly, to the character, to what kind of person he is in everyday life, how he behaves in stressful situations.

The South Korean team is led by our specialist Andrei Prokunin. Do you believe that he will be able to lead his players to medals at the Pyeongchang Games?

You know, Andrei has little experience as a coach, but let’s hope that he will be able to create a good team for the Olympics.

Everything happened before my eyes during the war. We saw how our cavalry was shot

Alexander Privalov went through the war as a child, and he probably owes his strong character and incredible resilience to this difficult life test. When the Germans entered the village of Pyatnitsa, Solnechnogorsk region, Sasha was not even ten years old. Privalov still doesn’t know how his family survived that cruel time.

I saw everything before my eyes: how our men were leaving for the war, how the enemy was advancing... I remember when the first bomb exploded, the boys and I were in class at school. The children immediately abandoned their notebooks and ran to collect fragments from the shell. It was interesting…

It became scary later when the cavalry was shot before our eyes. And here we are standing on the shore of the Istrinsky reservoir, and opposite, across the reservoir, the neighboring village is burning and machine gun fire is heard. First, second, third...

The Germans entered our village a little later, solemnly, with hooting, scattering chocolate. My mother, brother and sister, cousin and grandmother and I were saved only by the fact that my father made a dugout in the ravine before leaving for the front. There we sat together with the family of the collective farm chairman.

One day a German came to see us, aimed a machine gun at us, and I thought that was it, it was all over. I don’t know what stopped him, maybe the children, but he lowered his weapon and left. Our village was under occupation for a week. Once my brother Valentin - by the way, a famous pilot - climbed into an enemy tank with our cousin, they began to poke around there - and suddenly the Germans. The boys hid inside, Valya loaded a rocket launcher just in case, but, fortunately, the Germans never got into the tank.

When the enemy soldiers left, they burned the village - only the school remained intact. I remember how the Germans set fire to our house, we watched it from the dugout. The grandmother jumped out of cover and rushed to the house and began to drive away the Germans. I was surprised they let her live.

So we were left without shelter and food. I had to walk over people to survive. Then my mother was busy restoring the village and building houses. Over time, we also acquired housing. I remember my reaction when I first saw the light bulb light up. Just like magic... It really surprised me. (Smiles.)

My father never returned from the war. Mother raised us alone. She worked for everyone...

Privalov expressed all his childhood experiences, fear and despair of the people through the prism of the perception of an ordinary Soviet boy in an emotional poem.

The dear oak groves have faded,

From bomb explosions and smoky haze.

And frightened flocks of birds

They flew screaming in distress

<…>

The cavalrymen, retreating,

We fell into a "bag" of fire.

Falling to the ground from bullets,

They grabbed a breath of air.

By morning everything became calmer,

Only the neighing of wounded horses,

Human souls were torn apart

From overflowing passions...

In the army he shot a master of sports in shooting

Alexander Vasilyevich became seriously interested in skiing after the war. Fortunately, the places in Istra were favorable for cross-country skiing.

Imagine, we made skis from barrels. And when they brought us soldier’s skis to school, happiness knew no bounds. It was then that we began to compete in Istra to see who would be the first to reach the opposite bank and back. I always came first... That's how I fell in love with skiing.

After graduating from school, Privalov moved to Moscow to live with his aunt and got a job at the FZU school (factory apprenticeship. - Note Life) .

I studied and continued to practice skiing in the Pishchevik society,” recalls Alexander Vasilyevich. - In 1952 I was drafted into the army. I served in Kalinin (now Tver. - Approx. Life), in the sports company.

- Probably, this was your first time there and you picked up a weapon?

Yes! By the way, there is a very interesting story connected with this. We had a master of sports in shooting, a captain. He was responsible for physical training. And one day he invited me to shoot, and I took it and shot him. He stared at me and asked, “Have you shot before?” “No,” I replied.

In general, he began to train me in such disciplines as shooting, swimming and running. In short, we arrived at the Moscow Military District championship, and I grabbed the steering wheel for shooting - I didn’t have enough experience. Nevertheless, thanks to swimming and running, I took tenth place, which was not bad at that time.

In 1955, Privalov returned from the army with a clear desire to take up skiing seriously, and in 1958 he won the Moscow cross-country skiing championship at a distance of 30 kilometers. The smart guy was noticed and called to Dynamo.

When biathlon appeared, I was offered to try my hand at this sport. I accepted the innovation with enthusiasm and at the very first start of the Dynamo CS in Sverdlovsk I took second place, making only two mistakes.

After this race, I was immediately accepted into the national team. The fact is that I beat many participants in the World Championship. In general, biathlon really hooked me, I worked with passion and desire, and in 1959 I went with the national team to the World Championships in Italy.

I got number five, and on the eve of the start it rained. In general, imagine the conditions in which I raced: I walked almost knee-deep in snow and took only eleventh place. This bad luck then haunted me all my life.

Ski jumper Nikolai Kamensky once admitted that when he was abroad for the first time, he felt like a man from the Stone Age. Did you have similar feelings when you were in Italy?

Kolya Kamensky! It's been so long since we've seen each other.

Here Alexander Vasilyevich fell silent and thought about something for a second...

Can I digress a little? - Privalov continued after a short pause. - I remember once Kamensky was traveling on a train from Leningrad to Moscow with his eternal rival Helmut Recknagel. So, when they arrived, I asked Kolya: “Well, how did you and Recknagel travel?” “Okay, we spoke German all night,” he replied. "How do you say German?" - I was surprised. “He asks me: “Gut?” ​​- and I answer him: “Gut.” So we talked all night,” Kolya told me. I would really like to meet him. But we digress.

My advice to our biathletes is to listen to Soviet songs on the eve of the starts

According to Alexander Vasilyevich, at one time abroad he was very impressed with its brightness and richness, but Privalov never bowed down to foreigners.

You know, we Soviet people have always been simpler, more friendly. My wife once asked me: “Well, how is it?” I say it's bad. She: “How bad is it? Everyone says it’s good.” Do you know what’s bad? We are closer to each other, warmer or something. Abroad everything is different. I'll tell you a case.

Once we were in Norway and a local military man invited us to visit. He showed us his possessions and invited us to drink expensive cognac from Africa. He poured us a little each and asked: “Okay?” Of course, we didn’t understand anything, but we answered: “Very good.” "Will you have more?" - he asked. We refused. When we invite guests, we set the whole table. We are such hospitable people, we don’t know how to behave any other way.

- Alexander Vasilyevich, you had the opportunity to work with both men’s and women’s teams. Who was it easier with?

Of course, with men. Men are calmer and simpler in character, while women are more prone to intrigue, although in terms of diligence and hard work I had no complaints about the girls.

-Have you ever had favorites?

I never showed it. Maybe I had them internally, but that’s just my secret. (Smiles.)

- Have you ever calculated how many gold medals you have won as a coach?

I didn’t count, but Viktor Mamatov did the calculations and said that there were thirty Olympic medals or even more, but we didn’t work for awards. Our task was to prepare the team well.

Do you know what is important for a coach? When an athlete believes in what their coach is doing and that these actions will bring the desired result. I was a fairly loyal coach, but the guys always knew clearly: if they caused trouble, I would react harshly. In general, we lived like one family, sharing everything with each other, including some tricks.

For example, to make it easier to shoot, I gave the guys the task of fixing the front sight on the target at the moment of the shot, and so on for each shot. Thanks to this psychological technique, all thoughts about the result evaporated from the head and the athlete concentrated exclusively on work.

Here's another trick. By the way, I would like to recommend it to our athletes. Let them listen to lyrical Soviet songs on the eve of the competition. Individually... And they don’t just listen, but sing. Consider this a ready-made recipe from Alexander Privalov. The result is one hundred percent. (Smiles.)

By the way, Alexander Vasilyevich himself composes songs. Not long ago I wrote “Hymn to the Olympians.” Maybe this is the composition that should be recommended to our biathletes...

The Olympics have started

All athletes are eager to fight.

The highest award for us is

Hear your victory anthem.

Because I interacted with foreigners at the Squaw Valley Games, I was reprimanded by people in civilian clothes

Our hero has fifteen Olympics under his belt, but he considers his first one to be the brightest - in Squaw Valley.

I especially remember that we all lived together, were united and friendly. Rarely does this happen at any Olympics. I remember figure skaters Stanislav and Nina Zhuk performed. We were at training at that moment, we were returning after, and the hockey players were coming towards us. I ask Kostya Loktev: “How did our guys perform there?” “You know, we performed so well,” was his answer, “but Zhuchka lost her temper.” In general, we were all very rooting for each other and worried.

What else do I remember? Cowboy films were shown in the Olympic village - this was new for us. The performances of the hypnotist were also impressive. He did whatever he wanted with the athletes. Once he hypnotized several people and made them believe that they were orchestra musicians and played instruments. It was very interesting...

However, Privalov remembered the Olympics in Squaw Valley not only for unusual events, but also for interesting international acquaintances.

At these Games, I became friends with the American figure skater Barbara Rawls - she also won bronze. We often sat with her in a cafe and talked. So how did we talk? I didn’t know English at that time. In general, I show her with gestures that I am cold, and she laughs and says in English: Cold. I would write down a new word on a piece of paper and memorize it. By the way, this piece of paper has even been preserved.

Everyone in the Olympic village knew about my friendship with Barbara. Once I met American speed skaters, and they shouted to me something like: “Sasha, greetings from Barbara.” True, I once got punished by management for being too open and friendly.

For the Moscow championship, I was given a “Motherland” watch, and in Squaw Valley one American speed skater pestered me. Like, let's change. And he had a thin gold watch! He bothered me so much that I gave in and we exchanged watches.

Literally right away I was invited by representatives of the KGB, who were watching us in the USA, remembered both the figure skater and the speed skater and forbade any communication with foreigners. Moreover, Valka Pshenitsyn was forced to follow me.

- And you stopped all communication with Barbara?

I had to, but she seemed to be in love with me. Because, feeling that I had lost interest in her, she once tried to make me jealous. This is what I think... Once, before my eyes, she threw herself on the lap of an Austrian skier - and let’s kiss him.

- Which Olympics were special for you as a coach?

Olympics in Lake Placid, where we lived in prison. Of course, the conditions there were not so great, but we won a lot of medals: two golds, silver and bronze in three disciplines. Anatoly Alyabyev won gold in the 20-kilometer individual race, we were first in the relay, Vladimir Alikin won silver in the sprint, and Anatoly Alyabyev won bronze in the same discipline.

- So many years have passed, but you remember everything...

You know, moments like this are never forgotten.

In the mid-90s, I withdrew my candidacy from the post of head coach - there were good reasons for that

The 90s were difficult for Russian biathlon, as for all Russian sports. In order to adequately prepare the team for the competition, Privalov had to look for sponsors, who were often abandoned at the last moment.

One day I turned to an Italian friend Giuseppe Candoni, and he promised that he would pay the fees in Austria,” recalls Alexander Vasilyevich. - And then they call me and ask: “When will the payment be made?” "Like when?" - I was surprised. Anyway, it turned out that Giuseppe never paid our fees.

In 1994, Privalov led the women's biathlon team, which won gold in the relay at the Olympic Games in Lillehammer. Later, at the coaching council, the specialist withdrew his candidacy from the post of head coach.

What were the reasons? Injustice, misunderstanding and much more that I don’t want to voice now. Later, of course, I regretted that I left, but what’s done is done. I was unemployed for some time, and then I was offered to lead the Polish national team for two Olympic cycles, and I agreed.

Under my leadership, Tomas Sikora became the world champion, and in 2002 I returned to Russia and was invited to Moskomsport. Now I am doing consultations, I am in business, I feel needed.

Few people know, but it was Privalov who came up with the idea of ​​holding a competition called the “Izhevsk Rifle”. The idea came to the great coach when he was a member of the International Federation of Modern Pentathlon and Biathlon.

I worked there from 1968 to 1998, headed the socialist countries at various federation events, and held meetings. The work was not easy, but necessary. At that time I did a lot for biathlon.

For example, when we switched to small caliber, the technical committee recommended shooting without support. In the administrative council I insisted on their necessity, and they agreed with me.

We worked closely with the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant, engineer Ivan Efimovich Semyonov was our best friend. He resolved all issues, directly participated in the improvement of rifles for biathletes, conducted experiments and gave us the finished product. He has never let us down.

It was with him that I first talked about the possibility of holding biathlon competitions in Izhevsk. It was planned, however, that the tournament would be open, but foreigners did not want to come during the Christmas holidays. Oh well... But now we have the Izhevsk Rifle tournament.

The USSR - Norway match, by the way, was also my initiative, but the tournament did not last long.

I am a happy athlete, coach, father, grandfather

Despite his busy sports schedule, the legendary athlete and coach managed to create a strong and friendly family.

My wife Elena Yakovlevna is also an athlete, a cyclist, we met her at Pishchevik. Later she worked as a coach and instructor. By the way, my wife is a Moscow champion in cycling racing, and at one time she was a member of the Union ski team and trained with Zoya Bolotova.

We got married in 1959 and are still together, despite my constant travel. Fortunately, my wife understood the situation. I have a son, daughter, granddaughter.

The daughter followed the creative line. Tatyana Alexandrovna has perfect pitch - she is an honored educator, holds the position of deputy director at a secondary school, teaches music, and organizes concerts. Son Kostya was once involved in speed skating and biathlon, but did not reach any particular heights; now he is engaged in business.

We live amicably, meet often, and in the summer we spend all weekends at the dacha in Pereslavl-Zalessky. Granddaughter Katya graduated from a humanitarian institute, now works in a planetarium and is expecting a son.

I'm fine. I am a happy man.

Privalov is our first biathlete to win an Olympic medal - bronze at the 60 Games in Squaw Valley. As the head coach of the national team, he went through four Olympics (1968, 1972, 1976, 1980), at which his players won six gold, two silver and three bronze medals (despite the fact that in those years the biathlon program initially included only an individual race and only then relay and sprint were added), as the head coach of the women's team in Lillehammer 94 won relay gold.

Privalov was and remains a Dynamo player. And he continues to actively work in biathlon. We talked about modern biathlon and biathlon of the 60s and, of course, about Dynamo, which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year.

When and how did Dynamo appear in your life?

Even as a child, I really loved skiing. It was during wartime; of course, there were no skis - we ran on some pieces of wood. Over time, soldiers' skis were brought to our school, so we could already ride them normally. Skiing fascinated me, and when I moved to Moscow, I got a job at school and began to train more or less seriously. As soon as the results began to grow, he came to Dynamo. This was in 1957.

But why Dynamo, because there were many sports societies in the Soviet Union?

This probably happened at the behest of the soul. In addition, there were excellent trainers, for example, Vasily Smirnov, whom I already knew by the time I joined the Society. Plus, while performing at competitions, I saw what a friendly team Dynamo has.

It was after joining Dynamo that I began to train professionally, because before that my classes were by no means regular. Systematicity and discipline appeared. And what a massive crowd there was then! We were based in Podrezkovo, during training, when some skiers had already reached Planernaya, others had just started in Podrezkovo. There were so many people doing it! Moreover, these were all people who trained regularly, and not just once in a while. I also have very pleasant memories of the Dynamo training camp...

Can you imagine yourself as a member of another sports society?

No. Dynamo has always been led by very respected people. I am pleased that the Society pays great attention to children and children’s sports. Because of this, Dynamo gets extra respect.

So, it was Vasily Smirnov who immediately oriented me towards biathlon. It was interesting, because the biathlete had to not only ski, but also shoot. I was involved in shooting while still in the army.

Wasn't it a little scary? After all, biathlon was a completely new sport at that time.

No. First of all, it aroused interest. I remember at my first competition I took second place. I shot for a very long time, but only made two misses. For that time it was very cool. Few people now know how they used to shoot. At first, from an ordinary army Mosin rifle of 7.62 caliber - a weapon that remained after the war. When fired there was a very strong recoil, and in general there were many technical problems. It was only later that everything changed...

Were there any other difficulties in those years when biathlon was just beginning?

During the race, they shot three times from a prone position, and once while standing. Moreover, the shooting conditions changed all the time - the distance to the target was 250, 200, 150 and 100 meters. Plus, we didn’t return to the same shooting range four times, we shot at different ones all the time. This means that we had to change the rifle settings every time, adapt to the wind, to changes in lighting. The targets, by the way, were also not like they are now - self-closing, but ordinary paper, and sometimes even at the finish line the athlete did not know how many times he had missed.

Biathlon is a complex skiing and shooting sport. How did you find the right approach to training?

Everything came with experience. At first they shot more calmly. If it worked well, we increased the speed of running on the ski track - we groped. We quickly became convinced that when running slowly there was a strong pulsation, which interfered with shooting. At high speeds, the pulse is frequent and small, which is better for shooting. The technology was also polished. The result in biathlon is associated with both weapons and skis. Over time, both changed. The chief designer of the Izhevsk plant, Ivan Semenov, worked closely with us, even going to international competitions, where he spied on what weapons foreign athletes had.

That is, there was no unification then, as there is now?

Certainly! And what a significance the weapon carrying system had during the race! At first, the belts were very uncomfortable - the pillows were made from cotton wool so that the rifle would not stuff your head or back...

By the 1960 Olympics, where biathlon was first included in the Games program, had all the technical issues been resolved?

Yes. After all, the results at the Olympic Games were of great importance for the Soviet Union. Everything was done for the participants. A special institute was developing cartridges for biathlon. In those years, the option of equipment not produced in the USSR was unacceptable. Moreover, it was connected with weapons!

We quickly achieved a lot and, for example, at the 1964 Olympic Games, together with Volodya Melanin, we shot without misses, taking second and first places. After the Games, Khrushchev met with the athletes. There were great athletes around, but he wanted to communicate with us. I remember verbatim what he said: “You shot great, and if the enemy approaches our borders, hit him straight in the forehead!” (Laughs.)

By the way, I forgot to mention that in the early years the penalty for a miss was two minutes. Now everything has come to the point that biathletes must be excellent skiers, then they will level out mistakes in shooting. At the dawn of this sport, everything was wrong - the shooter had the advantage in biathlon.

You very quickly completed your sports career and became a coach. We could still run and run...

In 1966, we performed unsuccessfully at the World Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen - we won only one bronze medal. The question arose about changing the coach. By that time I had already graduated from both coaching school and college. So they offered me to become the coach of the national team. I thought for a long time - after all, I could still continue performing. However, there were many things in the training of biathletes that did not suit me. When I became a coach, I changed this system. Previously, we always followed the skiers - like a thread following a needle. But we needed our own program, we had to do everything ourselves. That's how I started working.

How did you manage to train athletes with whom you competed together just yesterday?

This is a difficult moment. But why does an athlete develop trust in a coach? Because his method gives results. We needed racers, we needed a change of generations...

And you took Alexander Tikhonov to the team?

Yes. True, he did not perform very well at his first world championship, although he and his team won the silver medal.

How did you manage to gain shooting experience so quickly?

We trained a lot, shot, and worked idle.

Idle in what sense?

When they were simulating racing, they worked as expected at the shooting range, but they didn’t fire a shot. After all, a shot from a rifle, which was used then, is like a shot from a cannon - very loud and the recoil is strong. All this is a big psychological burden. Before the main competitions, we took a break of about five days to rest: we worked idle, imitated. There was even such a funny incident: the national team went to the Games in Grenoble, and we forgot the cartridges (laughs)! Our boss almost killed me: how come - the Olympic Games, and you don’t have any ammunition?

But did they deliver the cartridges later?

Certainly! To participate in races. Now there are no such problems - small caliber.

Did you experiment a lot when you became a coach?

Why experiment? We just worked hard. We observed how successful Scandinavians train and realized that results are achieved through large volumes. As a result, they began to perform well - they couldn’t do without medals.

The current problem is that the intensity has increased, that is, the training volumes have become smaller and the speed has become higher. Unfortunately, with such a system, we have not had good results for several years now... We have left our own system and got lost.

When you talk about volume work, what kind of mileage do you mean?

We worked according to time. In September we often trained near Uzhgorod. There was no base there, but there was the necessary relief. And we plowed there - Mamatov won’t let us lie. They ran around with sticks and did imitation. 30 km along rough terrain - up and down. This kind of work cannot be replaced by any high-speed train! In the preparatory period, such training creates the foundation for lipid metabolism, and this is the main thing that affects the development of speed endurance. If you want to run fast and long, you can only achieve this through volume work.

What did you do to stay in peak shape throughout the entire week of the World Championships or Olympic Games?

We prepared in the middle mountains. If you then go down to the plains, then a good performance begins somewhere on the 14th day and lasts a week, but if you also have to perform at altitude, then you don’t have to wait 14 days.

I remember in 1969 we were preparing in Bulgaria at an altitude of 1800 meters, and then we descended in Zakopane and tore everyone apart: in the individual race, first and second places were won by Dynamo’s Tikhonov and Rinat Safin, and we won the relay race over the Norwegians with an advantage of 6 (!) minutes . Can you imagine?

We had already gone home, and they had just finished. We were that strong.

In relay races, with ammo in reserve, do athletes make fewer mistakes?

Undoubtedly. But it happens that a biathlete gets such jitters that no spare cartridges will help. This was the case at the World Championships in Nove Mesto for Dmitry Malyshko and Evgeniy Garanichev. I myself felt this well when I ran at the ’64 Games. I was in shape, was a leader, but I overtrained - at the last line I fired two shots, and I was stabbed...

Biathlon is cross-country skiing plus shooting and psychology. Everyone trains running and shooting, but you also need to work on your psychology. At the shooting range, an athlete should only think about what and how he is doing - about preparing, firing a shot, and not about medals. You need to focus on small things, give equal attention to each shot, because it often happens like this: four hit, but the fifth missed.

The so-called last shot problem?

Yes. This happens when a biathlete is still shooting, but he is already thinking about how he will throw the rifle on his shoulders, grab sticks and run away. The bullet is still in the barrel, but in his thoughts he is already running away. Sometimes this can be very noticeable.

At one time, we were unbeaten in six Olympic relay races in a row. Do you know why? We were stronger psychologically.

What else is the key to those successes?

Before the start, you need to distract the athlete so that he does not think about the competition. In addition, it is necessary to clearly explain: what each training is aimed at, what it affects and what the end result will be. The athlete must work consciously, then he will perform all the necessary hard training.

What impression did our team’s performance in Nove Mesto make on you? For me - positive.

Why?

After all, every time the Russians lacked literally a grain. If it weren't for this, they would have a lot of medals.

These are not grains! It's all about the preparation itself. Fourcade also makes mistakes, but he still wins his medals. There can only be one randomness, but when there are only randomnesses all around, this already speaks of some kind of system. The Russians have two medals, which is worse than last year.

The problem is that from a young age athletes are led along an intensive path, because coaches need results. First of all, we need to lay the foundation. Anton Shipulin is not inferior in talent to either Fourcade or Svendsen. Speaking in juniors, he beat everyone!

This year, as it happened, it happened that way. Is there anything that can be changed in time for the Olympics? Is it realistic to expect more in Sochi?

I really want to, but I have doubts. When I worked with athletes, I knew what to do. I don’t know how things are now.

During the pre-Olympic season, it is necessary to reproduce the training scheme that gave successful results, but it turns out that in recent years we have not had a successful scheme.

It turns out that in preparation for the Games it will be necessary to experiment again?

In the Olympic year there should be no more experiments. There must be a clear, already proven methodology. I think we just need to return to our roots - to achieve results through extensive work. This has been proven by both skiers and biathletes. But everyone around is saying: what volume when we don’t have enough speed? Current coaches believe that the previous methodology is outdated, that they have moved forward. But where are the results?

A year before the Games, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to return to your roots...

Naturally. Last season it was necessary to focus on volumetric work, and in the Olympic season we had to add intensity to it. A year before the Games, it was possible to lay down something that would help at the Olympics.

So we have to wait for the Game with pessimism?

No. Biathlon is full of surprises and surprises. At the Albertville Olympics, leaders Sergei Chepikov, Valery Kiriyenko and Mark Kirchner fought so hard for the championship that they made mistakes, while Evgeniy Redkin calmly worked, shot and became an Olympic champion. It may turn out that way. Although this happens quite rarely.

And I don’t want to count on just that.

I would like our athletes to win medals themselves, and not wait for the mistakes of others. For now, it turns out that we are taking crumbs from the table.

Privalov Alexander Vasilievich. Born August 6, 1933. Honored Master of Sports, Honored Coach of the USSR and Russia in biathlon. Six-time champion of the USSR, silver (1964) and bronze (1960) Olympic medalist. Head (senior) coach of the USSR/Russian national teams 1966-94. Under his leadership, our national team won 92 medals at the World Championships and Olympic Games.

The great biathlete and coach Alexander Privalov. After reading this short biographical note, are any more words needed? It was Privalov who founded and built brick by brick what we call the Russian biathlon school. And it was Privalov who won the first Olympic medal in the history of Russian biathlon. Today he turns 80 years old. Journalist Evgeniy Slyusarenko ( facebook.com) in honor of this date, raises his archival interview with the master, published two years ago by the magazine "Biathlon.rf", which no longer exists.

“With one more accurate shot, I would have become an Olympic champion”

- Alexander Vasilyevich, they say that you need to be born an Olympic champion?
- Yes exactly. Apparently I was not born, although I was the leader for several years in a row national team USSR, won all domestic competitions.

- What was stopping you?
- I think it’s just not fate. At the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley I was still quite green. After three milestones I walked without penalty. And on the way to the last stand, Zoya Dmitrievna Bolotova, the famous ski coach, shouted: “Sasha, you are first with a big advantage! The whole Union is looking at you! Give everything!” And, frankly speaking, I twitched. Out of five shots, only two hit. One more accurate shot - and I would have become an Olympic champion. I was terribly upset, because bronze at that time was not considered a success.

- Four years later, in Innsbruck, on the contrary, you were already considered the leader of the team, a six-time champion of the USSR.
“That didn’t stop me from being very stupid.” Two days before the start, I went to the second training session, started up on the five-kilometer climb and, as we say, “got full.” The next day I could not move my arm or leg. I go up to the trainers and ask them to take them off. They answered me: “We have already submitted an application. Run as fast as you can." Again I came to the last stand, fired twice... and how I was pounded! And I made every next shot just by handling the trigger. I was immensely happy with the final second place. My friend Volodya Melanin was in great order at that time, he shot without penalty and won.

- Melanin in this sense was the complete opposite of you.
- Yes, at secondary starts he, as a rule, did not shine. How many times have I had to go to management and defend his candidacy! In any case, he was decently prepared with his legs, and at the right moment he was ready to shoot - and won without question.

“The order has come to develop biathlon”

- How did people come to your age? biathlon?
- The sport itself developed only in the late 1950s, so all biathletes of that time were retrained skiers. I myself started training seriously only at the age of 17. He became a master of sports and won the Moscow championship in skiing and cycling. He ran in the same group at the Moscow championship with the great Olympic champions in athletics Kuts and Bolotnikov. Then, after the merger of Pishchevik with Spartak, he went to Dynamo - to the famous skier and coach Vasily Pavlovich Smirnov. Well, in the fall of 1958, orders came to develop a new Olympic sport called “ biathlon“We were given rifles and taken to Mytishchi to learn how to shoot.

- You didn’t resist leaving your clean skis?
- On the contrary, I wanted it! The first time I held a weapon in my hands was in the army and even without any preparation I fired at one master of sports. I really liked the feeling.

- What was your first truly major biathlon tournament?
- I could have performed at the first in history championship biathlon world championship in 1958 in Saalfenden, Austria. I could, but at the competition in Sverdlovsk my hands got frostbitten. In general, I was somehow unlucky abroad. In 1959 at championship peace There were problems with the sight. As it turned out later, due to the temperature difference, the wooden material of the rifle was deformed. In 1961 he was in excellent shape, but became only second. Without sparing myself, I prepared for my third Olympics in Grenoble in 1968, firmly expecting to exchange bronze and silver for gold, but they already had other plans for me.

"A smart guy named Tishka"

In 1966 I was invited to become the head coach national team biathlon countries. To be honest, I didn’t want to leave the sport, after all, I’m only 33 years old. The USSR Sports Committee gave me two days to think and promised complete freedom of action. Before that, we largely depended on the skiers, we trained with them, and prepared according to their plans. And I realized that I have the opportunity to change this system. And after some thought, I realized that my sport would be better off if I became a coach.

- And the first thing they did was pull it into biathlon the now legendary Alexander Tikhonov.
- In July 1966, a joint training camp with skiers took place. I knew that this smart guy, whom everyone called Tishka, was the champion of the Spartakiad in cross-country skiing. As if by the way, I gave him my rifle - they say, shoot. And somehow he quickly became part of the team, as if he had been a biathlete all his life. At this point I made a fuss, got permission from the management to transfer to us, persuaded his personal trainer - and so we got a four-time Olympic champion.

- When did you realize that you had succeeded as a coach?
- It just so happened that I was lucky from the very beginning. First for me championship peace in 1967 in Altenberg we had gold from Viktor Mamatov in the individual race and silver in the relay. I remember it was raining and snowing, the wind was strong. Mamatov stagnated in the relay at the last stage, otherwise there would have been two victories in two racing. Next year is the Olympics in Grenoble. Full set - gold, silver, bronze. Success for a novice coach? Maybe yes.

“There were very few spectators”

- Hearing from you about penalty loops, rifles, targets, biathlon fans without experience imagine something completely different from what you mean.
- Firstly, there were no automatic targets, so result spectators and athletes recognized the shooting only after the finish. The rifles themselves were large-caliber. When using such a rifle, a large load is placed on the athlete’s nervous system due to the noise effect produced when firing. Before the main starts, I had to pause for about five days and not touch the weapon at all. I remember how our cartridges went missing at customs in Grenoble. And we trained empty, that is, we simply imitated shots. And it paid off.

- Another difference is that the protocols of the biathlon championships of the first years consist of only one individual race.
- The relay race was included in the program of the world championships only in 1966, and the sprint even further - on championship peace in Minsk in 1974. It is also worth saying what an inaccurate shot in an individual race They were given two penalty minutes, not one, as now.

- Judging by what was said, it’s unlikely that “that one” biathlon was a great success with the public.
- You're right. There were very few spectators, especially in the very first years. The intimate atmosphere is not what is happening in the stands now.

“Who is this Privalov?”

- Was there a lot of pressure on coaches in those years?
- Depends on specific leaders. The maximum that the Minister of Sports of the 70s, Sergei Pavlovich Pavlov, allowed himself to say: “Sasha, don’t let me down. If the biathletes win against the GDR, the Olympics will be ours.” No more. But there were other examples. In 1988 in Calgary in the first race It was not possible to win, but Valera Medvedtsev became second. And after that, the then bosses Marat Gramov and Vitaly Smirnov called me onto the carpet and literally began to mock me. For the rest of my life I remembered Gramov’s words: “Who is this Privalov anyway?” And you should have heard how these same people “sang” after winning the relay!

- You won the men's Olympic relay six times in a row and once the women's relay. What's the secret?
- Probably, you need to feel the exact arrangement of the stages. Take the girls' victory in Lillehammer 94 - where in two personal racing we didn't have a single medal. Nadya Talanova has never run the first stage in her life - but here I put her up. Because this was the only chance to catch on with the leaders from the very beginning. And at the last stage he told Anfisa Reztsov, who shot like God willing. Then Anfisa admitted: “As I approached the shooting range, I remembered your words - they say, shoot as best you can, then run away. I thought: damn it, I’ll hit every single one!”

- Over the past decade and a half, you have no longer been offered to work with national team Russia?
- My nature, apparently, is this: when I feel that I am not needed, I do not fight for a place. Although, perhaps, sometimes it is necessary. When I left to coach in 1994 national team Poland, not a single person from the Biathlon Union Russia(SBR) didn’t try to stop me. Several years ago he became chairman of the Veterans Council SBR. Now I help as much as I can.

Source: Evgeniy Slyusarenko ( facebook.com), photo: biathlonrus.com

I agree, because this is our choice? Can it really be so limited? :-))

There are not two choices, there are always many.

Roza Rafailovna, similar))

Brown, that’s why I don’t worry, and now I watch all the competitions as a show (Privalov was talking about this by the way). True, I still root for my own people and want them to be the best and stand above everyone else.

Roza Rafailovna, you have only two choices left. Or come to terms with the transformation of professional sports into something like a show, with some peculiarities. Or switch to non-rated sports, where money does not really dictate the rules of the game.

Brown, well, not always, and you will agree that the values ​​are really different now. Money solves everything and more! and in all spheres of life. And we lived and competed often honestly, and not with the help of any kind of “help”

Rosa Rafailovna, what did Sasha say that was original? Why read it? Previously, they ran for “literacy”, being listed as “physical training instructors of the workshop.” Do you and Sasha propose returning to this practice?

Evgeniy Slyusarenko, read Sasha’s comment to which the answer was given (it was just mentioned yesterday in Privalov’s interview at Mayak)

Alexander Vasilyevich should not have remembered about the women's Lillehammer. At that time, performing at Olympic Games-94 was an almost complete failure. The best in the individual is Noskova - 10, and in the sprint Talanova is only 19. Prima Anfisa is 26 and 32! And only unexpectedly flawless shooting in the relay race, in front of the shoals of the main rivals, made it possible to loudly slam the door.

I want to congratulate the famous Alexander Privalov on his anniversary! The most important thing is your health, home comfort and many more years of life!

Rose, thanks for the additional information. Today on radio “Mayak” I watched an interview with Alexander Vasilyevich live, it’s amazing that a man, even on such an anniversary, took the time, came to the radio station at a late hour and answered questions for an hour! Low bow to Alexander Vasilyevich, I liked the interview!

Sasha from Uralmash, by the way, regarding Prokhorov, Privalov said that such conditions as have now been created for the national team have never existed. And who will say that this is not true. It’s just that many athletes have different priorities - you performed well and you are a STAR and can demand special privileges.

Privalov -80!
Congratulations to the hero of the day! Long summer!

Priorities have changed, unfortunately. Looking west, we become like opportunists whose little god is rustling green. If earlier pride in belonging to a great country and the anthem in honor of this country upon victory were equivalent to a feat, now no one needs to overcome themselves - the main thing is that there is money, why bother too much. “It didn’t work out,” “no luck,” “a little bit lacking,” “the servicers ruined everything” - well, yes, it’s not just one ski or half a distance with one pole, overcoming oneself and proving everything with one’s will.
---
Prokhorov and Kushchenko should be immediately driven away with their show business philosophy and credo “biathlon must make a profit.” I support and agree with Privalov - “you are not the heroes...”.

Yes, there were people... Health, health and health! Everything else will follow))

Alexander Vasilievich! Happy Anniversary! Many years to come! Health, optimism and good spirits! Indeed, he can be considered the founder of biathlon in our country, an authority for young people. I also remembered the 7.62mm biathlon rifle, when after training I had ringing in my ears for half a day. All this happened.
Happy anniversary again!

Hm... Efimova, for example, is clearly not from Stalin's times

The dog is buried in the fact that the person was brought up under Stalin.

“I was terribly upset, because bronze at that time was not considered a success.” That's where the dog is buried
All other reasoning is from the evil one, oh, from the evil one

Absolutely in the hole Privalov about the lost state of mind. There is no sports passion at all, the desire to establish yourself at the top. And, no matter what the athletes say in their sleek looks, just being on the national team is already a significant success for them and a legal right to our boundless love and attention. And let all these Fourcades and Svendsens sort things out among themselves, since they are so itching.

And what kind of moral values ​​should they fight for, so that important men and women can report to even more important ones? Is it really for the “national treasure” or ambitions, in the words of Prokhorov, the only Russian brand, alas, like Milan-Augustin, already divorced?

I would like to add a little more information about this man (from his interview with Skiing):
- Many people consider coaching a thankless job...
- This is a huge, very big and very hard job. But those moments of triumph, when your athlete is on the podium, cover everything: adversity, hard work, and conflicts, without which coaching is never complete. In this sense, the work is very rewarding - after all, one moment, an instant can pay off many years of hardship and labor. And wings grow, and I want to work again, train, teach, in order to bring, lead to this great moment, to victory.

And which triumph is more significant - your own or your student's?

It's hard to compare, these are different sensations. When you are a winner, you experience not only the joy of victory, but also recognition, some moment of glory, people pay attention to you, you are a hero. You feel it as if you were your own, although of course, somewhere you understand that you weren’t the only one working, but you still feel “I!” It’s different for a coach; the glory doesn’t go to him, because a coach is rarely famous, except in game sports. But still, joy is joy, victory is victory. The coach experiences failure more intensely, because he is responsible for another person who trusted him, and this is very difficult.

What do you think is the most important thing in coaching?

I always wanted to create a good atmosphere in the team, a real team. I believe that only a team can handle truly big tasks, despite the fact that we have an individual sport. Why didn’t we lose the first relay races to anyone? Therefore, the team was above all!

Isn't that the case now?

Don't take this as senile grumbling - it's not true. We have lost a lot compared to the Soviet school, but that’s not the only thing. Technology, scientific base, this is all important, but it can be restored. And the spirit... we have lost the most important thing - that state of mind when the work you are doing is, with a capital letter, the work of your whole life. When you live to do the Business, and not just work to live. In our society now there is such an attitude that the main thing in a person’s life is to have fun. There is such a substitution of the concepts of “happiness” - they are replaced with “pleasure”. But this is not the same thing. True happiness is a state of jubilation, the highest spiritual elation, for which life is truly worth living, it is different, difficult, it is not for nothing that they say so. It is in love, in the feeling that you are needed, that you do not just live, but bring benefit to people. Happiness lies in big victories, and they are possible only through work, effort, and overcoming oneself. A pampered person who only wants to receive will never know such happiness. We are simply robbing young people when we offer them such a consumer behavior model. After all, we lived a very fun and happy life, although it was difficult and sometimes hungry. Although modern guys probably have something else that we didn’t know.
That's it! Just like in life...

Happy birthday! Health, optimism and prosperity in everything.

“.. Because it was the only chance..” - you probably shouldn’t be afraid of responsibility and use the chance, even if it’s the only one.

Interesting person. Experienced biathlete and coach. But the current composition of the national team cannot or does not want to influence Yo-SBR, especially the women’s team. And then they invited some German, so he’s messing with the leadership of Yo-SBR for good money, and even his women’s group. Such “powdering” (i.e. everything is going according to plan, it might be in the top ten, this is also a good result, etc.) will not lead to anything good. All hope is for V. Korolkevich’s group in the women’s team and the men’s team of the Russian Federation.

Great athlete, coach and person! Happy anniversary to you Alexander Vasilievich! I wish you good health, success and strength, longevity and vigor, positivity and optimism! I believe that your support will help our biathletes at the Olympics in Sochi!

Previously, almost no one was happy about bronze, but here Pikh is happy about his place in the top 10... yeah...

Today Alexander Vasilyevich turns 80 years old. This is an amazing person, in great shape! I wish Alexander Vasilievich many more years of life, active work, and health! I really want us to see with him the revival of our biathlon, for which he did so much.

Rose, if you noticed, these are different interviews :)
www.sports.ru

It’s strange, but in other sources the author is Tatyana Papova, especially for Biathlonworld magazine. But thanks anyway for such an interesting article. This is the approach that should be, and not as we are now constantly being served - oh, what a success, we hit the top spot, or even better: We are in the top ten...
But the words in the article about Reztsova are especially funny: “... I thought: what the hell, I’ll get every single one!”

Alexander Vasilievich Privalov(August 6, 1933, Pyatnitsa village, Solnechnogorsk district, Moscow region, RSFSR, USSR) - Soviet biathlete and biathlon coach. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR. Honored Coach of the USSR.

Silver medalist at the 1964 Winter Olympics and bronze medalist at the 1960 Winter Olympics in the 20 km race. USSR champion 1960, 1961, 1964, 1965 in the 20 km race, 1966 in the relay.

Biography

Born in the village of Pyatnitsa, Solnechnogorsk district, Moscow region. He started playing sports while studying at a village school.

After finishing school, he moved to Moscow to live with his aunt, who got him a job at a school at a meat processing plant. In his free time, he continued to engage in skiing. The first major competition he won was the Moscow Championship in 1957 - he won the 30 km race.

Soon he switched to biathlon. He played for Dynamo (Moscow). At his first competitions he came second, making only two mistakes. Privalov was noticed by the coaches of the Soviet Union national team, with which he went to the World Championships in Italy in 1958. However, due to a number of problems, he performed unsuccessfully - he took 11th place.

At the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics, where biathlon was included in the program for the first time, Alexander Privalov rode in excellent shape. But in the individual race I couldn’t cope with my emotions: on the last stand I missed three times. In the end I came third at the finish line.

In 1964 he won a silver medal in Innsbruck.

Graduated from SCOLIFK, trainer-teacher.

Since 1966, coach and head coach of the USSR national team. Led the team at the 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980 Winter Olympics. At the 1994 Winter Olympics - senior coach of the Russian women's team.

Awarded a gold medal from the International Federation of Modern Pentathlon and Biathlon.

On August 6, the honored coach of the USSR and Russia, an athlete whose name is inscribed in golden letters in the annals of domestic and world biathlon, Alexander Vasilyevich Privalov, celebrates his 75th birthday. On this day, on the official website of the RBU, his students - Olympic champions and world champions - congratulate him.

Alexander Ivanovich Tikhonov, President of the RBU, four-time Olympic champion:

I sincerely congratulate the best coach in the history of world biathlon, the man who brought me to this sport. He is not only a true professional, but also a kind, sympathetic friend. I will always remember the legendary “Kalinka” by Rodnina and Zaitsev, which no one in my memory performed better than Privalov. Both my generation and the next few generations of Russian and foreign athletes owe a lot to Alexander Vasilyevich, who passed on his experience to us. He also went down in history as an excellent athlete, a medalist at two Olympics, winning bronze in Squaw Valley 1960 and silver in Innsbruck 1964.
I sincerely congratulate Alexander Vasilyevich on his 75th birthday and look forward to an invitation to his 95th!

Viktor Fedorovich Mamatov, vice-president of the RBU, two-time Olympic champion:

I have known Alexander Vasilyevich Privalov since 1960, when I first competed at the USSR Championship. Then I unsuccessfully passed one of the milestones and immediately after the race I got on the bus, upset. All the country's leading biathletes were there, including Melanin and Privalov. Everyone congratulated Privalov on his magnificent victory with zero penalties. Soon at the Olympics he will win bronze, having made three mistakes and say: “If I had shot the same way as at the Union Championship, everything would have been fine.”
Later, when I graduated from college and entered graduate school, I joined the national team. At that time, the position of coach had just become vacant in the team, to which Alexander Vasilyevich, who had just finished his career, was appointed. It was felt that he did not yet have experience, but he more than compensated for this deficiency with great desire. We worked very productively with him, we did a volume of work that even now most athletes never dream of. This gave results already at the first World Championships in Finland, where I won the 20 km, and Alexander Vasilyevich’s coaching debut was successful. Later in Privalov’s career there were successful Olympic Games, and for all the long years that he spent at the head of the national team, it constantly showed good results, because firstly, he was thoughtful, secondly very demanding and thirdly decent Human. He could always see through each athlete, which allowed him to always accurately determine the composition of the team. There has never been such a successful coach in biathlon, who has won about 50 gold medals at the World Championships and Olympic Games, and I think there never will be again.
At 75 years old, he looks quite young, full of strength and hope that his athletes, with whom he trains as the head coach of the Moscow team, will show high athletic results. For example, Olga Zaitseva noted that working with Privalov on her shooting technique allowed her to improve her results and become an Olympic champion.
I would like to wish Alexander Vasilyevich good health, to continue to move the way he has always walked, optimism, although he always has it in abundance, and of course happiness, love and family well-being - so that the children do not upset, and the grandchildren delight.

Anatoly Nikolaevich Alyabyev, first vice-president of the St. Petersburg Biathlon Federation, two-time Olympic champion:

What Alexander Vasilyevich Privalov did for the development of biathlon in the USSR and Russia is the pride of national and world sports. For more than twenty years he led the USSR national team. I would call Alexander Vasilyevich an “antique dealer”
our biathlon. He himself was a great athlete, a medalist at two Olympics and a multiple world champion. Under the leadership of Alexander Vasilyevich, a whole galaxy of Olympic champions and world champions was trained: Alexander Tikhonov, Viktor Mamatov, Vladimir Gundartsev, Rinnat Safin, Ivan Byakov, Alexander Ushakov, Vladimir Alikin, Vladimir Barnashov, Anatoly Alyabyev and others. At 75 years old, Privalov is still actively working for the benefit of biathlon - he leads the Moscow team and helps novice coaches. He is a kind, sympathetic, versatile person. Alexander Vasilyevich sings beautifully, at one time he was even invited to enter the music department of the Bolshoi Theater. Now you can’t even give him 75 years - unless he’s a little over fifty.
I would like to wish the person close to us all good health and optimism on his future journey!

Vladimir Mikhailovich Barnashov, director of the State Institution “Skiing” of the Omsk region, Olympic champion:

DEAR ALEXANDER VASILIEVICH!
I sincerely congratulate you on your wonderful anniversary. I'm glad that the best years of my life passed next to you. Thanks to your talent as a trainer-educator, we have become great athletes, coaches and just people. Stay in the biathlon family for a long time.
I wish you health, dear Alexander Vasilyevich, and long life.
Thanks for all!!!

The official website of the Russian Biathlon Union offers a long interview with the hero of the day:

Alexander Privalov: “A coach must love each of his athletes”

Not only in domestic, but, perhaps, in world biathlon, it is difficult to find a more titled and authoritative coach than Privalov. From 1968 to 1988, under his leadership, the invincible USSR national team won six Olympic relay races in a row, and Olympic champions of different generations - from Viktor Mamatov to Sergei Chepikov - will rightfully call Alexander Vasilyevich the creator of their victories. Our correspondent visited the biathlon master on the eve of his 75th birthday.

Olympic gold medal missing

– What is the most pleasant thing for you to remember on the eve of the big anniversary?
– First of all, I am pleased to remember my first team, with whom I started ski racing at the stadium of the Moscow meat processing plant. We trained in the area of ​​the Tretyakov Cemetery, AZLK, and Tekstilshchiki station. At that time there was no such dense development there yet. Soon the first successes came - I became the champion of Moscow at a distance of 30 km, fulfilled the standard of a master of sports. Having switched to biathlon, he almost immediately became the champion of the USSR. Therefore, those times when my results grew and my dreams came true are especially pleasant for me to remember. In total, I had four victories in individual races at the USSR Championship and two golds in the team. The only thing I was unlucky about was that I didn’t become an Olympic champion, although I was close to it. In 1960, I won the USSR championship without a penalty, but at the Olympics I was “wound up”: the lack of experience affected me, although I was functionally well prepared. In 1964, on the contrary, I was overtrained and tried to rely on shooting. All 20 shots hit, although each of them was literally torture, the rifle was shaking. Then only Volodya Melanin was able to get around me due to his better speed and rate of fire. But if I had won at least one gold medal, there would have been a completely different attitude. After all, an Olympic champion is an Olympic champion. Although only two athletes won personal medals at two Olympics in Russian biathlon - Sergei Chepikov and me.

– And if in 1960 and 1964 the relay race was included in the program of the Olympic Games, what could our team count on?
- I think we would have won. In 1960, I was third, Melanin was fourth, Pshenitsyn was fifth, and Sokolov was sixth. In 1964, we took the first two places, and Pshenitsyn and Puzanov entered the top ten.

– Were the Swedes your main rivals in those days?
– Not only and not so much the Swedes. At that time, the Norwegians had a very strong team: Tveiten, Jordet, Ystad, Varhaug - all these athletes had very good skiing training. The Swedes had a bias towards the shooting side. The Finns also had a good team: Tyrväinen was a shooter of the highest class, he even went to the Olympic Games with a shooting team.

– Was the transition to coaching easy?
– In 1966, when I graduated from college, we had a decline at the World Championships - only one bronze medal for Vladimir Gundartsev. Then I was offered to lead the team. At first I didn’t want to, because I still continued to compete myself and dreamed of running at the third Olympics. I remember journalist Slava Tokarev said: “Everything is going well for you so far: third place, second, the next Olympics will be yours.”

– Do you regret that you didn’t go to the third Games as an active athlete?
– Of course, because I still had the strength to perform. I was only 33 years old at the time, a small age by today’s standards. But I was captivated by the opportunity to realize my coaching ideas as a senior coach.

Ushakov jumped up to the ceiling for joy

– What did you dream about then?
– At that time, biathletes held all training camps together with cross-country skiers. Where they go, we go too – there was no independence. And I already had nine years of experience as a team captain, and I wanted to start working independently. The first championship under my leadership brought Viktor Mamatov a gold medal. But I was even more pleased with the results that I created a close-knit team of like-minded people, where one was for all, and all for one, although some athletes had complex characters.

– Have there been any conflicts in the team?
- Certainly. When Tikhonov joined the team, he almost immediately quarreled with Melanin while playing football. I had to sort out discipline at meetings and reconcile disputants in a fatherly way, although with the same Melanin and Mamatov my age difference was small. I made Mamatov the captain of the team, despite the fact that Tikhonov was eager for this role. But his time came later.

– Are you a tough coach? Could you be kicked out of the training camp?
“I wasn’t tough, but I could have kicked you out for violating discipline.”

– Could you forgive one of the athletes for something that you would not forgive others?
– I never had “favorites.” I consistently pursued my line and made the same demands for all athletes. Maybe someone was offended at me when I didn’t put him in the race. In 1974, in Raubichi, Finn Suutarinen was in excellent shape - he won both the sprint and the individual race. We had no choice but to win the relay, otherwise we would have simply been destroyed. They would take a bus and throw it into the river (laughs). That’s when I took the risk of putting Alexander Ushakov in the first stage. He was a strong skier, but lacked consistency in shooting. In the evening I told Sasha that he would not run - the guy was in tears. But when I found out in the morning that I was still included in the squad, I almost jumped to the ceiling with happiness and, on such an emotional high, won the first stage by a large margin. This marked the beginning of our victory in the relay.

– Your example demonstrates what the art of a coach consists of: finding such leverage over athletes that would allow them to show the maximum of which they are capable.
– Here it is important not just to guess the athlete’s state, but also to feel what is in his soul.

– We often hear from one or another athlete: they say, my coach and I have such a sincere relationship that we can talk about anything, and he will always listen to us, understand and forgive us; or vice versa: the relationship is exclusively working. Where should the line be drawn that separates a coach and an athlete?
– There shouldn’t be a line, there should be respect from the athlete to the coach, and the coach should love each of his athletes. If these conditions are met, there will be a healthy atmosphere in the team.

Tikhonov would not give in to Bjoerndalen

– Our biathletes have held the palm in relay races for twenty years. Which of these teams do you have the most fond memories of?
- Hard to say. Our first four were good: Tikhonov, Mamatov, Puzanov, Gundartsev. An interesting team was selected four years later. Tikhonov then broke his ski in the first stage, and we were thrown far back. But Rinnat Safin showed such a rate of fire that he managed to bring the team to first place. Here we cannot say that some teams were better and some were worse. Of course, I will never forget the World Championships in Lake Placid in 1973 in above-zero temperatures. Then, unlike the Norwegians, we did not have ointments for above-zero temperatures. The skis don't stay up, the Norwegians run away. Safin also received a penalty loop and was terribly worried. And at the last stage Tikhonov starts. He then performed a real miracle. They came to the stand together with Thor Svennsberget. Each person has one extra cartridge left. The Norwegian hits and rushes past Tikhonov, and he, realizing that the enemy cannot be released, raises his rifle and closes the target, almost without aiming. The chase begins: the Norwegian, thanks to the work of his skis, goes uphill, and Tikhonov catches him on the descent. But at the finish line, Alexander still snatched victory - he came all black and fell exhausted.

– Tikhonov often recalls your first meeting: how you helped him recover from an injury, how you gave him your rifle. What attracted you to the Novosibirsk boy, whom few people knew then?
– I had already heard about Tikhonov as a strong junior and a good skier, but I had not seen him in action. Later, when we worked with him, I realized that our team needed Sasha. And I’m glad that he chose biathlon over cross-country skiing, although he had good prospects there too. He not only improved his results, but also improved the ski racing level of other athletes.

– I have often heard fans of different generations argue, comparing the achievements of Tikhonov and Bjoerndalen. Older people emphasize that in the 70s there were much fewer competitions, it was more difficult to work with equipment, and it was more difficult for athletes to prove themselves, while young people, on the contrary, believe that the competition was lower then, and therefore it is more difficult to win now. Who do you think is right?
– I think Tikhonov was stronger. He had a unique quality: he could give all his strength, come “dead” to the finish line, despite fatigue and acidification. It doesn't seem to me that Bjoerndalen is capable of this to the same extent. And I also disagree with the statement about less competition in the 70s. Who is now able to resist Bjoerndalen in ski training? Previously there were Raphael Poiret, Sven Fischer, now Michael Greis, Emil Svennsen, Maxim Chudov have appeared. All the leaders can be counted on the fingers of one hand. The situation was the same before: there were Solberg, Tikhonov, Ikola, Kruglov. If one of them had been shot without a penalty, the others would have had no chance. But then there was only one distance, and the cost of a mistake turned out to be disproportionately higher. And now there is a pursuit, a mass start. There are so many possibilities! When I worked in the IBU technical committee, I even suggested that based on the results of the sprint and pursuit, one medal should be awarded instead of two, because, in my opinion, an advantage at the start makes the competition unfair. It would be possible to have small medals for each event and one large medal for the results of two races.

– Like in weightlifting: snatch, clean and jerk and a big medal for the sum?
“That’s how it should be here, but, unfortunately, they didn’t listen to my proposal.”

A coach is not a senior officer in the army

– Which of the talented athletes was never able to reach their potential?
– There were a lot of good biathletes, strong on the track, but never learned to shoot consistently: Ivan Surovtsev, Samat Valiullin (note – father of Rustam Valiullin), Sipols from Lithuania. There were also pure shooters who never developed good running qualities.

– Remember the night before the relay in Lake Placid, when it was necessary to decide who to put in the lineup: the untested junior Sergei Danch or the most experienced Alexander Tikhonov, who was not in the best functional shape at that moment. What position did you take then?
“I was confident in Tikhonov then, I deliberately did not put him to run 20 km, where he did not have much chance of a medal, so that he would save his energy for the relay and become a four-time Olympic champion. However, after his ninth place in the sprint, Sergei Pavlovich Pavlov (approx. - Chairman of the Committee on Physical Education and Sports of the USSR), when discussing the composition of the relay race, asks: “Why is Tikhonov running?” I answer: “I believe in him, the team believes in him, he will not let you down.” And it really turned out as we planned: Tikhonov ran well and became four times. In 1988, I also had to make a lot of effort to put Dmitry Vasiliev in the first stage. I was sure that at the first stage he would not lose more than 10 seconds, although Dima did not shine in the individual race. And so it happened: our guys demonstrated accurate shooting and beat the strong GDR team. Of course, sometimes I could have made a mistake, but only those who do nothing make no mistakes.

– Is the talent of a great coach a quality given by birth, or acquired?
– I think from birth. First of all, the coach must be kind, humane, and not ossified. A despot will not be able to create a favorable atmosphere in the team. There is no need to try to catch every athlete, like a senior soldier. The main thing is to create an environment in which athletes will not allow themselves to commit gross violations, and small things may not be noticed. For example, in May, when there is no heavy load yet, you may not notice if one of the guys goes to bed later than usual.

– Could you foresee which of your students would be able to achieve success in the coaching field?
– After finishing my career, I recommended Vladimir Barnashov and Viktor Mamatov for coaching. In my opinion, coaching talent is a combination of human qualities and knowledge of the training process. When you explain the work plan to an athlete, you can see how much he understands the essence of the process.

– How do you feel about individual training of athletes with a personal trainer?
– The senior coach of the national team must work in unison with the personal trainer, coordinating training plans with him. But if a personal trainer takes a different path because of ambition, then nothing good will come of it. We have always invited personal trainers to the first training camp, but it is difficult to constantly work with a personal trainer, because he is only interested in his athletes and promotes their interests, and this can become the envy of other athletes and disrupt the microclimate in the team.

“Who is this Privalov?”

– What, in your opinion, is the most difficult thing about being a head coach of the national team?
– Great responsibility for the result and the need for self-confidence. And if you are not mentally prepared, then it is better not to take on this matter. When Alikin put forward his candidacy for the post of head coach, no one else took a chance.
In 1988, such a case happened to me. In the individual race, Valery Medvedtsev takes second place, losing to the German Rech. The next day, the chairman of the sports committee, Marat Gramov, calls me onto the carpet and begins to humiliate me: “Explain why you performed so poorly?” I explain that biathlon is a specific sport: if you falter a little, the medal is gone. Here Gramov turns to Vitaly Smirnov standing next to him: “Listen, where did this Privalov come from? Who is he?". I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Working for the national team for twenty years and listening to such things. Later, when we won the relay race and the team medal event, he calmed down and began to treat me normally. We're on the plane home. As it turned out, Dr. Lev Nikolaevich Markov and commentator Georgy Surkov found out about our conversation, recorded a humorous song on tape and played it on the plane. And there are the words: “Gramov is no match for Privalov.” Gramov’s assistant comes up to me and says: “Alexander Vasilyevich, what have you done! It was still so good.” Then everyone is given orders and medals, but nothing to me.

– Senior coaches of different teams prefer to watch the performances of their athletes in different ways: Polkhovsky and Ulrich are always at the shooting range, and Vladimir Alikin prefers to lead the athlete along the track. Where was your place?
– I was primarily responsible for shooting and was at the shooting range, and the second coach, a cross-country skier, helped at the distance. Volodya Alikin is doing the right thing by going the distance. He is not responsible for the shooting, and he has nothing to do at the shooting range. Although now, with the development of television, coaching exchanges are often shown, some of my colleagues who are responsible for functional training are trying to show off in front of the camera once again. In our time, only the trainer who was responsible for shooting was at the shooting range.

– What is the difference between the functions of a senior coach and the head coach of a national team?
– I had the opportunity to work both as a senior coach and as a head coach of national teams - then Mamatov was the head coach. The head coach must fully control the situation in the team, work with the athletes, and the head coach works with the coaches.

– You became the coach of the national team in your thirties, Viktor Mamatov, Vitaly Fatyanov were already prominent coaches by the age of forty, and the current flagships of the coaching workshop are mostly over fifty. Why is there a shortage of young specialists among coaches today? Which young coaches do you consider promising?
– Firstly, now athletes run until they are forty years old, and secondly, not everyone has the desire to coach. Our job is thankless, and now, unlike our time, an athlete has a chance to realize himself in politics or business. Tell me, why do Ishmuratova or Chepikov need coaching? It’s good that Sergei Konovalov was offered a job with the youth team. Let's see how he performs.

Time abroad – erased from life

– What to do in such a situation? Is it really possible that in biathlon, following the example of team sports, we will have to call upon the “Varangians”?
“I hope it doesn’t come to that.” We have good traditions in biathlon, and we also have personnel potential. You just need to work with athletes who have a name and experience, to encourage them to stay in the sport as a coach. None of the current athletes want to start from scratch; conditions must be created.

– For now, we are still exporting coaching personnel, and not importing. What made you go to work in Poland?
– At the Olympics in Lillehammer, the women’s team with which I worked won relay gold, but at the end of the season, in front of the coaching council, I learned that they wanted to remove me. I didn’t have the slightest desire to participate in the behind-the-scenes struggle, so I withdrew my candidacy. None of the practicing coaches dissuaded me, and Alexander Kurakin offered to lead the Poles. That's how I ended up in Poland. Already in the first year of our work, Sikora became the world champion.

– To work abroad, is it necessary to know the language?
– I didn’t have a language barrier with the Poles. They spoke Russian, and after a couple of years I learned to understand their language.

– So why didn’t you stay in Poland?
– It always seemed to me that a year abroad is time erased from life. It seems like everything is there, but this is not home, there is not enough communication with loved ones. I went there because there was nowhere to go.

– In recent years, you have sometimes criticized our athletes for their lack of speed, especially in the last lap. How, in your opinion, did Alikin manage to change the situation?
– Alikin nevertheless went through our school and adheres to the classical approach to voluminous work. I always cite the example of Slava Vedenin, who in 1972, after large amounts of work, developed such a speed in the relay race that not every “speedster” can withstand. The Norwegian then gained a minute, but Slava overtook him already at the stadium and passed him literally before my eyes, although the coaches had long since resigned themselves to silver. Perhaps our biathletes could have improved even more if they had missed a couple of World Cup stages in order to fully recover. Now the season is so overloaded with races that it is impossible to go through it all without slumps, and even to reach peak form at the World Championships or the Olympic Games.

– But you can also understand the athletes - they want to make money from commercial competitions.
– Leading athletes already receive good money, and the prestige of an Olympic medal is disproportionately higher. Therefore, the coach should not follow the athletes’ lead.

– How do you feel about the participation of athletes in summer show races? Recently, Ekaterina Yuryeva took second place at one of these competitions in Norway.
– If we systematically prepare an athlete, carry out basic work in June, and then gradually reduce the volume and increase the intensity, then it is impossible to start participating in competitions in the summer. By doing this we violate the principle of consistency and gradualism. In my time, we conducted mid-mountain training in August, and only began to compete in September. In October, we again gave priority to large-scale work, reduced the intensive load, and only then went to the first snow and began intensive preparations for winter.

Let's celebrate the anniversary in Ufa

– You stood at the origins of domestic biathlon. How big is the role of traditions in sports?
– It depends on the country’s capabilities and how they are used. No country can compare with ours in its potential. Previously, we had a few bases: in Mytishchi near Moscow, in Kirovo-Chepetsk, in Sverdlovsk. Now new bases are being built, regions are developing: Ufa, Saransk, Ostrov have appeared. There was a time when we slowed down a little, but now we have talented young people who need to be treated with care. I think that it is not worth taking athletes to the World Junior Championships. They don’t need such physical and psychological stress at such an early age.

– How do your current responsibilities in the Moscow city team differ from your usual work?
– I am a practical trainer, and now my work is largely administrative. The training process itself is closer to me.

– A year ago they offered to invite you to the coaching staff of the men’s team. Do you still feel strong enough to work at the highest level?
– I was ready to help Vladimir Alikin if he agreed. But the fact is that they already have an established tandem with Gerbulov, good relations with the guys, and he was afraid to spoil them. Although I could still help the team.

– Where and how are you going to celebrate your anniversary?
– I’ll definitely celebrate at my work in Moskomsport, I’ll have a buffet. In addition, Vadim Melikhov proposed organizing ceremonial events in Ufa during the Russian Championship, where it would be easier to gather everyone. We'll probably end up going with this option.

- You look great. How do you keep fit? When was the last time you put on skis?
– Now I spend a lot of time at the dacha. The last time I went skiing was on the May track. I'm participating for the second year in a row.

– Can you afford a glass of alcohol?
– I can drink some dry wine. There is no harm to health in this.

– Do the press representatives remember you? Are you asking for expert comments?
– They contact me, and I never refuse. But I am not as well known as figure skating coaches in team sports, although my students have won no less medals.

– Do you want to write a book of memoirs following Tikhonov’s example?
– My friend, editor-in-chief of the magazine “Sports Life of Russia” Igor Maslennikov proposed, but this requires 25-30 thousand dollars - sponsors are needed. I would like to write about some historical facts that are unknown or described inaccurately in the press.

- For example?
– Let’s take the 1978 World Championship in Hochfilzen, the first in which a small-caliber rifle was used. This championship was the hardest for me. That year we completely switched to plastic skis, but we still didn’t have much experience preparing them in above-zero temperatures. By lunchtime the snow had become watery slurry, and at night the ski track froze and an icy track formed. No one here knew then that the pile of plastic had to be lifted. Only the Germans and Norwegians knew this, and they competed for medals among themselves. Even after shooting without penalty, Nikolai Kruglov could not do anything with them.

– How do your loved ones feel about your active service to biathlon? Are they asking you to retire?
“My wife kept telling me to retire when I turn 75. Recently I told her: “That’s it, I’m leaving.” And she: “What are you doing, under no circumstances!”

And indeed, what kind of retirement can we talk about if my interlocutor is still full of strength and energy, and is ready to devote himself to what he loves. As the British say: “If you are tired of London, then you are tired of life.” It seems that Alexander Vasilyevich will never get tired of biathlon, to which he devoted half a century, and therefore the “75 mark” looks like just another milestone in his life, far from the finish line.
Alexander Kruglov, SBB