Biathlon: Head coach Kasperovich did not write off Vilukhina and Sleptsova. Alexander Kasperovich: “Illicit drugs are a very dangerous self-deception Tragedy in Cyprus

There is a conflict in the Russian men's biathlon team: a letter was written to the President of the RBU, Alexander Kravtsov, expressing no confidence in the senior coach of the team, Alexander Kasperovich. The letter was signed by five Russian biathletes, dissatisfied with the result this season, the authoritarian style of team management and the lack of dialogue between the coach and the athletes. Senior coach of the Russian national team Alexander Kasperovich commented on the situation:

- What's happening?

This is the first time I've heard about the conflict. Nobody told me about him. Let the athletes tell me what they tell you.

- The fact of the matter is that, in their opinion, there is no dialogue with the coaching staff.

This is an unjustified statement. We communicated and continue to do so. This is the first time I have heard of such a reproach addressed to me. For some reason, when there were results, everything was fine with our dialogue. We performed unsuccessfully at the World Championships - and I hear this from you. We're fine.

- Why then are the guys unhappy?

I don’t want to make hasty conclusions. We will definitely hold a meeting with the team and discuss everything. The fact that someone doesn’t like discipline is not my problem. It is and will be. Athletes will not manage the team! Today I unexpectedly learned that they met with the President of the Russian Biathlon Union Alexander Kravtsov...

- Unpleasant?

I think any coach in my place would be unhappy. We had a good trusting relationship. It's wrong to do that! You needed to come to me and talk. I'm always open.

- At what point did your distance from the team begin?

Probably when someone started to rock the team at the World Championships. There was no result, and the guys felt that they were not functionally ready. And in our opinion, they were in optimal condition. Is Shipulin performing poorly?

- Personal trainer Andrei Kryuchkov works with him on “physics”. And those who worked with you performed unsuccessfully.

You don't own the results. Look, for example, at the progress of Maxim Tsvetkov.

- He has taken a step forward, but is not even in the TOP 30 in the overall standings.

We fought throughout the season on equal terms with everyone else. Look at our position in the Nations Cup. Only the Norwegians went ahead. But this year the task was to form a team for the future. After all, we lost Evgeny Ustyugov, Alexander Loginov dropped out. Dmitry Malyshko has slowed down a little, you can’t argue with that. He didn’t skimp, he worked at full strength, but he missed First stage preparation, sick. Why does he tell you it didn't happen? Why lie?

That is, are you sure that you did everything you could, and if you had the opportunity to go back, you wouldn’t change anything?

Definitely. According to the training program, everything was done correctly. There has been progress in functional terms. There are gaps in the rifle department, work needs to be done here.

- And in terms of communication? Malyshko, Garanichev and Lapshin cannot be mistaken at the same time?

Timofey is generally very difficult to work with.

- That is?

He's on his own. Why does he need these crooked sticks? But he simply decided that he needed them, and did not listen to anyone. And the ski company with which he signed a contract for four years? Lapshin can answer everything sharply: “This is my personal business”!

- And Garanichev?

There are no problems with him. Not a single comment! And he has progressed very much! Is he really talking about conflict?

- Zhenya is going to another group. You said yourself that you don’t keep anyone?

Every athlete has every right to self-training. Can I stop an athlete if he wants to leave? We'll have a meeting today and we'll definitely talk.

- If the coaching council gives the go-ahead, are you ready to continue working in the team?

Charged with patriotic sentiments on Russia Day, Biathlonrus.com thought about the future of Russian biathlon and started a frank conversation with the coach of the Russian reserve team, Alexander Kasperovich. The eldest among the youngest spoke without hesitation about the difficulties of selection for the junior team, the extremely serious tasks of the promising Alexander Loginov, as well as the main headache for the reserve coach - doping in children's sports.

Alexander Vladimirovich, juniors are holding a June camp in Izhevsk and Tchaikovsky - two cities that will host the summer championship and championship of Russia. How would you rate the conditions?

It's nice that we have tracks of this level. I was in both Tchaikovsky and Izhevsk. To be honest, I am simply delighted with Tchaikovsky - there is excellent accommodation and food, a shooting range equipped with electronics, an excellent shooting range and a track that meets all standards, locker rooms, rooms for preparing skis or roller skis, and a weapons room.

As for Izhevsk, for us this is a traditional place for training camps. It’s very nice that they expanded the track there and the shooting range for 40 installations. Cleanliness and tidiness. There is only one problem - the hotel does not have many good quality rooms. Still, rooms with a shower on the floor are not for national team level biathletes. But I think that this issue will be resolved in Izhevsk. The complex itself in Izhevsk is excellent. They always welcome us there, and we feel comfortable there.

At the training camp in Gelendzhik, two-time Olympic champion Olga Zaitseva trained with your team. For you, such an experienced athlete in training young biathletes is probably a godsend?

We have been cooperating with her for a long time, Olga trained in our teams. We wanted to organize a meeting for the guys to talk to a professional. But it turned out that already during training they asked her everything they wanted. Olga told me a lot of interesting things during work - I think that this is much closer and better. Almost gave individual master classes.

I’m generally pleased with how the training camp in Gelendzhik went. The weather was great, the guys worked with passion. We have done all the necessary work. For example, we swam a total of 14 to 20 km of pure swimming - we trained both in the pool and on open water in the sea.

- Does swimming help in any way on the ski track and shooting range?

Swimming is necessary for general physical development, to strengthen breathing and work the muscles of the musculoskeletal system. From swimming, muscles become more labile, stretched and athletes recover faster. There are special exercises with holding your breath and exhaling into the water - this is useful for us, because when shooting we work with holding our breath or exhaling slowly. Plus it's variety.

I can give an example of another classic May workout - a 6.5 hour hike in the mountains at an altitude of 600 meters with walking sticks. Athletes aged 18–20 calmly perform this work without any stress. The main goal of such training is, again, strengthening the muscles we need and overall endurance. We use short ski poles so that we work the shoulder girdle and not just the legs.

Plus we trained a lot on the bike. But we don’t use roller skis during this period. It’s too early for us to use them in May; first we need to restore all skills, prepare muscles and coordination of movements.

- You can assess the readiness of the guys as a whole based on the results of the first training camp. Did anything catch your eye?

I would like to note that in this off-season, the athletes of 93–95 are much more prepared than the biathletes of 92. I can’t say for sure what this is connected with. Perhaps a new generation is starting to emerge, or maybe the athletes simply came from other regions or from other coaches who paid more attention to general physical fitness, movement coordination, and swimming. Previously, it happened in our country that athletes did not even know how to swim freestyle and breaststroke.

At the first training camp, we worked a lot with free training and preparation. It was important to look at theoretical knowledge Guys, look at the work on SKAT. Identify the mistakes that athletes make when shooting for further work with live ammunition. It can be seen that athletes are given theoretical knowledge locally. I would like to note the work that the Tchaikovsky Institute did in the winter by releasing a visual aid on shooting - at the Russian winter championship this manual sold out instantly. Now the Russian Biathlon Union has released a methodological manual on shooting, written by Viktor Fedorovich Mamatov. We started doing very important things. Now the conditions are such that coaches are sorely lacking in literature and manuals. And every book is a huge help.

- If you now look at the composition of the junior team, is it realistic that any of these guys will be able to grow to the level of the main team by the 2014 Olympics?

I would not like to talk about this now or name any names. But, for example, Sasha Loginov faces very high tasks - I say this in all seriousness. He and I talked for a long time about this topic. The athlete has moved to another level in his training. Last year we deliberately took him to adult competitions, to the IBU Cup in Altenberg (note: Loginov at this stage became second in the sprint and pursuit, and also took fourth place in the individual race). Sasha was not in the best shape at that moment after a difficult season. Since December, the athlete has shown high speed and good shooting skills. We compared him with adult athletes - he can easily compete with them.

- Once an athlete has reached a new level, it means he needs new format preparation?

This year we changed his preparation a little. We have certain tasks, we know Sasha’s shortcomings well. We will try to eliminate these shortcomings. I can even announce them - the athlete needs to increase speed endurance, complete the first lap, reduce the time spent on the firing line by approaching and leaving the line. It is necessary to reduce the time at the turn by manipulating the weapon.

At the end of last season, your three strongest players went to three different teams. Maxim Tsvetkov went to the main team, Alexander Pechenkin to the youth team, and Alexander Loginov remained in the junior team. Why were young talents assigned to teams in this way?

I would like to continue working with these three athletes, but the situation has developed as it has. Tsvetkov has a personal trainer - Nikolai Petrovich Lopukhov, and since he has received an invitation, the guy will be more comfortable with his coach in the main team. Pechenkin left my team due to age and moved to the youth team, although I even recommended him to the main team. Pechenkin's speed qualities allow him to show good results. This year he made great progress in his shooting training. I hope he has a good next season. Loginov, due to his age, is not yet suitable for the main and youth teams, and besides, he had a desire to continue working with me personally. Sasha and I have been working together for four years now, and during this time we have found mutual understanding. I think everything will be fine.

I regret that such an athlete as Yaroslav Ivanov went unnoticed - he is a very interesting guy. I am very sorry that there is no opportunity to work with him for another year, because due to his age he has already left the juniors. My instinct tells me that he would have opened up more. In one year, he managed to make a lot of progress as a result. Now he is preparing with the Khanty-Mansiysk team, I wish him good luck.

You are well acquainted with the juniors from working together with them, but what can you say about the beautiful half of the reserve – the juniors?

At one time, I worked as a coach for the women’s team for 12 years, including at the Olympic Games in 1994, when we worked with Alexander Vasilyevich Privalov. And this year I returned to the women’s group as a senior reserve coach. We have selected a team of trainers who are now solving the task - training the reserve. We called 17 girls to the orientation training camp; three athletes did not come to the first training camp due to passing the Unified State Exam. We looked at all the biathletes and have not yet drawn any conclusions. At the Tchaikovsky/Izhevsk meeting we will finally decide on the composition. The coaches in the women's team were also competent. I have known Andrey Russkikh for a very long time; last summer he trained World Championship bronze medalist Olga Vilukhina for the season. He is a very strong specialist, so I entrusted him with the women’s group. I think he can handle this job. The team also includes young guys who have great desire. From the Russians, as last year, the coaching team includes young Pavel Lantsov and veteran of Soviet sports Nikolai Petrovich Savinov. He has been working with juniors and juniors for a long time, and worked in the main team. His experience and the groundwork that he has will help the team.

- When will the final composition of the reserve teams be determined?

The composition will be determined literally after this gathering. This will be the final composition for centralized training. For the boys, six people have already been identified, but for the girls, the coaches do not want to name a single name until the end of the training camp. For juniors, I can already announce a list of six people: Alexander Loginov, Timur Makhambetov, Pavel Zakurdaev, Alexander Chernyshov, Ivan Tomilov, Eduard Latypov. Four more people will be selected during the training camp.

As a reserve coach, you will be responsible not only for juniors, but also for young men. What problems are particularly acute in children's sports now?

The first is the conditions. Now there are more and more guys who want to do biathlon. But if a child is unlucky enough to live in a region that is seriously developing our sport, a lot of problems arise. There must be a warm room, locker rooms, showers, appropriate equipment - many schools do not have this. The Russian Biathlon Union provides a lot of help, and thanks to them for helping the children - buying rifles, roller skates, skis and equipment. But even the RRF cannot help everyone, because many schools are simply destroyed.

We lack qualified biathlon and cross-country skiing coaches. Unfortunately, we have very few strong specialists in children's sports. But the first coach lays the foundation. And here you need to be a professional. For example, many children have back problems due to the large amount of work they do skating. No need to resist and teach with your skate! The classic move, according to biomechanics, is the basis of skating - repulsion, gliding movement. And often in biathlon schools, children are immediately put on the skate, which is strictly prohibited, because it leads to curvature of the spine.

This sounds crazy, but many coaches are against the classics, because for this you need to wax your skis, have additional poles, boots, skis - but you don’t have them. Can you imagine that children are sometimes forced to break because of need? Well, and, of course, our big headache– prohibited drugs.

Can you tell us more about this? This problem is not as well known to the general public as doping in adult sports.

So what's there to say? There is a problem - despite the enormous work against doping, episodes still occur with athletes in the regions who are not controlled as much as in the national teams. If an athlete is not in the national team system, it is much more difficult to control him, and some take advantage of this.

Do you know where we start the season? We sit down as a team and, together with the doctor, tell the athletes how this all happens and what it leads to. The child’s body reacts to illegal drugs instantly - the work of the endocrine glands is dulled and sometimes even atrophied. So he took it, stimulated some function of the body with a prohibited drug now, and tomorrow without this drug it will no longer work. And by the age when it is necessary to open up and win a place in the national team, the athlete approaches emasculated.

- Maybe someone is deliberately stimulating the athlete to push him to the highest level?

It’s not even a matter of the fact that one of the coaches is doing this. Now there is a lot of accessible information on the Internet and the athletes themselves, unfortunately, foolishly come to this. Now there is no big secret - every doping case is loudly talked about, the names of the drugs are quoted thousands of times, they explain whether it was administered intravenously or intramuscularly.

This is a big problem, and I want to use the opportunity to stop those athletes who think that doping helps - this is not so and only a trained body can show results! Drugs can give a momentary surge that will ruin the body tomorrow. Illicit drugs are self-deception, very dangerous self-deception.

I and those trainers who have been working with me for many years are categorically against the use of illegal drugs. We in the national team restore the guys only in a natural way: sauna, massage, medical equipment, natural products. Athletes can be restored through the training process and its variety. There are swimming and other types of training.

And I tell my guys right away - if someone, God forbid, is involved in this, he will immediately fly out of the team. No chance of returning.

Alexander Vladimirovich Kasperovich was born on February 12, 1958. He spent his childhood in the village of Borovoye, now located on the territory of Kazakhstan. Later he moved to Omsk, where he received professional education. Kasperovich is a master of sports in biathlon, and also holds the title “Honored Coach of Russia.”

Alexander Kasperovich coaching skills in Omsk state institute physical culture and sports.

Coaching career of Alexander Kasperovich in the period 1986-1997.

Alexander Kasperovich began his coaching career at the helm of biathlon teams in 1986. He was entrusted with coaching the USSR women's junior biathlon team and he coped with his task. The result of his work was 7 victories at the world championships among junior girls over six years of work, after which he was invited to coach the main biathlon team and prepare it for Olympic Games 1992. The result of his work was gold in the relay. Luiza Noskova, Natalya Snytina, Nadezhda Talanova and Anfisa Reztsova played for that team.

In 1994, Alexander Vladimirovich returned to work with the junior team. In 1997, he was appointed coach of the main team of the country's women's biathlon team.

Coaching career of Alexander Kasperovich in the period 1997-2014.

In 1997, he was appointed chief leader of the Russian women's biathlon team. At its very first world championship, the country's women's team under his leadership wins the team race. A year later, he fails to repeat his success; Russia takes only second place in the relay, losing to the German team. Another of Kasperovich’s wards, Albina Akhatova, who came third in the 15-kilometer individual race, also brought a bronze medal to the Russian national team.

In 2000, the women's team under his leadership in Once again takes gold in the relay. Along the way, Galina Kukleva takes 2nd place in the mass start. In the last world championship among the main teams, before a long break, Kasperovich’s team was only able to win the relay, failing in all other races and the honored coach had to leave his post. For the next two years, he coaches junior teams, after which he moves on to coaching the reserve men's and women's teams, where he continues to work until 2014.

After unsatisfactory results at the Sochi Olympics, Alexander Vladimirovich is offered to start coaching the Russian men's biathlon team. Under his leadership, the team took four gold medals at the European championship, the Russian men's biathlon team won the Crystal Globe, and became second in the final standings of the Biathlon World Cup.

Coaching career of Alexander Kasperovich in 2015

On July 24, 2015, Kasperovich was appointed to the position of head coach of the Russian biathlon team. Now his tasks include maintaining the schedule and preparing not only the men's but also the women's team for the upcoming season. According to the Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko, he is confident that Alexander Vladimirovich is exactly the person that Russian biathlon now needs to regain its greatness.

Until April 2017, Alexander Kasperovich was at the helm of the country’s national biathlon team. Mark is his four-year-old grandson, who will be discussed in this article. Why has his name become known to many sports fans and others today?

Origin

Alexander Kasperovich’s whole life is connected with biathlon. A native of Kazakhstan, he has been living in St. Petersburg for a long time. His date of birth is 1958. Having received a higher physical education education in Omsk, he became a coach in this discipline, rising to main team countries. Being a master of sports, he trained either the junior team or the women's team, until he brilliantly spent the 2014/2015 season, leading the men's team. In July 2015, the RBU approved his candidacy for the position of head coach of the unified team. The mentor's merits were appreciated - at the moment he has the title of Honored Trainer of the Russian Federation.

It would seem that fate favored the talented master. Everything worked out well not only in the profession, but also in my personal life. He has a great family and has grandchildren. Kasperovich Mark, whose photo is presented in the article, was the youngest in his son’s family.

Tragedy in Cyprus

A month after the appointment, a report appeared in the press about an accident in the family of the head coach. In August, his daughter-in-law Sonya vacationed with her two sons with friends in Cyprus. The youngest was only 4 years old, he practically did not know how to swim. While in the pool, the boy put on a mask and dived under the water. Having no skill, he choked on water. He was taken out already unconscious and sent to the local hospital Levkosha. This was Mark Kasperovich.

The baby's biography turned out to be too short. The whole country was watching last year his life. That's how long the boy and his family fought for recovery. In Cyprus, Mark's heart stopped twice, after which he fell into a coma. The question arose about its transportation to Russia.

Coach's message

After the tragic events, Sonya Kasperovich herself posted a post on the Internet. Mark needed urgent qualified help from the best doctors. The coach himself addressed the audience on TV. Transporting the baby allegedly cost 40 thousand euros, but he did not ask for money. I just told the truth about what happened so that there would be no misunderstandings. And he asked people to pray for his grandson.

Alexander Kasperovich believed that the baby’s strong body would cope with the test. Both of his grandchildren have been involved in sports since childhood. Today the eldest, Plato, competes in martial arts competitions, winning more and more awards.

The coach turned to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Emergency Situations for help. She promised to pay 30 thousand Insurance Company with whom the contract was concluded. We are talking about the Renaissance Insurance company.

Death of a boy

The baby, taken by German doctors to St. Petersburg, endured two takeoffs and two landings. It was important to relieve brain swelling and prevent irreversible processes from developing. Father and grandfather were literally on duty outside the hospital windows, hoping for a miracle. But it didn't happen. The child was in a coma for a whole year, until his heart stopped in July 2016.

Fans of winter sports remember how, during important starts, commentators reminded about the condition of Mark Kasperovich. They wished him recovery and admired the family doing everything possible and even a little more to save the baby.

Afterword

The tragedy probably affected the quality of work. The coach could not lead the national team with the same dedication as before, so in April Alexander Kasperovich moved to the post of senior reserve coach. Back in March, together with future Olympians, he tested the distance in Pyeongchang, and today the IOC’s decision to exclude our country from participation in the Olympics is already known. The coach’s opinion is clear: biathlon competitions without Russian athletes can only be compared to playing football without Brazil.

If Kasperovich Mark were alive, then his life would probably be connected with sports. Like my grandfather.