Two weeks remain before the start of the Youth World Championships in Canada. On the eve of one of the main hockey starts of the season, we remembered how the fate of all the players of the Russian and CIS national teams participating in final games MFM since 1992. The first material is dedicated to the team that competed at the 1992 World Cup in Germany under the flag of the CIS.
Goalkeepers
Nikolay Khabibulin
Career after the MFM: until 1994, Khabibulin played for CSKA, after which he went to conquer North America. There he quickly made his debut in the NHL as part of Winnipeg, and then in different years defended the goals of the Phoenix Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks. The peak of the goalkeeper's career came when he played for the Lightning. In 2004, he won the Stanley Cup and has a total of 799 NHL games. In 2002, Khabibulin won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games as a member of the Russian national team. What he is doing now: Khabibulin played the last match of his career on November 17, 2013 as part of Chicago. The goalkeeper was injured in the 16th minute of the game with Nashville and did not appear on the ice in official matches again, and in 2015 he announced his retirement. Khabibulin did not rule out the possibility of working as a manager in one of the KHL clubs. Lives in America.
Ildar Muhometov
Career after the MFM: Muhometov spent seven seasons with Dynamo Moscow, becoming the MHL champion (1993), Russian champion (1995) and Russian Cup winner (1996). Then the goalkeeper’s career included the German Hannover, Neftekhimik, CSKA, Severstal and Krylya Sovetov. Mukhometov played his only match in the KHL with Barys in the 2009/10 season. What he is doing now: since 2012, Mukhometov worked as the sports director of Barys, then helped Sergei Fedorov as an assistant to the general manager of CSKA, and since 2015 he has been the general manager manager of the Admiral.
Defenders
Vladislav Bulin
Career after the MFM: after playing two seasons in Dynamo Moscow, Bullin unsuccessfully tried to break into the NHL through the lower North American leagues for four seasons. Then there were three years in Germany, two seasons at Lada, a year at SKA and a return to Dynamo, with which he became the Russian champion in 2005. Two years later, Bulin repeated this achievement as part of Metallurg Magnitogorsk, playing for Magnitogorsk for a total of five seasons. The fearless defender retired after the 2011/12 season with his native Diesel. What he is doing now: immediately after finishing his playing career, Bulin got a job on the Diesel coaching staff, and was soon appointed head coach of the team. In the VHL, Bulyin managed to work at Dynamo (Balashikha), Ariad (Volzhsk), and now works on the coaching staff of Torpedo from Ust-Kamenogorsk.
Artyom Kopot
Career after the MFM: the Chelyabinsk Traktor graduate became the first Russian player in the history of Pittsburgh to be selected by the club in the NHL junior draft. Kopat had a promising career ahead, but the defender’s life was cut short on July 19, 1992 in a car accident. Returning home, Kopat’s Zhiguli car crashed into a pole. Andrei Sapozhnikov, who was nearby at that moment, pulled his friend out of the car and took him to the hospital, but Artyom died on the way.
Boris Mironov
Career after the MFM: a year later Mironov made his NHL debut with Winnipeg. He was soon traded to Edmonton, where he spent his best year in the NHL: 46 points in the 1997/98 season. In addition, Mironov played for Chicago and the New York Rangers, playing a total of 716 games in the NHL. As part of the Russian national team, the defender won silver at the 1998 Olympic Games and bronze at the 2002 Olympic Games. He ended his playing career in Russia, spending a season with Vityaz, HC Lynx and Krylya Sovetov, where he was a player-coach. What he is doing now: in the 2015/16 season, Mironov worked as an assistant head coach of the CSKA youth team , and from this season he is the head coach of the Red Army.
Darius Kasparaitis
Career after the MFM: two months later, Kasparaitis won gold at the Olympic Games in Albertville, and the very next season he left for North America, where he immediately became a member of the New York Islanders. During his long career in the NHL (863 games), Darius did not win any major trophies, but became famous in the league for his ability to carry out tough and at the same time spectacular power moves. Kasparaitis spent the last two years of his playing career in the KHL with SKA.
Darius now lives in Miami, occupying construction business and dreams of playing for the Lithuanian national team in one of the official tournaments.
What he is doing now: in the 2010/11 season, Kasparaitis worked on the coaching staff of SKA, but so far his coaching career has not continued. Now Darius lives in Miami, works in the construction business and dreams of playing for the Lithuanian national team in one of the official tournaments.
Sergey Krivokrasov
Career after the MFM: went to conquer the NHL. He didn’t achieve much success, but after a few seasons he established himself in the base of Chicago, and then played for Nashville, Minnesota, Calgary and Anaheim. In 2002 he returned to Russia, signing a contract with Khabarovsk Amur. At the end of the 2003/04 season he moved to Avangard and helped the team become the champion of Russia. He retired from his career in 2008 after a season with Novokuznetsk Metallurg. What he is doing now: in the 2010/11 season he was dismissed from the post of head coach of Angarsk Ermak. Since the 2015/16 season, he has been the coach of the American team Rocky Mountain Rough Riders, part of the USHL club Cedar Rapids Rough Riders. Krivokrasov’s son Nikita plays in the Rocky Mountain Rough Riders.
Alexander Kuzminsky
Career after the MFM: he scored both of his goals at the MFM against the Canadian team. Soon after the tournament, he left Sokol Kyiv for North America, but was unable to break into the Toronto team. Fate brought him to the Danish championship, where he scored 100 points during the season. Then he played in Finland, Slovakia, Germany, Sweden and France. He retired in 2005 after playing a year in the North American LNAH league. In 2002, he refused to play for the Ukrainian national team at the Olympic Games. What he is doing now: even his relatives know practically nothing about Kuzminsky’s further fate. After finishing his career, he lives in Canada and does not come to Ukraine. His brother Andrey Kuzminsky works as a children's coach in Kyiv.
Even his relatives know practically nothing about Kuzminsky’s further fate. After finishing his career, he lives in Canada and does not come to Ukraine.
Denis Metlyuk
Career after the MFM: received a fairly high number in the NHL draft, but after a year of playing in the AHL he returned to his native Lada, where he spent most of his career. Denis Metlyuk’s last club was Salavat Yulaev. What he is doing now: he opened his own business in Tolyatti, is engaged in the production of auto parts. Raises children. Son Daniil plays in the Asian League for Sakhalin.
Andrey Nikolishin
Career after the MFM: a year later he became the world champion as part of the Russian national team, and went to North America only in the 1994/95 season. He played for Hartford, Washington, Chicago and Colorado, after which he returned to Russia in 2004, signing a contract with CSKA. At the end of his career, he spent four seasons at Traktor, and finished his performances at Sokol Kiev. What he is doing now: last season he worked as the head coach at Traktor and Amur. Waiting for new offers from KHL clubs.
Alexander Sverzhov
Career after the MFM: continued to play in Salavat Yulaev, but ended his playing career in 1996 due to health problems. What he is doing now: He was in business for 15 years, now he works as a coach at the Salavat Yulaev children's school.
Denis Vinokurov Career after the MFM: having small dimensions, he ran on the ice so much that he could not always control his own speed. After the MFM, Vinokurov defended the colors of CSKA and SKA, but every year his statistics only worsened. Latest games He spent his career in the 1997/98 season, and in 2000 he died of a drug overdose.
Mikhail Volkov
Career after the MFM: played in the lower North American leagues, and in 1996 returned to Krylya Sovetov. Three years later he became the Italian champion with Merano. The following season he played four matches in the second strongest league in Switzerland. In the 2002/03 season he played for Kuznya and Spartak, after which he retired. What he does now: lives in Moscow, does business and plays for the veterans of Krylia Sovetov.
Sergey Zholtok
Career after the MFM: he soon left for North America. He played there until 2004, playing a total of 588 NHL games. During the lockout season, Zholtok returned to play in Latvia. On November 3, 2004, without finishing a few minutes before the end of the game (the match "Dynamo-Minsk" - "Riga 2000"), he went to the locker room, but as a result heart attack lost consciousness. They tried to resuscitate him for more than an hour, but the hockey player’s heart could not stand it.
Alexey Yashin
Career after the World Cup: in 1993 he became a world champion with the Russian national team, and then went to the NHL, where he played for Ottawa and the New York Islanders. In total, he played 850 games in the NHL, in which he scored 781 points. In 2007 he returned to Russia, played for Lokomotiv, SKA and CSKA. What he is doing now: in 2012 he completed his playing career and worked as the general manager of the Russian women's national team for two years. Now he enjoys life, often comes to SKA matches in St. Petersburg and has become a minority owner of the new NHL club from Las Vegas.
P.S. I checked every name and about a third of the names of hockey players are not on sports. Ah, sports, you don’t have their tags, but, for example, there are tags that are completely unrelated to sports “live beer” and “Irina Shayk”.
Week after week, athletes do everything they can to win the competition. Some represent their region, and some represent their country. An Olympic medal is one of the highest awards for athletes. If a Russian makes a mistake, he will be able to repeat it again only after a few years. Today, when the sports world is gripped by winter Olympic fever, let's remember some of the Russian Olympians.
Over her 35 years, she managed to become a member of the IOC commission, a major in the Armed Forces and Putin’s confidant. Elena is a two-time Olympic champion among women. She won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics. 3-time world outdoor champion and 4-time world indoor women's champion. Isinbayeva has 28 world records.
In March 2012, she was recognized as one of the most successful active athletes in Russia. In 2014, she gave birth to a daughter, Eva, from athlete Nikita Petinov. A couple of months later the couple got married. In August 2016, she was elected to the IOC Commission. In winter, she was appointed head of the supervisory board of RUSADA. A couple of months later, WADA representatives were against Elena’s candidacy and insisted on her leaving. They demanded to leave the post because Elena was appointed on the recommendation of the Russian Olympic Committee, so she could not be considered an independent person.
On February 14, Elena gave birth to a son. She plans to make her name an official brand and has already submitted an application for registration to Rospatent.
The Russian figure skater, who competed in women's singles skating, became known throughout the country at the 2014 Olympics. Then she became an Olympic champion in team competitions. She won both programs, making the greatest contribution to the victory of the Russian team. In 19 years, she became the champion of Europe, the world among juniors, and Russia among juniors. In addition, she has many awards and titles, she has repeatedly won prizes.
In August 2017, the mother of the youngest Olympic champion in the history of figure skating announced. Shortly before this, Julia returned from Europe, where she underwent three months of treatment for anorexia. Her man Evgeniy supported her in her difficult decision. The successful entrepreneur paid for treatment in Germany and purchased housing. Now the 19-year-old athlete lives in her apartment mainly with her lover’s money. At the end of 2017, Lipnitskaya broadcast for 8 hours on the Telesport channel. She opened her own academy, where they conduct figure skating lessons.
Alina became the Olympic champion in the individual all-around in 2000 and 2004. The six-time Russian champion and Honored Master of Sports has headed the board of directors of Sport-Express CJSC since 2016. Since 2014, she has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Media Group holding. She was an MP State Duma Federal Assembly.
According to media reports, in March 2015, she gave birth to a child at the Swiss VIP clinic of St. Anne, and two months later she took part with Joseph Kobzon in the Alina rhythmic gymnastics festival. She created a charitable foundation. According to Ogonyok magazine, Kabaeva took 8th place in the ranking of the most influential women Russia.
At the Olympic Games in Australia, the Russian gymnast became the absolute champion, winning 6 medals: two gold, one silver and three bronze. Alexey is a member Public Council under the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Since 2010, he became a member of the Patriarchal Council for Culture. He currently holds the position of editor-in-chief of the sports magazine Bolshoy Sport. In addition, he is the leader of the Young Talents of Big Sports program, launched on the initiative of Bolshoi Sport magazine.
In 2016, because of an illegally parked car, activists from the StopHam movement placed a sticker on the windshield. After that, Nemov swore and began to fight. The athlete's wife called this situation a provocation.
Honored Master of Sports of Russia, two-time Olympic champion (in 2006 he won in single skating, and in 2014 in team competitions). He repeatedly became the world, European, and world junior champion. Evgeniy is the first skater to complete a program with complex elements. In March 2017, he announced his retirement from his sports career. The athlete had 15 operations. Plushenko began to train young athletes. The athlete conducts training master classes for beginner skaters.
From 2007 to 2011 he was a member of the A Just Russia party. Plushenko is involved in charity work and participates in ice shows. The skater traded the national team training camp for a commercial tour in Japan.
By the 2014 Olympics, Tatyana became a favorite: since 2004, she has not lost a single start at the Russian, European and World Championships, and the couple took gold everywhere. At the Olympic Games she danced on ice with Roman Kostomarov. Having moved from America to Russia, at a meeting with Putin, Navka stated that she had nowhere to live in Moscow. Soon she and her partner were given an apartment.
The Honored Master of Sports of Russia has participated in ice shows 10 times since 2006. Since 2015, she has worked as a TV presenter on the Match TV channel. In the same year, she signed with Dmitry Peskov. Alexei Navalny said that Navka purchased real estate worth 1 billion rubles in a village near Moscow. FBK announced its intention to contact the Investigative Committee and the FSB to investigate corruption schemes. Tatyana refused to comment on the situation and called Alexey a maniac.
A Russian skier from Kondopoga won the last stage of the Olympic Games in the women's relay. She became a bronze medalist in the duathlon and won the first medal in the Russian team. Evgenia married the master of sports of Russia in cross-country skiing Alexei Medvedev, who is in last years for Evgenia as a trainer, manager and serviceman. Masters of sports raise two children and live in Petrozavodsk. The woman is called the pearl of Karelia.
Five-time Olympic champion, multiple world champion. Two-time World Cup winner. The Honored Master of Sports of the USSR and Russia started skiing at the age of 11. In 2001, the Olympic season turned out to be scandalous and the last for the skier. After two silver medals, she was caught doping, so her results were annulled.
Since 2003, she became involved in political activities and became a deputy of the State Duma. In 2007, she graduated from RANEPA with a degree in jurisprudence and received a Ph.D. economic sciences. The online community “Dissernet” stated that the athlete’s dissertation was plagiarism.
Five-time champion in synchronized swimming, seven-time world and European champion, holder of three state orders. The athlete was the standard bearer of the Russian team at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in 2012 and the torchbearer in 2014. Now Anastasia is vice-president of the Russian Olympic Committee, chairman of the assistance council of the Russian Olympic Committee, member of the executive committee of the Russian Olympic Committee.
She was recognized as the best synchronized swimmer of the decade 2000–2009. In 2011 in Shanghai, she won all the gold medals in all types of synchronized swimming. In 2012, she became a record holder: Davydova is the first five-time Olympic champion in synchronized swimming. After the Olympic Games in London, the athlete decided to end her career and began working as a coach.
Four-time Olympic champion, 10-time world champion and 13-time European champion. He won the World Cup five times and became the champion of Russia. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR and Russia in 2007 received the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Since 2008, he began coaching the Russian fencing team. A year later he took the post of first vice-president of the Russian Fencing Federation and chairman of the judging commission of the European Fencing Confederation. Since 2016, he became president of the European Fencing Confederation and first vice-president of the Russian Olympic Committee. He leads the delegation of athletes at the 2018 Olympics.
Photo: Alexander Pogotov/RIA Novosti
Olympic champion pentathlete Andrei Moiseev, having parted with sports, found a talent in himself that he had not previously suspected
What an athlete should do after finishing his career is one of the most painful questions for a professional athlete. Many champions disappear from the view of fans and have difficulty adapting to ordinary life. How to cope with the inevitable crisis and why in Russia Olympic gold does not provide financial stability, two-time Olympic champion, one of the youngest head coaches in history, pentathlete Andrei Moiseev told the RR correspondent
Is athlete employment after retirement a problem in all sports?
Definitely. For many years you devote yourself only to sports, you have no free time, you really train all day. Sport becomes your profession. And then this profession ends. And the question arises - what to do. This is the main problem. Now people are becoming more literate, assistants appear who support you in life, help you get a higher education, a specialization with which you can then work. But even if you have a diploma and a profession, then you come across a real job and realize that you need to study again. The level of your education is basic, and you didn’t pay much attention to it, because all your time was spent on sports.
Do many break?
In most cases, yes. I don't know many Olympic champions. Let's not talk about the group of women who sit in the State Duma and deal with serious matters. For the most part, Olympic champions are small businessmen, nothing special.
Is it difficult to make a living in sports like yours without Olympic medals?
Not only without Olympic medals, but even with an Olympic medal it’s impossible. If an athlete is not young and has no savings, an Olympic medal does not provide him with financial stability. You get one hundred thousand euros, plus some extra money, plus they can give you an apartment. If the new apartment is not renovated, then it is enough to move into it, make repairs and maybe buy a car. All. Here's your package for life. The medal no longer gives any rights. It seems to me that we don’t have that many Olympic champions - we need to somehow give more substantial bonuses for such things, about a million dollars would be a good fee. For a young athlete, one hundred thousand euros is nothing.
Don't they give cars to Olympic athletes?
We started giving gifts in 2006. There was no Olympic gold in Athens in 2004, but in 2008 it was already given away.
By the way, what did you buy with your first fee?
I just bought the car. I took second place at the World Cup final, earned 3–3.5 thousand dollars and bought myself a car.
Which?
"Oku." Yes, everyone laughed, but she was new. I said that I didn’t want to crawl under the car and repair a “nine” of unknown vintage for the same money. For now I only have enough for the Oka - I’ll drive the Oka, but on a new one.
And how far did you travel?
Two and a half years. There I already won the Olympic Games and managed to buy another car.
In the USA and Europe there are no such gifts formilitary medals. We pay much more.
There are other advantages. Advertising contracts, free education, which otherwise costs crazy money, and so on. So it turns out that way. For example, Michael Phelps received twenty thousand dollars for a medal, but he gets eighteen million a year under a contract with Speedo.
Phelps is still the only one.
Not just one, there are others in swimming, athletics, and other sports. Olympic champion in America is a status for life, and with this title you will never be lost. You will go to any coaching section and will receive money just for being an Olympic champion - no matter how you train children. And everyone will be led to you - no matter whether you have work experience or not. This is a status, a social package. There, Olympic champion is a serious title. We, of course, encourage and celebrate Olympic champions, but the social package is small.
In Russia there are some benefits of the Olympicsto study?
No. Only personal connections and something like “an Olympic champion will study at our faculty.” Again, he's entertaining while he's performing. If they say that “an Olympic champion studies at our faculty, competes, becomes a world and European champion” - then yes. And if you are a former Olympic champion, then you will not receive any preferences in your studies. I heard that they are trying to change this now. There are a lot of government programs - big athletes who have finished their careers are taken to some advanced training courses, to study, and help them adapt to life. This all sounds and looks good, but how to apply it in life? I don’t yet know a single athlete who, after such courses, would be able to work, that is, apply knowledge in practice. Only personal connections work. Although many athletes, former Olympic champions, are now on the Olympic Committee. Here, as in sports, personal qualities are important.
It will not be possible for everyone to become a sports functionary.
Agree. Although in fact there are quite a few young personnel who could do truly high-quality work - according to various reasons. You know, professional athletes, if they had been involved in sports all their lives, had, in principle, very little time for their personal life, for study, and this transition, as a rule, is very painful. I know a lot of good promising guys in the same pentathlon, who never realized themselves in their favorite sport in terms of work. At the same time, there is a lot of work. I don't know why they don't offer it. Maybe they don’t go, but there are vacancies.
How did you become a head coach?
I had finished my sports career and was at a crossroads, and at that moment the president of the federation, Vyacheslav Aminov, offered me this position. He pinned his hopes on my candidacy. I hope I don’t let him down - I try to meet all the requirements.
In order to retrain from an athlete to an official, you need to have a certain character and inclination. Did you know you were capable of this?
No. I was lucky in this regard - I took up what I loved, which I knew from the inside, all its problems and nuances, and quickly got used to the work that was required of me. I never wanted to be a personal trainer, understanding the complexity of this status: you devote a lot of time and effort, and sport - you understand, is an unpredictable matter. We may work in the same way, but one coach is an Olympic champion, and the other is a first-class coach, although both put in the same effort.
This is serious work, especially children's sports - you raise and raise a person, and he says: “I don’t want to play sports anymore, I’ll go to study.” Or the girl answers: “I got married, I don’t need your sport anymore.” And you put fifteen years of work into it. This also happens. The work of a coach is hellish work, creative and thankless. You have to be a fan of your job to be a coach.
Rather, I am interested in work like the one I am currently doing: communicating with people, meetings - I really like it. Maybe there will be some further growth, prospects will appear, but if we look at it globally, the federation is a certain level. If we judge a coach annually based on his results in competitions, then the head coach can only be evaluated based on the results of four years. And now my main goal will be in Rio in 2016. Then the same functionaries in sports - both Vitaly Mutko and his deputies - will be able to determine the extent and quality of my work. Surely there will be both objective and subjective reasons to evaluate me one way or another. 2016 is my scaffold, which sooner or later I will have to climb.
Last year, an unpleasant story happened in bobsled when two-time Olympic champion Alexander Zubkov quarreled with the federation, offended that he was not appointed head coach of the main team after Sochi. He was then offered to train young people. Do you think such a buffer zone is necessary when an athlete transitions to coaching? Or is the experience of an athlete enough to be a head coach?
It seems to me that I have achieved serious results as an athlete. I have my coach Andrei Vladimirovich Tropin as a personal example. In recent years in sports, I have looked at many things not just as an athlete, but from the perspective of age and experience. And the problems that I saw when I came to the federation - for example, how young athletes behave, what they lack, and so on - I saw them while still competing. So I don’t think I needed a buffer zone, coaching juniors and then moving on to the senior team. I feel absolutely comfortable in this position.
Was there any discomfort that your former coach is now your subordinate?
There were such feelings, and at first the relationship was friendly. But we both understood that, being in such a position, it would be necessary to make certain decisions that might go against his opinion. I also competed with many current athletes - with Ilya Frolov, with Alexander Lesun. It took time for everyone to adapt. Now everyone is used to it. As for work, here I am Andrey Sergeevich. Some options are possible on the sidelines, but globally there were no difficulties.
The hardest thing you've ever had to learnlearn by becoming a coach?
In sports, everything is simple: when you reach the finish line, you are first. In a team there are different relationships, situations, everything is ambiguous, problematic, people are different, everyone needs to be listened to, somewhere to compromise, somewhere to be tough. A purely management story. They can only tell you how to do it, but you can only learn with time and practice. There are many problems, someone is offended, all living people. This is the most difficult thing about my job. In general, I think that thanks to pentathlon it is easier for me to cope with difficulties in life. This is a very sociable sport where you have to quickly adapt from one type to another. This is a sport of intelligent people, you have to be careful and think. Not monotonous cyclical disciplines such as swimming, athletics - there are quite highly intellectual sports here: fencing, shooting, show jumping. You need to understand horses, be able to find them mutual language, quickly navigate, correct your mistakes, rebuild. These skills help the pentathlete later in life.
The best dope is champagne
Pentathlon is an Olympic sport, but it feels like it is somewhat underrated.
It's all about entertainment. Now any sport should develop in this direction. Pentathlon will never be as popular as football, but there are still prospects. For example, previously the biathlon and pentathlon federations were one federation. But thanks to financial injections, the right policies, marketing, advertising and television, biathlon has become the sport that we see. Efforts are now being made to make the pentathlon at least half as successful as biathlon.
There are so many disciplines in pentathlon that this sport should be much more expensive than others.
Definitely very expensive. There are problems with the training base. A person trains all day, and it is desirable that all sports facilities are under one roof or at least within walking distance. There are very few such places in Russia. Then, the main problem of modern pentathlon is show jumping. This is far from a cheap discipline. A large number of livestock is needed, because according to the rules, all pentathletes ride unfamiliar horses. There must be about twenty heads per team, and the horses are expensive, maintenance is expensive, like everything else.
How much money does it take?
A horse prepared for pentathlon costs about 700 thousand rubles. Maybe not so much, but for the federation it’s serious money. It is advisable to update the composition once every two years, but we manage to do it once every four years. The Olympic Committee allocates subsidies for the Olympic Games, thanks to them for this. But, in principle, it is enough for the national team.
The last few months have been very unpleasant for Russian sports - I mean doping scandals. Can there be such “discoveries” in your sport?
Modern pentathlon is not among the top risky sports, unlike athletics, swimming, and weightlifting. We have a slightly different sport - the emphasis is not on that. There is no point in taking illegal drugs and then riding a horse with zero points. Therefore, our sport is not in the priority group of WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency), and we do not receive such close attention.
So you didn't have any surprise checks?
Why, they were. But, as I joke, in order to catch us with something, we need to be given something. In our country, all these things go smoothly; athletes sometimes go for doping control without doctors. As they say, a thief's cap is on fire, but we have nothing to fear. In the entire history of pentathlon, there have been very few cases where someone has been disqualified. And if disqualified, then for some drugs that do not affect the functional state of the athlete. For example, there was alcohol. Previously, people were caught using it, and it was forbidden to shoot under alcohol. These are more moral and ethical standards than sports doping.
So, does alcohol make you shoot better?
The nerves calm down, everything becomes calm, and because of this, the result was better.
And if your hands shake, does your aim get lost?
Hands do not tremble from alcohol, on the contrary. I didn’t try it, but senior pentathletes said that no one left without it. Everyone had their own warm-up drink, some had dry wine, some had champagne. Literally a little bit.
After the story of the Lithuanian pentathlete Donata Rimšaite joining the Russian national team, you probably swore off inviting foreign players? (The Lithuanian National Olympic Committee banned her from participating in the 2012 Olympic Games - “RR”).
It so happened that by the will of fate, in connection with the events in Ukraine, athlete Anna Buryak moved to us. She now lives in Russia and has received a foreign passport. She herself is from Lugansk, from where everything is happening now. Certain hopes are also associated with her, but she does not yet have a guaranteed place at the Olympics.
How do athletes from Russia and Ukraine communicate when they meet at competitions?
Fine. Of course, the policy of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee may not be so loyal, but when you communicate with athletes, they understand everything perfectly. Think for yourself, when the country suddenly had no conditions, no salaries, no trips to competitions, what kind of patriotism can we even talk about? It’s one thing to be a patriot when you’re well-fed, dressed, put on shoes and working out. And when you have zero rubles, zero kopecks, and you need to live, exist - it seems to me that everything is clear here. In the pentathlon, two Ukrainian athletes have already joined us, one boy left to compete for Latvia. What should people do if there are no sources of funding, no sponsors? People are left with nothing.
Don't you miss competitions?
Not yet. Probably, not much time has passed, I take it calmly. When you have been doing this all your life and, in general, all your dreams have come true, you no longer have the desire to perform. Maybe you'll want more later. If you were on the pedestal, you want to get there again - fame sucks you in, you live by it. In the good sense of the word - a drug. But this is also a huge work, desires and ambitions alone are not enough, you have to work and work.
And then you are abruptly taken off this drug.
I don’t know, maybe it’s my nature, but I don’t have any impulse to jump with a parachute or do anything else extreme. I prefer to go to the movies, lie on the couch, and read a book. Probably, if you spend your whole life on the edge, like in pentathlon, this will last forever.
When athletes say: “We won these medals for Russia,” do they feel that way or are they just words?
No, it's actually very nice. The global feeling of the Motherland, it seems to me, is already fading into the background - the patriotism that existed during the times of the USSR has disappeared. But nevertheless, something like this is present, and this feeling also needs to be instilled in young people. I can definitely say: when you stand on the pedestal and the Russian Anthem plays, it gives you goosebumps. If this happens, it means that not everything is neglected and lost.
born June 3, 1979 in Rostov-on-Don. He has been involved in sports since childhood: together with his parents he participated in sports events like “Dad, Mom and I are a sports family,” and from the second grade he began swimming, from where he was lured into pentathlon. Moiseev was then 18 years old - a respectable age for changing the specialization of a professional athlete. A few years later he won the World Junior Championship and made it to the main team. In 2004 in Athens, Moiseev became the Olympic champion for the first time, and in 2008 in Beijing he repeated this result and became the second pentathlete in history to win the individual event twice at the Olympic Games. Moiseev is married to gymnast Victoria Mikhailova and has a daughter.
Former professional athletes, after finishing their careers, reduce the intensity of their training, and some, apparently, give up on it altogether. It’s not difficult to guess what this leads to. Next you will find famous athletes who have lost their shape after retiring from sports.
Ronaldo. The forward of Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team, according to many football organizations, specialists and athletes, is one of the best players in the history of football.
On February 22, 2010, Ronaldo officially announced his retirement from playing in 2011 due to injuries and health problems.
After finishing his football career, Ronaldo opened an agency office. In particular, his first client was the player of the Santos club, Neymar.
Dinara Safina. During her career, the tennis player impressed with her play and appearance.
Now not all tennis fans recognize the star.
After completing her playing career, Dinara appeared for some time on the Russian-language version of the Eurosport channels, commenting on tennis matches as a guest expert.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov. The Russian tennis star has always been in excellent shape.
Evgeniy was recognized in Russia as the best tennis player of the century, however, after finishing his career, he clearly lost interest in the sport.
Now the tennis player participates in golf and poker tournaments, which apparently does not interfere with his current form.
Diego Maradona. The football legend, despite his bad habits, was always in great shape.
After finishing his career, Diego clearly gave up.
Returning to his favorite job as a coach, Maradona has tightened up a little, but still clearly loves to “eat.”
Tonya Harding. The American singles skater won the 1991 US Championships and took second place at the World Championships.
Tonya once became the second woman in history and the first American to perform a triple Axel in competition, but now it’s pretty hard to believe.
Harding competed in professional boxing for some time. In 2010, she married for the third time and gave birth to her first child in 2011 at the age of 41.
OJ Simpson. The man is known to many as an actor, but he was also a professional American football player.
O.J. became famous for rushing for more than 2,000 yards in one season as an NFL player, although he probably wouldn't have done that much in his post-career form.
The actor and athlete also gained notoriety after he was accused of murdering his ex-wife and her friend.
Shaquille O'Neal. The American basketball player was included in the list of the 50 best players in NBA history in 1996, and he was the youngest of the entire list.
On June 1, 2011, Shaquille O'Neal announced his retirement from his professional basketball career via Twitter.
He currently works as a TV presenter and commentator on the TNT sports channel, and this does not require constant training.
Charles Barkley. Another basketball star. Despite his not very outstanding dimensions (198 cm and 114 kg), he was one of the most powerful heavy forwards, for which he received the nickname “Sir Charles”.
After retiring as a player, Barkley became a sports commentator and analyst of NBA games on the American channel TNT, and as we have already noticed from his colleague, the channel most likely feeds well.
In addition, Barkley, as befits a respectable man, has published several books and shows an interest in public politics.
Mike Tyson. At the height of his career, Iron Mike was in great shape.
Bad habits, depression and retirement from sports took their toll and the athlete became terribly fat.
Now Mike has pulled himself together and has noticeably lost weight, leaving only a small tummy.
Neil Shipperley. English center-forward who played from 1992 to 2007.
By the end of his career, the player’s physical form left much to be desired.
Upon its completion, Neil, who became a manager, completely abandoned himself.
Tony Gwynn. The professional baseball player shined for 20 seasons.
After retiring, Gwynn became a coach and analyst, apparently forgetting about physical fitness.
In 2014, the former athlete died of cancer.
Ian James Thorpe. Australian swimmer, 5-time Olympic champion and multiple world champion, former world record holder in the 200, 400 and 800 meter freestyle.
After leaving big sport, the athlete clearly reduced his load.
However, in early February 2011, almost 5 years after leaving, Thorpe announced his return to the sport and returned to his toned shape.
Roberto Duran. Panamanian professional boxer who was recognized as the best lightweight of the twentieth century.
Already at the end of his career, Roberto’s physical form left much to be desired.
Christian Vieri. Italian striker who played for a number of first division clubs.
In October 2009 he announced his retirement.
In July 2016, he announced a possible resumption of his playing career, but judging by his current form, a return would be difficult.
George Foreman. American professional boxer who competed in the heavy weight category, Olympic champion in 1968.
In February 2004, George Foreman announced that he was training for another return to the ring to show that turning 55 like 40 was not a "death sentence", but the fight did not take place.
Now Forman has become a pastor, preaches and helps the disadvantaged.
How the best athletes of our country drank themselves to death
The protagonist of the first Olympics of modern times set a bad example for subsequent champions. While other marathon runners were busy preparing for the 1896 Games in Athens, the Greek postman Spyridon Louis spent a long time in a tavern every night. He knocked back glass after glass and argued: let those who can’t run train. And in fact, when the 40-kilometer Olympic race started, Spiridon confidently defeated all his rivals who had trained diligently before the Games. Moreover, in the middle of the route between Marathon and Athens, the Greek champion refreshed himself with a glass of wine, running to his uncle.
In general, in the 19th century, the concept of a proper sports regime was slightly different from today. Thus, the first cyclists and long-distance runners, who demonstrated the wonders of endurance to the public on hippodromes, took a glass of cognac on each lap. They believed: this restores energy reserves. And the writer Nikolai Chernyshevsky, whose literary character Rodion Rakhmetov smoked strong tobacco to strengthen his physical strength, was far from the only one who was mistaken. The hero of Conan Doyle (by the way, a versatile athlete and popularizer of sports) Sherlock Holmes even dabbled in morphine. But at the same time he was an excellent boxer and shooter.
Decades have passed. Coaches and athletes themselves have radically changed their opinions about alcohol. But for some reason, the vain public considered the main chic and source of pride not only to be personally acquainted with the great champions, but also to drink with them. According to a stupid tradition, big bosses, as well as the most privileged, “well-known” journalists, first drank on various occasions with great athletes, and then they were punished for drunkenness. The first - with their punitive orders, the second - with revealing articles.
Many champions smoked throughout their adult lives. For example, none of the trainers even tried to wean Lev Yashin from cigarettes. True, the great goalkeeper, and with him two or three more honored veterans of the national team, smoked not demonstratively, but away from the eyes of the young football players. But others bad habits Lev Ivanovich did not - he was the most correct and reasonable person. During a friendly feast, he could limit himself to 50 grams of vodka or not touch alcohol at all. But often Dynamo and other sports officials, trying to use the great goalkeeper as an argument for resolving important issues at the top or with foreign partners, delegated Yashin to negotiations. He always acted wisely not only in goal, but also in dealing with people from different circles. But, again, according to unspoken tradition, a non-drinker in such cases for some reason arouses suspicion. For the sake of business, Lev Ivanovich had to drink, and sometimes a lot. But after any dose of alcohol, he maintained sober thinking and decent behavior. The only problem in such cases for him was exacerbation of stomach ulcers.
But other great athletes, including some of Yashin’s teammates, were not always able to maintain sober thinking after drinking alcohol. Eduard Streltsov was released from prison, having gone through hell after an absurd fatal accusation, after the most difficult living conditions at a logging site and in "chemicals", after a year's excommunication by officials from big-time football, he is already free. He found the strength to return to the USSR national team after an eight-year break. But even after such a sporting feat, he often could not resist the temptation to drink with friends, cronies, or just people he barely knew. On the eve of the qualifying match for the 1968 European Championship, his teammates witnessed an unpleasant scene - how the elderly coach Mikhail Yakushin had to hide the heavily drunk leader of the team from his “comrades” who had come to check and invent funny versions about the fact that Streltsov urgently went to take exams. Although, it would seem, a long absence from football should have caused additional motivation to win and a desire to make up for the years deleted through no fault of his own with success. At the end of his playing career, Streltsov was no longer superior to everyone in speed, power, endurance (as in early years), but as an understanding of the game. But at the same time, he still did not become an outstanding coach. Although he had all the qualities for this, except, perhaps, self-discipline.
A simple man in the street and even a sports journalist can understand a drunken athlete in two cases: either if all victories were given to him so easily that he was not used to even making an effort on himself, or vice versa - if he spent many years doing hard labor in training, but this did not produce results, and the athlete began to drown the awareness of his worthlessness in wine. How can we explain it when, still at the height of their glory, the Olympic triumphants, who achieved resounding victories through many years of hard work and self-restraint, drink heavily?! Moreover, the great gymnasts Zinaida Voronina and Tamara Lazakovich, in addition to their outstanding results, were also recognized as the most beautiful representatives of big-time sports. We asked Olympic champion Lydia Ivanova, who worked as a state gymnastics coach in the 1970s, to answer this question.
Both come from dysfunctional, poor families. Maybe something was passed on to them by inheritance? In fact, Tamara and Zina died from drunkenness. Female alcoholism is less common than male alcoholism, but it is worse. Women reach this state faster and are more difficult to stop. My husband and his football friends also drank from time to time, but at a certain point they could slow down and say “no.” And here’s what’s strange: even when these girls just got into the national team, the coaches were already trying to influence them. Zina and Tom were caught by the hand when they carried a bottle into a hotel room during training camps under the strictest regime. At first it was perceived as prank and mischief. They started drinking heavily after leaving big-time sports. And what also surprised me: Zina Druzhinina (Voronina) had an excellent family. Her husband, also a famous champion Mikhail Voronin, is a very disciplined, organized person. They had a wonderful son.
What is a member of the USSR national team in the 1960-70s? They lived as if under a glass bell: everything was ready, they did not know everyday worries - compared to the bulk of the country's population. Favorite thing, traveling abroad, applause, universal love for them. Their difficulties began later: some, after leaving big sport, find a job in later life, while others remain on the sidelines. An additional factor is problems in family relationships. These people usually find solace in alcohol. The most effective recipe in such cases is to completely immerse yourself in work, without being afraid to overwork and take on greater responsibility. I am sure that both Lazakovich and Voronina could become coaches. More or less successful is another matter. But they already had a good starting point, and they did not take advantage of this opportunity. Distortions happen to a mechanic, an engineer, a singer, a ballerina. And that’s why it’s just funny for me to hear: how was Valery Voronin, for example, allowed to drink himself to death? But he was an adult, a famous man throughout the country, the father of two children. If you start to educate him, he will send you to hell. And I don’t believe that when athletes become drunkards, there is a whole system and that this is inevitable. Everyone is capable of avoiding this disaster. Another thing is that for some it will be easy to do this, for others it will take considerable volitional effort. But it is sport that should cultivate such qualities in a person.
Now about the anti-alcohol education of athletes by coaches. Sometimes this process takes place in such a way that educators achieve the opposite effect. This is what the silver medalist of the 1952 Olympics, multiple world record holder Vladimir Kazantsev told Trud.
— Volodya Kuts was only 4 years younger than me, and we were strong friends. My coach Denisov was very democratic. It happened that he would share a bottle of wine with me. Or even come to my room with a bottle of vodka, “take” half a glass with me and leave the unfinished glass in my nightstand, knowing that it will “live” until his next visit. But Kuts’ mentor Grigory Nikiforov was a real dictator and meticulously controlled every step of his athlete, even when he was an officer and a world-famous champion. For Volodya, as a strong-willed and stubborn person, this caused an acute contradiction, which was expressed in curious forms. In 1957, at the USSR Championship in Batumi, Kuts won the “five” and “ten” categories, and I won the steeplechase. As soon as we got on the train, Volodya dragged me to a restaurant. He asked me to order the first and second, and he hurriedly ran to the buffet, from where he brought tea in two glasses with spoons and in cup holders. As soon as we sat down at the table, Nikiforov came into the restaurant. He sat down at the next table to watch us. Kuts threw pieces of sugar into his tea, stirred it and began to sip greedily, without even finishing the first one. And when I, having finished with the first and second courses, began to drink tea, I discovered that in the glass... pure cognac. For the sake of secrecy, I had to drink it without grimacing or biting. At the restaurant, Nikiforov did not suspect anything. But, arriving in the compartment an hour later, he found Kuts passed out. In annoyance that he was unable to prevent the process of violating the regime, upon arrival in Moscow, Grigory Isaevich wrote a complaint to me upstairs, saying that Kazantsev was a bad influence on his young comrade Kuts, getting him drunk.
Vladimir Kuts, already working as a coach, was quite strict about his players violating the regime. But, being a very decent man, courageous and intolerant of any injustice, he often became a victim of revenge from big bosses and the intrigues of his colleagues. So in difficult moments I often found solace in a glass, and these difficult moments happened more and more often. Health problems began. Without adhering to any semblance of a regime, Vladimir Kuts managed to gain weight from 65 to 120 kilograms in a few years! What body can withstand such changes? "Iron" Kuts died at the age of 48.
In general, it has been observed that the most gifted people break down psychologically faster. Especially when faced with blatant injustice coupled with their own helplessness. The most talented of our boxers, Vyacheslav Lemeshev, was actually removed from the USSR national team at the age of 24. A similar thing happened to hockey player Alexander Almetov at the age of 26. And if their passion for alcohol at the peak of fame was just prank and mischief, then after being separated from their favorite business, alcohol became perhaps the main means of drowning out melancholy. Lemeshev died at 44, Almetov at 52. Ironically, in recent years both worked as gravediggers at the cemetery.
High jumper Vladimir Yashchenko was extremely talented. He had such an appearance that girls fell in love with him at first sight, without even knowing about his achievements. But the achievements were also impressive! At the age of 18 he became the world record holder among adults. He talentedly wrote poetry, played the guitar, and knew English perfectly. Everything in life came easy to him. Among the factors that broke the talented jumper, the famous coach Evgeniy Zagorulko, who worked with him as part of the national team, names several at once. The haste of the authorities, who demanded results from Yashchenko when he had not yet recovered from his injury. Unsuccessful work of surgeons who failed to perform knee surgery well. The bad influence of senior teammates on the national team, who accustomed the junior Yashchenko to friendly gatherings with a bottle. At the age of 20, big sport actually ended for Vladimir. And immersion in alcohol caused severe mental disorders. The last time Yashchenko came to Moscow as an honored guest at the invitation of the competition organizers. Instead of remembering the good old days when meeting with old friends and his favorite coach, Yashchenko persistently talked about how, all the way from Zaporozhye to Moscow, they constantly tried to steal him through the window of the carriage. He died at the age of 40.
Continuing the conversation about track and field athletes. A veteran of the coaching department, who trained many leaders of domestic athletics before Borzakovsky, Vyacheslav Evstratov claims that his players were often driven to violate the regime by a feeling of hopelessness and lack of prospects. The only tournament in which one could expect some material benefits for successful performance was the Olympics. It is held only once every 4 years. In the 1960-80s, complete equalization reigned in our sport. Both the first number in the all-Union ranking and the 20th usually had the same income - a warrant officer's salary plus a certain stipend from the sports committee. Commercial earnings were prohibited not only by the All-Union, but also international organizations. Now, according to Vyacheslav Makarovich, large prize money received in foreign currency disciplines athletes well. In the current Russian athletics team, there are many times fewer people who drink than there were 20-30 years ago.
In sports shooting since 2008, alcohol has been removed from the list of substances prohibited by WADA, but until then it appeared for only 15 years. This is explained simply: after drinking, coordination is impaired, so alcohol is not doping, but anti-doping. And therefore, it is not WADA officers who now have the authority to punish a drunken shooter, but the judge at the firing line. Moreover, he can determine the degree of intoxication not according to the data of a breathalyzer tube, but simply according to appearance arrow. That is, translated into simple language this means: “drink as much as you want, but just behave decently.”
It would seem that everything here is logical. But in the 1990s, a Trud correspondent had the opportunity to discuss physical fitness problems with the leader of our team. Even before he started shooting, he achieved success in sports that required strength and endurance. Our champion let it slip that not all shooters from the team follow such a strict regime as he does. I asked how many days before the start of the competition these violators still stop drinking. The champion’s answer amazed me: “What days are you talking about?!” Here’s No. (named the last name of another Olympic Games winner) if during the competition he doesn’t take it inside between two approaches to the firing line, he can’t get ready to shoot.” And this was said without any malice, but with great bitterness and annoyance. Both champions were strong friends.
However, it is wrong to think that the tendency to violate the regime is an exclusively Russian or Soviet feature. Even among well-earning football players, there were always drunkards. Even at the height of his playing career, one of the best wing forwards in history, the Brazilian Garrincha, was close to the bottle. His contemporary Yugoslav Šekuralac, who, according to experts, was not much inferior in skill to the lame genius, was susceptible not only to alcohol, but also to gambling. On the eve of the decisive match, he could spend until the morning in the casino or at the card table. As a result, his football career turned out to be far from being as bright and long-lasting as it promised to be when the Yugoslav midfielder became the leader of his team at the age of 18.
The most talented and highest paid European footballer of the 1960s, George Best, seemingly had no problems in life. But already at a young age, the handsome Irishman strove to reach worldwide heights not only in football achievements, but also in the amount of alcohol he drank and the number of people seduced by it famous women. He became famous not only for his spectacular goals, but also for his loud quotes, which were happily picked up by journalists.
“I spent a lot of money on booze, girls and cars. I simply squandered the rest of my finances.” “In 1969, I gave up women and alcohol. It was the worst 20 minutes of my life." “They say: Paul Gascoigne is the new Best. Did he also fuck three Miss Worlds?”
But what amused fans of Best’s talent and pleased his pride, over the years, increasingly played against him. After 25 years, he only managed sporadic matches. At the age of 27, he had already become unnecessary to the Manchester United club. I changed more than 10 teams, and each next one was a class lower than the previous one. When, after transplanting a liver destroyed by alcohol, Best continued his art, the fans were no longer amused, but irritated. And now many are even surprised: how did George, with his lifestyle, live for such a “long time” - as many as 59 years?
Even more than Best, former England football player Paul Gascoigne flaunted his drunkenness. He still states: football clubs should not prohibit players from drinking - football players are under strong psychological pressure, sometimes they need to relax, for which they use alcohol.
But based precisely on the sad experience of Gascoigne and others like him, his friend, coach Harry Redknapp, said that a ban on the use of alcohol by football players should be included in the regulations of the English Premier League. According to him, there is a cult of drinking in English football. Behind Lately Many players immediately had problems associated with drinking alcohol. The scandalous stories involved Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner and Tottenham players Ledley King and Jermain Defoe. In the past - Tony Adams, Jimi Greaves, Vinnie Jones.
But, according to Gascoigne, footballers in English clubs are constantly followed by paparazzi, and many players cannot cope with the psychological stress. He emphasized that in Holland players smoke, but in England it’s customary to relax differently. However, he did not specify what exactly the Dutch football players smoke.
Gascoigne himself constantly got into trouble due to alcohol during his performances and at the end of his career. And he carefully elevated the combination of playing football with excessive drinking to the category of clownery:
demonstrative visits to pubs directly in football uniform (not only the club, but also the England national team!), including boots, shorts and socks, immediately after the end of the match or even during half-time; driving a Middlesboro club bus while drunk causing an accident causing half a million dollars in damages; constant brawls in fashionable hotels and restaurants.
The result of these and many other “pranks” was a clear decline in Gascoigne’s level of play from the age of 25.
In February 2009, 42-year-old Gascoigne was taken to hospital with an acute mental disorder.
However, there are plenty of alcoholics not only among Russian and British football players, but also in the national teams of many other countries.
Over the years, Adriano, Christian Vieri, and Ronaldo were noted for constant drunken scandals.
Here's some of the latest news on this topic.
Five people were expelled from the Chilean national team at once - Beausejour, Valdivia, Vidal, Carmona and Jara, who came to the team training late, and even at drunk. They were disqualified on the eve of matches with the national teams of Uruguay and Paraguay - qualifying games for the 2014 World Cup.
The Polish Football Federation disqualified national team players Slawomir Peszko and Marcin Wasilewski for repeated drunkenness.
There have been opposite examples in the history of football - when alcohol had a positive effect.
In the qualifying group, already at the final stage of the 1992 European Championship, our team showed a fairly successful result in the first two matches, drawing with the current world champion - Germany and the European champion - Holland. But in the third match I ran into the Scots, who hopelessly lost their first two matches to the main favorites of the tournament, after which they got drunk. And the next day, going into a match that meant nothing to them with our team (which was objectively superior to the Scots in class), they defeated it with a score of 3:0.
However, such oddities happen extremely rarely in big sports.
