Biathlete Svetlana Sleptsova: I will have something to tell my own children. Professional sports career. You weren't ready for this

Svetlana Sleptsova is about to end her career. In recent years, perhaps only her rare appearances in the national team reminded of one of the most successful periods women's biathlon Russia.

Those who won the 2009 World Cup and the 2010 Olympics with Svetlana either graduated long ago or, like Anna Frolina, found themselves abroad.

But it's not just about titles - Russian biathletes, albeit infrequently, achieved something even after Vancouver: there were World Cup and Games medals, there were victories and hopes. But characters comparable to Sleptsova in terms of charisma, recognition and brightness have not yet appeared.

The main thing to remember about Svetlana's career.

Sleptsova, who was impressive as a junior, made her debut at the World Cup ten years ago. The adaptation did not drag on: she was quickly remembered on the podium, and in March 2008, the first winning double happened in the Norwegian Holmenkollen.

December 2007 - Sleptsova's relay debut in Hochfilzen: silver.

Sleptsova in the company of Tura Berger (left) and Kati Wilhelm.

There was no reason to doubt that another supertalent had grown in Russian biathlon.

The first half of the 2008-2009 season - perhaps best time in Sleptsova's career: a stream of prizes, a new personal victory, a fight with Ekaterina Yuryeva for leadership in the overall standings and even entering the yellow jersey - never again did Svetlana look so convincing.

A serious bet was made at the 2009 World Cup in Korea, but it turned into a grand doping raid for the Russian team: international union(IBU) announced several positive tests of our biathletes.

Sleptsova through the official website (do you feel the spirit of that time?), that this is not about her. A few hours later, the post on the site changed - the phrase about doping.

Albina Akhatova, Ekaterina Yuryeva and Dmitry Yaroshenko were soon punished for positive tests.

Valery Zakharov, Sleptsova's personal trainer, in those days was not shy about the wording:

“The people are perplexed: why those samples that were considered normal for two recent years are now considered doping? Moreover, at first it was called erythropoietin, now some new name is being invented. I think so - they are digging under us thoroughly "(From an interview with Soviet Sport).

Experiencing a scandal, Svetlana crumbled in individual races, but showed her maximum in the team race - the Russians effectively won the relay. Since then at the World Cup women's relay races Russia did not have a single medal - six attempts in a row.

Victory in Korea: Olga Zaitseva, Olga Medvedtseva, Anna Bulygina (now Frolina), Svetlana Sleptsova (from left to right).

One of the most memorable antics in Sleptsova's career is training in overalls with the Sexy inscription on the pope. Having caught the peak of her own abilities, Svetlana allowed herself to shock.

In the gloomy Russian biathlon, deliberate provocations have long been avoided - in many respects that is why Sleptsova's simple gesture was not only remembered, but also gave her a biting nickname - the very one that is written on the jumpsuit.

Season 2009-2010 - as it is now clear, the last more or less cloudless segment in Svetlana's career. She gave out a shock December: with a double in Pokljuka and a series of very high-quality races - but it seems that she was mentally unprepared for the Olympic decline.

“We expect medals from the biathlon team, but we don’t owe anything to anyone”, - probably, that emotional speech from Vancouver will be in Sleptsova's resume next to all the regalia.

Hasty excuses liberated her:

“Probably half the country hates me. I must have described the failure in a very emotional way. I don’t want to make excuses, but I didn’t mean at all that we “we don’t owe anything to anyone.” On the contrary, all the conditions have been created for us, and we must justify the trust. Press "need-need" is a little overwhelming "(from an interview site).

In the relay four, she was determined partly by inertia. As in 2009, Svetlana took the first stage. As in 2009, it did not disappoint - but others have already made the difference.

Golden Four-2010: Svetlana Sleptsova, Olga Medvedtseva, Olga Zaitseva, Anna Bogaliy (left to right).

After the Olympics, big reforms (including purely internal ones) were conceived in Russian biathlon, which, alas, knocked Sleptsova down.

Cooperation with Anatoly Khovantsev, a super trainer discharged from Finland, did not work out: the titled Svetlana almost did not listen to her boss - even more often the RRF bosses decided for both of them. No wonder, because at stake was the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Sleptsova's hometown.

She opened the championship with two penalty loops in the mixed doubles - the team had no chance to recoup.

Here is what Khovantsev himself recalled in an interview with the site:

“Sveta is uncontrollable. She was not supposed to go to America, but the leadership ordered. With the composition for the mixed doubles, I also did not decide. The championship in Khanty was the decision of the leadership, almost at the regional level.”

By the way, a few weeks before the home disaster, Sveta finished third in the Oberhof mass start - it was her last podium at the World Cup.

In the spring of 2011, Anatoly Khovantsev was replaced by Wolfang Pichler - it seemed that this was a great chance not only for Sleptsova, but for the entire women's team. Under the leadership of the German, Svetlana twice became seventh at the 2012 World Cup - this is one of her best performances at big tournaments.

Anna Bogaliy, Svetlana Sleptsova and Natalya Sorokina are happy with Wolfgang Pichler.

But Sleptsova's personal trainer Valery Zakharov quickly became disillusioned with Pikhler - public skirmishes often broke out between them, and there was even a brawl with Pavel Rostovtsev, Pichler's assistant.

All this, of course, did not help either the team or Svetlana.

Sleptsova had the opportunity to qualify for the Games in Sochi, but cooperation with Pichler went wrong. The German will later tell that Sveta frankly did not work hard in training.

Valery Medvedtsev, the husband of Olga's close friend, pulled her out of the pit for several years.

Turning to Medvedtsev (in the background), Sleptsova began to smile more often.

By the last season, working with Medvedtsev brought success - at the European Championships (not the most status tournament in biathlon), Svetlana did not leave the podium and took part in the gold mixed doubles.

At the 2017 World Cup, which came to the rescue, it was not possible to show class: in the hearts of Sleptsova, she said that this was the last championship for her, but promised to fight for participation in the 2018 Games. Even the failure in the pre-Olympic week (66th place in Pyeongchang) did not dissuade her.

At the 2017 Summer World Cup in Tchaikovsky, Svetlana took part in the winning mixed doubles, and before the sprint, she was announced about her impending retirement. The reason is pleasant, feminine. Svetlana is expecting a baby.

By the way, Sleptsova won the sprint./Aleksey Filippov (18.19), Andrey Anosov/SBR (20.21)

Carried out the final race of her career. And the Russian biathlon will miss her very much.

Everything was perfect in this race from the very beginning. The starting position of the main character is the first, in splendid isolation, by a wide margin. Support for rivals and coaches - many of them took to the track with hearts and the inscription "Ray of Light" in honor of Sleptsova. Sunny day, full stands, the home world championship, the finish with the Russian tricolor ... A more perfect finale would probably be only an Olympic victory. But even so, Sleptsova ended in a double triumph - to the envy of many.

SLEPTSOVA: I WILL BE A MOTHER SOON

Towards the end of an outstanding, almost perfectly completed race, Sleptsova seemed to decide to ruffle the nerves of the fans. On the final lap, Sveta was left with strength, and the representative of Ukraine, Nadezhda Belkina, quickly began to catch up with her. The gap at some point was reduced to only five seconds, but then Sleptsova gathered herself. After all, it was her day, her holiday. Belkina still has a lot of races ahead, the Russian woman needed to win more.

Worried more than Olympic Games, - Sleptsova said in a flash interview after the finish. - But the excitement was special. I did not feel that this was my last start. I am glad that I gave pleasure to the fans, brought intrigue, although I didn’t want to at all. Thank you all, I'm extremely happy.

- You promised to announce after today's race why you are ending your career.

Since I promised, I'll tell you. I will soon become a mother.

So, one less intrigue. Light can only be congratulated on a happy event. For obvious reasons, she did not begin to report on her condition before the races, but how many doubted - why else would the athlete suddenly, in the middle of the off-season and on the eve of the Olympic season, decide to finish? ..

SLEPTSOVA NOT IRON

Sleptsova remained on the track the last of the great generation Russian champions end of zero. She is only 31, which is far from old age by sports standards. But it seems that she has always been in biathlon. The Swedish Anna Karin Oloffson-Zidek, the Germans Martina Glagow and Kati Wilhelm, the Frenchwoman Sandrine Bailly - all these mastodons, with whom Sleptsova managed to compete, have long been retired, give birth to children and knit mittens. German Magdalena Neuner is a year younger than Sleptsova, but has two children. Is it any wonder that the Russian decided to follow her example?

All the coaches with whom she worked called Sleptsova a fantastically gifted athlete by nature. Excellent speed data, stable shooting - such talents have not been born in Russian biathlon for a long time. This is probably why Sleptsova showed herself unusually early - from the age of 20 she performed at the World Cup level. Compare with the current generation of Russians, who at this age do not even dream of an adult team. At 22, Sleptsova became the world champion for the first time, at 23 - Olympic champion Vancouver. Then it seemed that this was just the beginning of a wonderful career.

Unfortunately, in the end, those relay awards remained the only ones for Sleptsova. More at the level of world championships and the Olympics, she did not win. There were many reasons: from numerous injuries and illnesses to conflicts with coaching staff. Perhaps not a single biathlete in Russia has been criticized as painfully and sharply as Sleptsova. And none so steadfastly endured persecution in order to return to duty with each new season. “I am not made of iron,” Sleptsova explained the reasons for her departure. She can be understood.

THEY DONT MAKE THIS ANYMORE

In social networks, Sleptsova has her own hashtag - #LuchSveta. She is really a firefly, that is, a person who knows how to stand out from the gray crowd. Bright, independent, always with her own opinion. The famous inscription "SEXY" on the ass of a ski suit or the statement about "we owe nothing to anyone" at the Vancouver Olympics are also phenomena from this series. Who now remembers that these memorable gestures happened and got into the press, thanks to a combination of circumstances rather than a scandal of character?

Svetlana, to her credit, never justified herself, although there was something to say there. For all these years without results, what she just had to endure. Any other biathlete in her place would have long been forgotten: they say, it’s impossible to run and shoot fast - let’s talk about others, what’s the problem? It is impossible to forget Sleptsova: she sports life, without a doubt, will shine brighter than all.

She spent her career at the turn of eras, generations, training methods. Therefore, probably, she did not even win half of the medals that she could count on with her talent. Regardless of the results, she has always remained a star. Coaches and teammates listened to her opinion. Journalists and fans hung on her every word. Banality and Sleptsova are incompatible concepts.

Sveta is not disingenuous: knowing her will, she really would certainly have been selected for the Olympics in Pyeongchang. Another thing is that in this Korean city, where she won her first world championship gold, it would have been difficult to climb onto the Olympic podium like this “on the teeth”. The current Russian relay race is far from the same as it was in the "golden" times, when Sleptsova's career was just beginning. In personal races, a medal for Sleptsova would be a miracle. Although, it cannot be emphasized that miracles sometimes happen in biathlon. Probably, believing in this, Svetlana drove herself to training this summer. Until a miracle of another, and much more powerful sense, happened to her.

Sleptsova's loss for Russian biathlon- this is much more than the loss of a potential medal. This is the departure of a generation, the departure of the spirit of freedom and dissent. Similar average results, stamped phrases and judgments - that reality, which now there will be no one to dilute. As time goes by, for sure, a new leader will crystallize out of the current team.

But we will still miss you, Sveta! They don't make people like you anymore.

Biathlete Svetlana Sleptsova, whose biography is described in our article, is the champion of the Olympic Games as part of the relay team of Russia and a three-time winner of the summer world championship. Repeatedly became the champion and prize-winner at the stages of the World Cup. In 2017, she completed her sports career.

Biographical information

Biathlete Svetlana Sleptsova (a photo of the athlete can be seen in the article) was born in July 1986 in the city of Khanty-Mansiysk. Her father was in aviation and her mother was a doctor.

Svetlana was attracted to sports from early childhood, while the girl tried many types, from ballroom dancing to martial arts.

At the age of ten, Sleptsova first got into the biathlon section after the coach of the local youth sports school visited the school where she studied and invited everyone to try themselves in this sport. Svetlana was very interested in the opportunity to handle weapons at such a young age.

Several times the girl tried to quit biathlon, but the coaches, who saw great potential in her, each time prevented this from happening.

Another problem associated with a tight training schedule was the deterioration in academic performance. The young biathlete Svetlana Sleptsova graduated from school rather mediocrely, but managed to enter the Yugra University at the Faculty of Sports and Tourism. Since at that time she often became the winner and prize-winner of various national and international competitions, she was allowed to study on an individual schedule.

First sports success

Under the guidance of the first mentor Alexander Korchak, biathlete Svetlana Sleptsova trained hard, but, unfortunately, did not achieve much success.

In 2000, the athlete began to prepare for the junior competition under the guidance of another specialist, Mikhail Novikov. A year later, she won All-Russian competitions among juniors for the prize of A. Strepetov.

At the age of eighteen, Sleptsova first took part in the U-19 world championship in the French Haute-Maurienne. Her highest achievement was the fourth place in the relay.

A year later, at a similar competition in Kontiolahti, she became the world champion in the individual race. In addition to this achievement, she added a bronze relay medal to her collection of awards.

In 2006, Sleptsova Svetlana is a biathlete of the Russian youth team. At the World Championships in Presque Isle, as part of the relay team, she becomes the bronze medalist of the competition. In the same year, at the European Cup, she won a silver medal in the pursuit.

2007 brought Sleptsova many achievements. At the World Championships in Val Martello (Italy), Svetlana first became the best in the sprint, and then confirmed her leadership in the pursuit. From the continental championship, the Russian woman brought a whole set of awards. In addition to gold in the sprint and relay, she won silver in the parsuit and bronze in the individual race.

After such brilliant performances, Svetlana Sleptsova is allowed to compete at the World Cup.

Professional sports career

In the 2006/07 season, Sleptsova Svetlana is a biathlete in the main Russian national team at international competitions. For the first time at the World Cup stage, she entered the track in Slovenian Pokljuka, but she did not show very well there. good results. On the second attempt, Sleptsova managed to score the first test points in the pursuit race in Lahti. As a result, before the end of the competition, Svetlana scored 45 points and took 55th place in the overall ranking.

The next season brought the Russian biathlete the world sports glory. At the second stage in Hochfilzen, Sleptsova got on the podium for the first time, taking second place in the relay. In Pokljuka she repeated this achievement.

The stage in Oberhof was brilliant for the biathlete Svetlana Sleptsova. In addition to bronze in the relay, she won the award in the individual discipline for the first time - she came second in the sprint. At the stage in Ruhpolding, Svetlana again became third in the relay, and second in the sprint race (after the disqualification of Kaisa Varis Sleptsova, she was awarded first place).

After successful performances in Antholz, the athlete was first announced for the World Championships. Here she also becomes a bronze medalist in the mixed relay. But the most enchanting for Sleptsova was the final stage in Holmenkollen, where she brilliantly won the sprint and the pursuit.

The following season, Svetlana became the world champion in the relay. At the stages of the World Cup, she climbed the podium six times, and in Hochfilzen she took the highest step of the podium for winning the sprint race.

The 2009/10 season was literally golden for the biathlete. In addition to four victories and two podiums at the World Cup, Sleptsova, along with Bogaliy-Titovets, Zaitseva and Medvedtseva, after winning the relay race, became Vancouver Olympic champions.

Svetlana spent two post-Olympic seasons quite successfully, several times getting on the podium of both team and individual disciplines.

Worsening results

Before the 2012/13 season, biathlete Svetlana Sleptsova underwent knee surgery, due to which she missed part of the preparation for the competition. Because of this, the athlete showed very poor results in two stages, and then she practically did not perform at all until the end of this year and almost all of the next.

After two unsuccessful seasons, Sleptsova made another attempt to return to the world biathlon elite in 2016. But the results again did not please - the best individual achievement was the 24th place in the pursuit at the World Championships.

triumphant departure

During the summer world championship in 2017, Svetlana Sleptsova performed simply brilliantly. But after victories in the mixed relay and sprint, she announced the end of her sports career. The athlete explained this decision by changes in her personal life. After her announcement, Sleptsova held her last pursuit, in which she got her third and last gold award world championship.

The personal life of an athlete

The personal life of biathlete Svetlana Sleptsova is not very disclosed to the public, although journalists have repeatedly attributed to her novels with such famous athletes, like Tariel Be and as well as other famous personalities.

She herself does not deny that she has a loved one. And as it turned out, the main reason for Sleptsova's departure from sports was pregnancy.

In the first big interview after the announcement of her retirement, Olympic champion biathlete Svetlana Sleptsova told R-Sport correspondent Elena Vaitsekhovskaya how pregnancy changes the psychology of a woman, returned to the most memorable moments of sports life, remembered the most crushing failures and explained why she does not regret any about one of your wrongdoings.

When we talked to you in January, you did not rule out that you would end your career immediately after the European Championship in Poland if it turned out to be successful for you. At those competitions, you won two individual silvers and a bronze, won gold in the relay - and stayed. Why?

Perhaps, deep down, I was still cunning when I said that. I was very pleased with my performance, I was pleased that after it I was taken to the World Championships. I also thought about the fact that there was only one year left before the 2018 Olympics, that I had only a few months left to train - and it would be possible to finish my career after the Olympic season. Suddenly I really wanted to try to get to the Olympic Games. It motivated me a lot, I believed that I could get there. So I decided to continue training.

- Your trainerValery Medvedtsev, ending his career in the national team, he said that it was important for you not to be outside the team in the Olympic season. Because, training in a weaker team, it will be extremely difficult to prepare yourself for serious starts.

At the end of the season, I was not included in the main team, although, to be honest, I expected to get there. It was really difficult - first of all, psychologically. Therefore, when I found out that I was expecting a baby, I was glad that everything turned out that way.

You are very lucky indeed. I have observed many times how, out of fear of leaving a life that is familiar and well known in all respects, people have been dragging their feet for years with a decision - they are too afraid of the coming changes. I do not rule out that you would cling to sports in the same way to the last. Here, all doubts about this were cut off at once. Or am I not right?

Absolutely right, I'm really lucky. Finding out about the pregnancy was such a relief - like a heavy stone fell from my soul. I realized that I really wanted this. I knew that, remaining in the reserve team, most likely, I would not be able to compete with those athletes who are in the main team. To do this, it was necessary from the very first starts to be the best, to beat everyone.

- Were you not ready for this?

It's not about that. The constant need to show maximum readiness at all costs greatly emasculates, takes a lot of strength. I don't know how long I could bear it. So when I realized that I had only ten days to endure, and everything would be over, I was frankly happy - I just flew on wings in Tchaikovsky. Besides, she did well there. Even though it was just a summer world championship, I think that three gold medals is a very worthy result. That's why I left the sport with relief.

After that, I thought a lot about how events could have developed if pregnancy had not happened. Would you get to Pyeongchang or not, how could you perform there? But I think that even under the most favorable set of circumstances, I would not have been able to return with a medal. To be honest, in personal races I was unlikely to be successful. By last speeches in the World Cup, where I clung to the pursuit with all my strength, it was quite obvious: the shooting was not the best way, and the move was not important. So, it remained only to hope for the relay. But it’s not at all a fact that they would put me in Olympic squad. The only thing I was sure of from the very beginning was that after this season, no matter how it turned out for me, I would end my career.

I saw many examples where the fear of the unknown was stronger common sense. And people began to look for any excuse to stay in the sport for the next four years.

I don't think this would have happened to me. I no longer had any motivation, although perhaps I would have found it, as I had been searching for the past four years; internal forces to continue to fight, too, was not. I really thought a lot about how I would live in the future. And just in connection with the fact that the global decision to leave after Pyeongchang was made, I set myself up to work out the final year as well as possible. To do everything in my power so that later, remembering the sport, I will not regret anything. So that I myself would not be ashamed of the fact that I did not complete something.

"In 2011, she pushed sports into the background"

Looking back at your controversial career now, could you impartially assess the role of Svetlana Sleptsova in Russian and world biathlon?

Interest Ask. All this time I remembered some of my successes, defeats and came to the conclusion that in my career everything turned out exactly as it should have. Were right steps, there were many wrong ones, but now all this is remembered with a smile. I do not regret anything. Nothing at all. Brightly entered the world biathlon, performed brightly, I had bright defeats, there was a fall so swift and deep that no one, with the exception of perhaps the closest people, did not believe at all that I would get out. It seems to me that all this will in any case remain in the history of biathlon, both world and Russian. I will have something to tell my own children: how I lived in sports, at what cost certain achievements were given, how many were the most different stories, acquaintances, disappointments - all this remained in my memory. And if you try to characterize the athlete Svetlana Sleptsova in a detached way, I would say that it was never boring with her.

Is there anything that hurts to remember right now?

I wouldn't say. I am grateful to everyone who met on my way: coaches, leaders, journalists, rivals, no matter what role they played in my destiny - positive or not too much.

- What about the wrong steps? Which one left the most unpleasant aftertaste?

I would remember the post-Olympic 2011, when, frankly, in a sense, I pushed sports into the background. After our relay victory in Vancouver, it seemed to me that now everything will go exactly as it should, that I don’t even need to make any special efforts for this. And everything went wrong. Former motivation, the desire to endure anything for the sake of Olympic victory, disappeared, and no new one appeared. From that moment, some kind of snowball formed: at first I could not force myself to get together and start working, then there was a misunderstanding with the head coach Wolfgang Pichler. And the more I tried to somehow get out of this state, the more the problems piled up on top of each other. Now I understand that the global cause of those failures lay in my then and not entirely correct attitude towards sports.

- I thought you would now remember your famous phrase that the fans have been reminding you of for several years.

That we don't owe anyone anything? I don't regret this episode either. In fact, I was wrong - there is no doubt about it. It was just then best moment to comment on anything at all: I was left without a medal, I was wildly upset, and when I went out to the journalists in the mixed zone and saw a lot of microphones directed in my direction, I generally ceased to be aware of what was happening. In addition, the phrase itself was then taken out of context. On the other hand, if this phrase is still remembered, it also says something, right? Let this remain another stroke of my biography.

Emotionally covered like I was skinned"

I want to return to your phrase that even if you got to Pyeongchang, most likely, you would not be able to show anything. Athletes rarely even understand such things about themselves. Not to mention voicing them. When did this unpleasant truth become obvious to you?

Probably, since the end of last season, when race after race took place, and the desired result was not and was not. I saw how other girls were running, and I understood perfectly well that even with "zero" shooting, I could only be in the top twenty. After the European Championship, I still had some illusions about this, but the World Championship and further stages of the Cup put everything in place. Well, why continue to deceive yourself when everything is reflected in the protocol? Yes, one could stupidly hope that the opponents would suddenly “shoot themselves” all at once, but that doesn’t happen. It hurts me to talk about it now, but it's true. Therefore, I had no illusions about the Olympic individual races. At best, I could count on getting into the top ten, and for me it would be a superb result. But who cares about tenth place?

- And which of the sports memories warms your soul the most? Relay in Vancouver?

Probably yes, even though it was already almost eight years ago. When you are at the Olympic Games in the thick of things, there are few emotions, even when you win - the tension is too high. It is clear that everyone talks about how happy they are, but in reality they are not. In any case, after the relay race, I was only relieved that everything ended the way we dreamed that we coped with this responsibility. Everything else you begin to realize only later, when time passes.

My last World Championships, in Tchaikovsky, also left very vivid impressions. Now I don’t even remember at what other competitions they supported us so much and supported us so much during the races. When, after the pursuit race, I stood on the podium and listened to the anthem play, it suddenly dawned on me that all this was happening. last time in my life. That there will be no more competitions and, accordingly, no victories. At that moment I was just shaking. Emotionally it covered me as if my skin had been ripped off - I absorbed those emotions with every cell in order to remember them, to feel them, to keep them in me forever.

- For biathlon fans, the recent news of an accident in which she was seriously injured was a shock.Olga Medvedtseva. Were you in that car too?

Yes. Olga Vilukhina and I agreed in advance that we would come to visit the Medvedtsevs in Krasnoyarsk and from there we would all go together to the tournament in Borodino for Olga's competitions.

Was it very scary when the accident happened?

After Olya Medvedtseva was taken to the hospital, and Olya Vilukhina and I were left to wait for the arrival of emergency services, I began to recall the emotions I experienced again and was shocked by how much pregnancy changes the psychology of a woman.

- In what sense?

I was absolutely calm. Perhaps somewhere in my subconscious there was the thought that I should not be worried, nervous, should not be allowed to happen to the child, but my head remained completely cold. I even said to Vilukhina: "Calm down! Everything will be fine!" There was no internal hysteria. Although the resonance around the whole story was great.

"Athlete-biathlete is a jumpsuit, cap and goggles"

I won't say it's important to me, but it's definitely nice. I am still not used to the fact that biathlon is so popular in our country. I am often recognized at airports, in shopping centers, although this is surprising.

- Why?

Because a biathlete is a jumpsuit, cap and glasses. The probability of being recognized when standing in a bathing suit on the edge of the sea is far from being so great. I have just returned from Turkey, where I was vacationing with friends, and a funny incident happened there. In the hotel restaurant, an unfamiliar man suddenly approached me from behind, gently touched my shoulder and asked: "What are you doing here?" I answer: "Apparently, the same thing as you - I'm resting." He was even embarrassed. He said that he did not expect such a meeting at all, and did not even immediately believe that it was really me.

Another similar episode was at the airport. I just arrived and was waiting for my luggage, and then enough elderly woman and admitted that she had been rooting for me for a long time, she came several times to the World Cup stages in the hope of taking pictures with me and could not even imagine that we would be side by side at the same baggage conveyor in Turkey. Such meetings are, of course, pleasant. They make you think once again that everything you did in your sports life was not done in vain.

- Do you already somehow imagine your future life?

Not so long ago, I received a very interesting offer, so it is possible that I will go to work in the near future. But for now, I'm just enjoying myself. And rest. There is, of course, a certain fear in taking the first step into a completely new activity, but I am ready for this. I would not like to say anything in more detail until the work has become a fact. But I'm definitely not going anywhere from sports.

- Do you already know the gender of the unborn child?

Not yet - too soon. When I found out that I was pregnant, for some reason I had no doubt that it was a boy. But all my relatives and friends began to convince me so actively that there would be a girl that I myself began to believe in it.

- Well, that's great! There will be someone to pass on your famous jumpsuit. He survived, I hope?

Somewhere lies, it will be necessary to rummage through things properly.

- Open the secret, how did the inscription sexy appear on the most interesting place of that jumpsuit?

There is no secret. My sponsor then was the Craft company, and one day I saw that Sasha Legkov had “cat” written on the back of his overalls, Zhenya Dementyev also wrote something, so I thought: why shouldn’t I ask about it too? We just discussed all this in a joking manner, laughed at different options, so I blurted out: "Write sexy." For a long time I did not dare to put on this jumpsuit, then I finally gathered my courage - at the World Cup stage in Ruhpolding. It certainly was a blast...

Did you regret what you did later?

Of course she regretted it. It was a purely emotional step, but it always works out that way for me: first I will do something, and only then I think. If something comes into my head, I need to implement it, no matter what others may think. I really wanted to put on that jumpsuit, go out in public and see what happens. Well, yes, it was stupid. But it's not forbidden, is it?

Svetlana Sleptsova - star Russian biathlete, which won the gold of the Olympic Games in 2010, was the world champion, climbed to the highest step of the podium six times in the World Cup and won many times in domestic Russian competitions.

Svetlana was born in the northern city of Khanty-Mansiysk in the family of pilot Yuri Olegovich and medical worker Elena Viktorovna. She has an older sister, Olga, who followed in her mother's footsteps and became a doctor. And Sleptsova, the youngest, was interested in sports since childhood. Moreover, her interests were incredibly diverse: from ballroom dancing to karate and even boxing.

When 10 years have passed since birth, biathlon first appeared in the biography of Svetlana Sleptsova. She got into the section after the coach of the Youth Sports School came to general education school and invited all the children there. The girl was interested in this sport because, at the age of ten, she was entrusted with weapons, and this was exciting and tempting. Together with Sveta, all classmates began to study in the same group, but gradually the sports team thinned out, and from the school Sleptsova remained almost the only one in training.

Svetlana also wanted to quit biathlon, because in her teenage years she wants to devote more time to communicating with friends. But professional trainers managed to convince a talented athlete to continue training.

A tight training schedule and frequent competitions did not leave room for full-fledged studies, and Sleptsova's school performance was far from excellent. She was lucky that her parents were sympathetic to the choice of her daughter. Later, Svetlana became a student at Yugra State University, where she studied at the Faculty of Sports and Tourism. At first, the girl also had problems there, but when she began to bring medals from the world championships, the university management went forward and allowed the student to take sessions on a free schedule. As a result, the biathlete became not just a certified specialist, but also passed thesis for the maximum score.

Biathlon

With the transition to senior age group Svetlana Sleptsova began to perform better and better, and at the age of 19 she became the champion of the junior world championship in the individual race. The key to the bright success of the girl, her coaches called her persistent character. She never missed a workout, always giving all her best. Perseverance and dedication did their job: Sleptsova falls under the guns of the women's team coaches and in 2007 she will make her debut in the national team.

A year later, Svetlana wins at the World Cup stage and enters the top ten strongest biathletes on the planet, which earns her the title of master of sports of international class. In the future, the awards went one after another: the nomination "Discovery of the Year", the next relay gold, the winner of the Order of Friendship. And the highest point in Sleptsova's career is her performance at the Olympic Games in the Canadian city of Vancouver, where she became an Olympic champion. Together with colleagues Anna Bogaliy-Titovets, Olga Medvedtseva, Svetlana won gold at the relay stage.

Later, the athlete was expected to have a complex knee injury, as well as a psychological decline. As a result, in 2013 Sveta shows the worst results for the entire time of performances in professional sports and in the overall standings takes only 78th place. Sleptsova's age indicated that she could still conquer the highest peaks, but the girl no longer had the psychological strength. She even thought about ending her career. However, in 2016, the biathlete returns to the number of promising athletes and rises to the podium several times as part of IBU Cup.

As a result, Svetlana returns to the national team as a full member of the team and participates in competitions together with Anastasia Zagoruiko and others. Russian stars biathlon. By the way, Sleptsova, who has not participated in the races of the national team since 2013, changed in the national team, which ended her professional career.

Personal life

Svetlana Sleptsova left her personal life in the background for a long time. Although rumor has repeatedly brought her to Norwegian colleagues and, as well as to Russian sports journalist Ilya Trifonov. But the athlete herself either did not comment on these conversations, or said one phrase: "We are just friends". Many times fans said that Svetlana Sleptsova was getting married. The biathlete herself claimed that she was ready to go down the aisle only when she officially ended her sports career.

After completing her career, Sleptsova planned to open her own restaurant in Khanty-Mansiysk. She stated in an interview that she wants to create a large modern institution with many halls and several kitchens, which will be able to compete even with elite restaurants in the capital. The native city remains in the heart of the athlete as the best city on earth.

In 2012, Sleptsova was awarded the title of "Honorary Resident of the City of Khanty-Mansiysk". Although she rarely has free time, nevertheless, Sveta tries to pay attention to her mother, especially after her father died suddenly and Elena Viktorovna was left alone. And the main hobbies in a girl's life are tennis and music of various genres. Svetlana is able to talk on these two topics for hours.

Svetlana is an open and sincere person, which was repeatedly noted by her colleagues. The girl is famous for her straightforwardness. After a three-time unsuccessful performance of the Russian women's biathlon team in 2010 in Vancouver, Svetlana was the only one of the athletes who managed to go to the microphones and comment on the losses. The phrase “we don’t owe anything to anyone” was remembered by Russian biathlon fans for a long time. The girl said these words in a rush, but many sports commentators perceived the phrase from a negative point of view. General tension subsided after the Russians still managed to become champions.

Svetlana Sleptsova now

In 2017, the athlete performed brilliantly at the Summer Biathlon World Championships in Chaikovsky, where she became a three-time winner, winning gold in the categories mixed relay, sprint and pursuit. After winning, although not at such a prestigious competition as the winter championship, Svetlana Sleptsova announced her retirement from the sport. The girl explained her decision by the fact that she was pregnant. The news was a pleasant and exciting surprise for the fans of the biathlete.

Pregnancy also made adjustments to the biathlete's plans for 2018, because even in winter the girl announced her readiness to join the Russian team and compete at the Olympics in Korea. Journalists became aware that the top manager of an oil company became the husband of the athlete. Svetlana does not advertise the name of her beloved man in in social networks, but at the beginning of August in " Instagram"There were joint photos of lovers marked" wedding soon. The newlyweds also kept the date of the celebration a secret from the public.

In social networks, Svetlana Sleptsova has her own hashtag - #luchsveta. At the last World Championship in Svetlana's sports career in Tchaikovsky, fans staged a flash mob with this name, which touched the biathlete.

After Sleptsova got married, she stayed with her husband in her hometown. In the fall, the governor of the district offered Svetlana the post of sports adviser. A year earlier, the girl had already intended to start a political career and even participated in the United Russia primaries before the elections in State Duma. But then the girl did not get the required number of votes. Now Svetlana Sleptsova has accepted the proposal from the governor. On November 1, she officially took office, although the girl did not manage to work in a new place for a long time, since Svetlana soon went on maternity leave.

April 20, 2018 Sleptsova gave birth to a son. On the athlete's accounts on VKontakte and Instagram, touching posts appeared with the image of a newborn's tag. Subscribers, friends and fans congratulated the athlete on the birth of her son. So far, Svetlana has not officially announced what name the baby received. The boy's weight is 3550 g, and his height is 53 cm.

Awards

• 2008 - bronze medal at the World Championships in Östersund
• 2009 – Golden medal at the World Championships in PyeongChang
• 2010 - gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics
• 2012 - gold medal at the Summer Biathlon World Championships in Ufa
• 2017 - gold, two silver and bronze medal at the European Championship
• 2017 - three gold medals at the Summer Biathlon World Championships in Chaikovsky