By Vestnik Kavkaza
In the context of IOC’s intention to eliminate wrestling from the program of summer Olympic Games, Russia begins to promote winter Olympic kinds of sport, including ski-jumping. For a long time it was a sport for men only. Only in April 2011 female ski-jumpers got access to the Games of 2014. “Girls have prospects. Either Irina or Anastasia Gladysheva begin approaching the international level. We have very good teenagers – Sofia Tikhonova who took the 15th place in the Junior World Championship in her 14; moreover, Daria Grushina, Kustova, Sutyagina – these 14-year-old girls can participate in the Olympics when they will be 15,” Alexei Borovitin, head coach of the women ski-jumping national team of Russia, says.
The ski ramp “Russian Hills” was built exclusively for the Sochi Olympics. “The coming World Championship will show up conditions of our national teams and national teams of other countries,” Alexander Uvarov, president of Federation of Ski-Jumping and Nordic Combined, says. “In 2012 three major international ski-jumping and Nordic combined complexes began their operation – in Sochi, Tchaikovsky, and Nizhny Tagil. Of course, it’s not enough. But in the beginning of 2012 we had nothing at all, training of our teams underwent abroad. And it is a great success for us. Launching of ski-jumping complexes of international class enables us to bring international competitions to our country. We have held six international sporting competitions already. If we don’t establish the international standard in development of our kinds of sport, we won’t claim for serious places and leading positions in the world. Unfortunately, an average age of our coaches is 60. Speed is determined not only by an athlete’s skills, but also materials of ski, uniform and so on. If our national teams do not demonstrate Olympic prospects, there is no sense in sending them to the Olympic Games.”
Speaking about a medal plan for the future tournaments, Dmitry Dubrovsky, sporting director of Federation, stated: “Regarding men ski-jumping national team, it is 3-6 places in the team competition and getting into the top ten in individual competitions. The results which the team showed in the season, the World Cup stages, especially the leader of our ski-jumping Vasily Dmitriyev, make us optimistic. Alexander Timofeyevich has already said that according to the results of the World Championship, we will see what we should claim for in the Olympics. These are tasks for the men team. As for the women ski-jumping team, it has its own tasks – fighting for the top ten in individual competitions. Unfortunately, the program of World Championships and the Olympic Games doesn’t require team competitions for women. For the first time the team mix will be held in this World Championship – two men and two women. We hope for the team will take its place in the top eight, i.e. qualify into the final part of the competition. We have tasks for Nordic Combined athletes as well. Unfortunately, the results which were shown by our Nordic Combined team this year do not satisfy the Federation. They didn’t fulfill tasks of the Federation at the Continental Cup in Tchaikovsky and the World Cup in Sochi. However, we hope that in this short period of time before the World Championship the team will pull together and, at least, come close to fulfillment of Federation’s tasks. It means fighting for 6-8 places in the team competitions, and getting into the top fifteen in individual competitions.”
