General
The biathletes who left Russia lost to everyone at the World Cup. Joy knew no bounds
At the finish line, former Russian athletes were greeted as heroes.
The overwhelming majority of biathletes from Russia who changed their citizenship dreamed of achieving significant results at international competitions. In fact, their performance leaves much to be desired.
They even rejoice at finishing in last place!
Left for international starts
The backbone of the Moldavian biathlon team has been made up of former Russian athletes for many years. This season, the men’s relay four consists exclusively of ex-Russians. Pavel Magazeev, Andrey Usov, Maxim Makarov have been representing this country since 2020. A couple of years earlier, Mikhail Usov joined the team.
All athletes have the same transition story, give or take. They showed good results in juniors; Magazeev was a world champion, but at the adult level they failed to make it into the Russian national team. Changing citizenship was a way to try my hand at the highest level.
Under the new flag, the guys sometimes even showed good results, both in individual races and in team races. Mikhail Usov was once in the top 4, and Magazeev was repeatedly in the top six at the IBU Cup. In 2024, Makarov was one step away from a medal at the European Championships in single mixed doubles.
But lately the ex-Russians have not been particularly pleased with their high results at international competitions, especially the relay four. The last time the team simply reached the finish line was in January 2024, when it finished 21st at the stage in Ruhpolding. Then we even managed to overtake our rivals from Bulgaria and South Korea.
Local success after two years of waiting
This season, the Moldavian team was represented in the men’s relay only at the stage in Oberhof, where it was removed during the race for being a lap behind. Only the disqualification of the Bulgarians and the withdrawal of the Austrians allowed Moldova not to be in last place in the protocol.
In Ruhpolding, the coaching staff also entered the team into the men’s relay. This time the ex-Russians finally reached the finish line. The Moldavian team finished last out of 22 teams, but still finished. This fact caused joy among representatives of the coaching staff and the federation, who soberly assess their capabilities. Andrei Usov, who closed the relay, was also pleased with the finish. The athlete warmly greeted the stands, which responded with loud applause. Last place and a seven-minute gap from the victorious French could not spoil the small reason for joy.
Source: Sportbox
Thomas Astudillo is a sports journalist and author who writes for Sportish. He has a deep love and knowledge of sports, and is known for his engaging and informative writing on the latest sports news and events.