On the Way to Olympics
A new era: Russia
With the Olympic cycle culminating in their „home“ Olympic Winter Games in Sochi now finished, the Russian Nordic Combined team entered into a new era. While the nation has big successes to show for in Cross-Country Skiing, the goals in the fellow Nordic discipline of Nordic Combined are more aimed towards a slow buildup for the future.
„This season, Ernest Yahin has a special task: he has to try and deliver five to ten Top 30 finishes in the 2015/16 winter. Last season, he was only in the Top 30 once, so that would be a step forward“, new head coach Alexey Baranov says. Yahin’s task clearly includes opening up more quota spots on the World Cup for his team of a total of 12 athletes and a further six in the pipeline of the reserve team.
For the Continental Cup, the four Russian representatives for the first period are already chosen: Samir Mastiev, Niaz Nabeev, Viacheslav Barkov and Damir Hinsertdinov. With the Continental Cup finals taking place in Nizhny Tagil for the first time this year, the Russian athletes can look forward to a home event also this winter. „I think that Chaikovskiy and Nizhny Tagil are also quite suitable for a World Cup event“, Baranov remarks, looking to the future.
Although most of the teams usually have to be content with a reduction of funds after Olympic Games, the main problem for the Russian team lay in the sharp reduction of the Russian ruble against other major currencies. Less money available to spend abroad lead to a reduction of athletes who can take part in the team’s training.
In terms of the service staff, the team will operate on a competitive level, though. Head coach Alexey Baranov and his assistant Sergey Zubkov are joined by German Michael Schreiber as service man for the ski jumping part and Dmitry Pashevich and Alexander Kuptsov and service team for the cross-country skis. The Continental Cup team is taken care of by Konstantin Voronin as a coach, supported by service man Dmitry Pashevich. „All the staff is looking forward to a first season in this constellation and hoping and working for the implementation of our goals“ Baranov continues.
Mainly to thank for the funding of the team are the Russian Ministry of Sport, the Olympic Committee or Russia and the Federation of Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined as well at the team’s sponsors.
As an outlook for the future, the Nordic Combined ladies could soon join their male counterparts in Russia. „We have girls training for Nordic Combined but at the moment, there is no special team for them. We hope we can organise this in 2016 when there will be more competitions for them.“
„This season, Ernest Yahin has a special task: he has to try and deliver five to ten Top 30 finishes in the 2015/16 winter. Last season, he was only in the Top 30 once, so that would be a step forward“, new head coach Alexey Baranov says. Yahin’s task clearly includes opening up more quota spots on the World Cup for his team of a total of 12 athletes and a further six in the pipeline of the reserve team.
For the Continental Cup, the four Russian representatives for the first period are already chosen: Samir Mastiev, Niaz Nabeev, Viacheslav Barkov and Damir Hinsertdinov. With the Continental Cup finals taking place in Nizhny Tagil for the first time this year, the Russian athletes can look forward to a home event also this winter. „I think that Chaikovskiy and Nizhny Tagil are also quite suitable for a World Cup event“, Baranov remarks, looking to the future.
Although most of the teams usually have to be content with a reduction of funds after Olympic Games, the main problem for the Russian team lay in the sharp reduction of the Russian ruble against other major currencies. Less money available to spend abroad lead to a reduction of athletes who can take part in the team’s training.
In terms of the service staff, the team will operate on a competitive level, though. Head coach Alexey Baranov and his assistant Sergey Zubkov are joined by German Michael Schreiber as service man for the ski jumping part and Dmitry Pashevich and Alexander Kuptsov and service team for the cross-country skis. The Continental Cup team is taken care of by Konstantin Voronin as a coach, supported by service man Dmitry Pashevich. „All the staff is looking forward to a first season in this constellation and hoping and working for the implementation of our goals“ Baranov continues.
Mainly to thank for the funding of the team are the Russian Ministry of Sport, the Olympic Committee or Russia and the Federation of Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined as well at the team’s sponsors.
As an outlook for the future, the Nordic Combined ladies could soon join their male counterparts in Russia. „We have girls training for Nordic Combined but at the moment, there is no special team for them. We hope we can organise this in 2016 when there will be more competitions for them.“
Source: fis-ski.com
