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February 26, 2006

White Torino rings - 6

February 21, 2006

White Torino rings - 5

Author.::.Savar

Well, we’ve got six more days left. I even feel a bit sad. We’ve been waiting for four years; we were ready to back up watching all the World Cups. And can you beat that! Everything is nearly over. Hardly has it all begun, when the Day of Motherland Defender came. And there are few moments till the Closing Ceremony. By the way it’s great we’ll have enough time to watch it at least. From my point of view one more day off could be given to us for the sake of the Olympiad. Can you imagine any normal person working properly in case our hockey team reaches the final? If it happens, we’ll have to blow the joint under any pretext at about three p.m. I’ve already thought out a pair of pretexts, because of which my Sunday presence at work will considerably spoil the welfare of the company. And Lord forbid me to stay for two extra hours, - the company will immediately be bankrupt. It’s clear that as an honest clerk, I can’t let it happen; though it will have any sense only in case Russia really reaches the final. Meanwhile it is all very doubtful.

Yesterday I became so engrossed in fighting with the beyond that absolutely forgot about the existence of great Russian man’s distraction called “hockey”. Manic-depressive syndrome also sometimes affects umpires of this diocese, but, thank God, there’ve been no sure signs of that yet.

While I was mentally staggering around ski and biathlon stadiums, the experts of stick and puck had nearly finished team tournament. Meanwhile woman half had clewed this stupid pastime. By the way no one doubted that the representatives of Canada would become Olympic hockey champions. They’ve still got no worthy rivals to play this wonderful game seriously. The major question of the whole tournament concerned not the leader, but the number of pucks Canadians would allow themselves to miss. Here it seems to me, that bobsleigh principle of several countrymen-representatives could be implemented for a while. Then at final we would watch a cool hockey match Canada-1 against Canada-2. And more medals would be given.
Speaking about the men - the loss of Russia in the first match against Slovakians didn’t upset me much. Both teams played like Brazilians play football. In the team of latter those who didn’t manage to take place in forward line, play in defense. They wouldn’t have enabled any goalkeeper at all, if the goal weren’t so huge. And South-American motives ran all through our first game. Slovakians simply turned to be less exited. But the next day everything resumed its normal course. I have no idea about the way Krikunov and Michailov managed to bring our suffering with amnesia full-backs to their senses. But the results are to the fore. In the following three matches with Sweden, Kazakhstan and Latvia we missed only two pucks.

Those who took starting failure very much to their hearts and lamented over useless playing against Canadians and Czechs because of such a performance, very soon were splitting their sides with laughing, as the modest guys form Switzerland easily made both Canada and Czechia.

And primarily due to these cheese-makers we’ll have to play against one of the sweet-pair teams in the quarter-final (we awfully wanted to avoid this situation). And there is wedge everywhere you throw your glance. That’s why the 26-th of February (Sunday) will possibly turn out to be rather fruitful in everything concerning work.

Yesterday evening firstly passed in futile attempts to master the skill of distant thought-sending. There was enough time for reaching any acceptable results, as the dance pair figure-skating competitions are perhaps the longest ones; especially as the free dance, lasting for more than four minutes, was at hand. Recollecting the episode, when the Italian pair was being far-fetched to the pedestal, I felt a bit sorry for the female partner, as it turned out to be beyond Maurizio Margaglio’s strength to endure even two minutes at the previous dance. I kept on feeling that Barbara would have to finish alone. I strongly wanted to recommend Italians not to be too enthusiastic about different rumbas and foxtrots, but better complete 15 bobs and 28 pirouettes; otherwise the guy wouldn’t avoid autographing the emergency brigade.

And surely I felt great desire to send (even if distantly) my regards to the entire judge group; some linguistic sketches, devoted to family relations and long-distance hikes came to my mind. Perhaps I managed to succeed with something, but most likely I wasn’t the only one to have a brain-wave of putting the Italian pair on the right track, - thank God, they showed no super-high speeds. Moreover, nearly all the time they kept on stumping, nestling close to each other in a burst of fervor from time to time; though Barbara’s face expressed entirely different feelings. Now I really worry about Maurizio’s health.

But my labor wasn’t enough for judges. They evidently failed to hear all the charm and expressiveness of great and mighty Russian language. That’s why they kept on “talking rot”, when once again the best points were given either to those who should have left figure-skating long ago, or to those who shouldn’t have even tried it.

In any event, the inevitable occurred. Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov managed to convince all those guys of their perfection, skating wonderfully, and brought absolutely deserved seventh gold medal to Russia. Thus they repeated our present-moment best achievement, when we win three of four possible gold medals in figure skating at the Olympiad. The only thing left is to wish good luck to Irina Slutskaya in single figure-skating, as she’ll have a hard time of it.

Generally, when the moment of truth came, it all went off rather curly. But speaking about the rest, yesterday made me think about the revaluation of cultural wealth again. You know, I’m a notorious empty-headed guy. I’ve nearly got used to the idea that Germans and Americans have made it a rule to make my life a misery. The second week has started since I began to be ashamed of my devotion to Munich “Bavaria” and Chicago “Bulls play. I’ve excluded German beer and "Bush legs" from my ration. I take only “Nevskoye classical” and “Moscow potato” chips. I see Berlin storm and Perl-Harbor in my dreams. I’ve delayed trips to New-York and Dresden for the uncertain term. In brief, I announce Italian divorce and all the toys fifty-fifty. But I’ve got used to all these things somehow.

At the same time I sincerely sympathized with Norwegians and intended to go to the wholesale market to buy some handkerchiefs for the humanitarian aid; I even decided to buy a dozen of nesting dolls with Putin’s image for them. I suffered because of the injustice in the medal-distributing committee at this Olympiad and in some childish-ingenuousness way was touched with good luck of Austrians.

Exactly these unworthy offspring of Gabsburgs and France-Josef turned out to harbor if not a sword, then at least a flail. Is it possible to believe anyone after that?!

Everything started with Benjamin Raich’s triumph in giant slalom. Then Michaela Dorfmeister outstripped Janica Kostelic in woman giant slalom. I wish I could earlier understand that these guys should be kicked out from the hill with the foul broom. I should have been practicing hypnosis at them, not at poor Maurizio. For the last bit Austrian team won team ski-jumping competitions, preventing Finns from taking at least one gold medal. I have had enough! Right up from this moment I support only Finns, - in hockey, football, golf and even rope lugging. Shame on the Austrian renegades! Let us not forget Suvorov’s lessons!

Finally I’d like to describe Tuesday situation:
Germany: gold - 7, silver - 7, bronze – 4.
Austria: gold – 7, silver – 5, bronze – 3.
The USA: gold - 7, silver – 5, bronze – 3.
Russia: gold - 7, silver - 2, bronze – 5.

Hasta la vista. Savar.

Technorati Tags: Olympic Games
Torino 2006

Posted by mazoo at 11:23 PM | Comments (0)

February 20, 2006

White Torino rings - 4

Author.::.Savar

Arse! It’s Monday again. By the way, it’s the last Olympiad Monday. It seemed that plenty of time would be ahead, four days is not a term, just a kind of warming-up. But five more calendar days have flown by like mad, just as Norwegians by gold medals. May be it’s only for a while, for they still have some chances, just as plenty of other candidates, including Russians, only if the beyond doesn’t prevent us. Right up from the times of iron curtain all forces, except Soviet armed ones were considered to be non-natural. Every normal Soviet person was always annoyed with any planning, beginning with family one and ending with intentions to finish five-year plan in four years. The other side, be it the British parliament member, or the Canadian Eskimo, was constantly irritated with our regular fulfilling of numerous plans, no matter how crazy they seemed to be, including collecting of Olympic medals. That’s why Olympic justice is a priori disinterested and incorruptible; severe, but fair; everywhere and to everyone; in spite of the achievements. The only exception is our Russian team. But we’ll speak about it later.

Since these five days much water has flowed under the bridge. And now I can say for sure that in spite of anything that may happen during the last week, at this Olympiad Russian team has done everything it really could. And it has done much more than at Salt-Lake-City Olympiad four years ago. It’s only a pity that all achievements Mr. Tjagachev will arrogate to himself. I’m sure of that, though the major part of our gains has been done not due to something, but regardless of it.
Unfortunately I can’t avoid mentioning one more doping scandal. Olga Pyleva got into a pretty mess because of doping; she had to return silver medal, was disqualified for two years, kicked out of the Olympic village and all that jazz. By the way the beyond played no role there. The medication is well-known; she used it for rehabilitation after ankle-bone injury. This medication was produced in the Moscow Area and it’s strongly recommended to be used for sportsmen. You’re welcome to chew it! All the wounds will simultaneously skin over, adhesions will resolve, bones will knit, potency will rise. It must be a miraculous medication. There is only one “but”. All over the world, i.e. on the other side, this medication is inscribed in the list of the forbidden because it is doping. It’s still not clear, why Olga Pyleva didn’t know about that, or if she knew, why she had been taking it. They nearly tried to blame the doctor – this son-of-a-bitch fed her with something strange. But this quack didn’t make her take the pills. In general, everything is strange and obscure. But Pyleva’s career is likely to be over.

Just as I had expected, the fifth Olympiad day brought us only scandal with Pyleva. The program included nothing connected with Russian way of life. For example, there was short track. Of course, it’s possible to find a pair of low-sized persons somewhere in the Russian remote place. It’s also possible to tell them about skating-rink. But it will be absolutely impossible to make them change their valenki for skates, and, moreover, explain why they should pursue Koreans and Chinese even having no simple bear-spear on hand. That’s why Korea has already got three gold and three silver medals. I’m not speaking about the Chinese. In spite of my conjurations, no one of them was caught in doping. It’s a pity they don’t want to consider my opinion.

But Thursday happened to be very rich. And it made me happy a bit. For example, I eagerly became engrossed in the world of skeleton. I was a bit familiar with it; but watched it nearly for the first time in my life. Generally, it’s nearly the same as luge. From the very beginning I was glad to see that Germans (God bless them) prefer to go down with their feet ahead. It’s easier for them so. Or, perhaps, they are getting ready beforehand. Perhaps that’s the reason for German hegemony absence in skeleton. Very few will have enough courage to go down with head on. This kind of sport is considered to be extreme on the American continent. But it’s clear why. I suppose that even checkers are extreme there. Though, as they say, it’s much easier to drive lugs in skeleton. I don’t know, as I have never tried. But I was sincerely glad that the representatives of Canada and Switzerland, and not those of Germany and the USA, were winning. For some reason a cold snap freezed my relations with these states. Even my long-lasting sympathies towards Schumacher and Michel Jordan are in the background now.

Unfortunately I failed to watch snowboard competitions. This time it was really a pity, though Americans snatched silver and gold again. But board-cross discipline (about which I learnt for the first time) changed my plans. I can only guess what it is, and I’d be very grateful for any information about it. Reward is guaranteed.

Surely I wanted to be glad not only for the bummers of Germans and Americans, but also for our successes. There turned up a thought that after taking the third place in jumps Russian biathletes would be able to keep it in the relay-race. But it was too early to expect that. I had missed the beginning of the relay-race, but when I started to watch, saw no Russian biathletes; though I found great pleasure and even gloating delight in watching German lanky fellow sapping his strength on the last lap. They had started with a big advantage, but this fact didn’t cheer me up. My concepts concerning world harmony are still incompatible with the hegemony of one separately taken state. Or two states. That’s why I flatly greet collapse of German biathlonist and the iron grip of the Austrian who had outstripped him. And the gold goes to Austria.

Skater team races were also held on Thursday. By that moment after Zhurova’s gold and Dorofeev’s silver we fell short of the bronze medal for the complete set. Men failed to do it, meanwhile girls didn’t let us down and drought long-awaited medal.

But it wasn’t the end. Especially for us, as nearly for 100% we knew that Evgeni Plushenko would be given gold in figure-skating. Beginning with the short program he skated so, that the first three places could be given to him in advance. Unfortunately he was awarded only one. It’s a rare miserliness. I didn’t expect such a decision from visually friendly Italians. By Jesus, they are just like Ukrainians with their suet. But surely Plushenko is the first. It’s the fifth gold for Russia.

10 km XC classic style skiing race became an apt illustration of fair distributional system both for men and women. It is generally agreed that, like all other normal human beings, Baltic people are 90% made of liquid, but this fluid is braking. It’s quite possible. But every family has its black sheep. At the moment there are at least two people in the combined team of Estonia, who destroy the national coloring in a mocking manner. I’m speaking about Kristina Smigun and Andrus Veerpalu, who have left all the world ski elite out of work. They may be called the disgrace of the Estonian nation, but they may be also called national heroes. I hope Estonians will make a right choice, and we’ll get to know not only about Zvetochnaya Street, but also two more.

The victory of French Baverel-Robert in woman biathlon sprint became the last Thursday surprise. Relative failure of our girls, though all of them got into top-ten, can be explained by the incident with Pyleva, especially as there was no one to replace her in the sprint. Meanwhile there was certainly something mystic in the failure of the German team. During the World Cup, when the idea “Olympiad is for Russians” still didn’t come to my mind, German team and especially its coach, wearing cool nationally colored baseball cap, impressed me very much. By the way I immediately felt strong desire to buy the same. I still do now, but not so much. And this cap became per se a kind of German team talisman, especially taking into account that they were great. It sounds stupid, but Bundes-coach wasn’t wearing this talisman at first two races. Perhaps, that’s what it’s all about.

It goes without saying that weekend program was extra rich. And the main life maxims were proved once again. For example, that talent isn’t money; you can’t spend it. Especially we can’t violate what we haven’t established. It primarily concerns mountain skiing, skating and ski-jumps.

Mountain skiers seem to have exhausted sensation limit. The presence of Deneriaz turned out to be quite enough. Everyone has finally got fed up with these cheeky monkeys, who can’t ski as it should be, have never seen normal skis, but are all cool cats. Deneriaz was the only cool cat among the Frenchmen. Only respected and well-known persons are included into both men and women bonus lists. A long-waited gold medal (the second one) was won by Norwegian Kjetil Andre Aamodt in giant slalom. Thank God, it has finally happened, as at the moment it isn’t possible to buy any handkerchiefs in Norway. All the country is in tears. All the plans are ruined. It’s a complete bummer. And Janica Kostelic has already solved her health problems. As a result Croatia has got the first golden medal.

Skaters have also recalled the rules of rank existence. The most important thing is that they have increased the distance from 500 to 1000 m. It’s a real cheap shot for Chinese, Japanese and all the like, as they haven’t learned to skate so far yet; though up to the second turning they gather speed best of all. But the fact, that to speed up is only half the work, has been proved by Shani Davis of America and Marianne Timmer of Holland once again. Our Zhurova and Dorofeev were worthy of respect, but “lame” workmate from Sweden spoilt everything for Dorofeev, while the distance turned out to be too hard for Svetlana.

The Austrians, leaded by Tomas Morgenstern were the best on 120-meter ski-jump. We may refer it to the failure of the season leader Jakub Janda of Czechia, or to the bad luck of stable Finns, but frankly speaking, the triumph of the Austrian team is absolutely deserved. My congratulations!

The principle of non-resistance with violence to the leaders worked only partially in biathlon. It started snowing and German coach put on his cap in despair. German team in the face of Kati Wilhelm and Martina Glagov immediately took gold and silver. In short, it was a kind of chiromancy. Courageous Albina Akhatova was the third. She did everything, subduing pain, on pricks, - just keeping going, in a word. I’m taking off my head to her.

Meanwhile Norwegian men team longed for the medal. All the fiords in the country of Vikings have been covered with snots because of the ski and biathlon team failures. It even seems that very soon they’ll have to buy Russian fish. Everyone’s eyes were fastened on Bjoerndalen. He had, to put it more precisely, was obliged to succeed. It has been impossible to outstrip him for many years. Still the pitcher goes often to the well, but is broken at last. For example Frenchmen became fed up with Ole-Einar’s back long ago. And this time Rafael Poiree was in bad mood. Meanwhile nearly from the very morning Vincent Defrasne awfully wanted to ski. And he profited by the occasion, especially taking into account the absence of problems with shooting. Who’s that old man appearing in the distance? Is it really Bjoerndalen? I don’t know anyone of this kind. To be more correct, I’ll pretend not to notice him.

Well, in this way Defrasne made the Bjoerndalen. And since that time the Norwegian Sea has become useless for navigation.

What else do we have? Do we praise the madness of the brave? Surely we do. The most important thing is not to grow deaf. Our fans who came to watch women relay-race, certainly couldn’t avoid that problem. It happened because Yulia Chepalova nearly managed to shorten half-minute lag after two first rounds in the running lag; because Eugenia Medvedeva (again with her husband’s help) outstripped everyone for about 100 meters while finishing. It was Russia’s sixth gold. Unfortunately men team, headed by Vasily Rochev, failed to complete something of this kind. I doubt they are not brave enough. They’re likely not to be so mad.

I think for two days the whole country has been watching two-man bobsleigh competitions. Though we are stronger in 4-man. But there was some hope, and the major thing was that the medal was looming up again. But we were not up to it a bit. Alexander Zubkov and Aleksey Voevodin became the fourth. Andrew Lange was really much stronger. I won’t argue, even though he’s a German.

And the last thing, - I’m speaking about the weird. Besides all this medal hysteria at the weekend dance pair figure-skating competitions were also taking place. We’ll see the apotheosis in the free dance, just as the medal distribution.
This kind of sport is purely our, Russian. And hypothetically we could be able to win all gold medals, but I’m completely sure, that we’ll be not allowed to. It’s enough for us to have won twice. It’s high time to stop. The question is how to do it. The first variant was shown on Saturday.

I watched it all till the very end on purpose. Our Navka and Kostomarov were the best - it’s my firm point of view without any touch of sour patriotism. But the judges were of other opinion. The Italian pair appeared on the ice. Before that no one had seen them nearly for four years, because it’s impossible to see non-existence of something. The guy has been going into journalism lately, sometimes commented something. I no nothing about his female partner, but surely she hasn’t been going into figure-skating. Their performance should have been a purely patriotic gesture. Or it was the case of the principle “better a small fish than an empty dish”. It was worth watching. No, they haven’t completely lost the practice of skating. But they had certain problems even with elementary synchronism. Later it would turn out that experts were giving them the position not higher than the seventh one. What about me, I wouldn’t have given even the tenth. But the umpires awarded the first.

I felt no desire to watch yesterday’s original dance. The directions were already clear. I finally watched, but only because our skaters (and not only they) are perfect. I even didn’t bother myself with justice, because it was impossible to opposite the judges, and moreover, spit into their faces.

But there is some justice in the world. The Italian, as a real macho, tried to make much of his female partner. In all possible senses. But it is no fun getting old. And that guy didn’t resemble a beefcake. In general, he was the wrong man both for dancing and the partner, because finally he dropped her down. It all looked rather funny. And now Navka and Kostomarov are occupying a fitting place. But the judges seem to have found a substitution for the Italian pair in the face of Americans, who are the second at the moment.

According to Dmitriy Guberniev’s favorite phrase, “the moment of truth” will come tonight. But it will be purely for judges.

Hasta la vista. Savar.

Technorati Tags: Olympic Games Torino 2006

Posted by mazoo at 3:24 PM | Comments (0)

February 15, 2006

White Torino rings - 3

Author.::.Savar

Only the fourth Olympiad day finished yesterday. It’s really nothing, just a kind of warming-up. But look how drastically has everything changed! First of all I mean my own attitude towards the event. From the very beginning I realized that there was no need to make up anything on purpose or to take pains trying to find proper words for describing Olympic competitions. The reason was that there once lived some Alexander Milne, whose vapid creation was brilliantly translated by Boris Zahoder. You can easily guess that I’m speaking about Winnie-the-Pooh, though it isn’t this bear I was keeping in mind. This cheerful bear can be hardly compared with rather poor solidity and optimism margin, with which, at least visually, our rather imposing team started the Olympiad. The leader of Russian Olympic Committee turned out to be the only exception. This cheerful man can be easily imagined marching along the biathlon stadium with a shouting: “Sing Ho! for the life of Tjagachev”. I saw him several times during these four days, and according to the expression of his smooth and rather fat physiognomy he seems to live rather well.

Meanwhile another Milne’s character is a perfect comparison type for the results of Russian team. This character is the Old Grey Donkey, Eeyore. He’s a great fellow, nearly a philosopher with a good deal of healthy pessimism. And his “no wonder”, “that accounts for a Good Deal” and “thanks, but I’ve had it” are complete estimations of our participation in 12 Olympic types. And these cliches may be probably used further on. But taking into account everything that has already happened during these four days, I hope we’ll find something better to say, even if we fail to win anything (spit, spit, and spit, what I’m speaking about?).

For example, let us take speed skating. It was evident that our sportsmen had no chances in getting medals. Even though at short distances we had Dorofeev and Zhurova, who, as it turned out later, managed to cope with sprint deserving our praise. But someone was afraid to register them in the contest list. Perhaps this decision was correct. Everything is easier for a dark horse. Dorofeev brilliantly proved it the day before. Though he’s not a horse as most of all he reminds a dark stallion. And not a small one.

By the way, about the small. Unfortunately I failed to watch most of the men 500-m. laps. But yesterday I was lucky to follow all 500-m. women laps. I’m eager to share my impressions, but I’ll start not exactly with the results.
I’ve never been an anti-Semite, or a Russophobe, and until the present moment I’ve considered myself to be very tolerant. But now I’m becoming dizzy because of the idea of common equality and brotherhood. When I was watching TV, it seemed to me that the Olympiad was taking place somewhere in Beijing, Seoul, or, at the worst, in Tokyo, but not in Torino. And the Games are not Olympic, but Asian with Nindza-Turtles all around. It’s good that in the nearest future I’m not intended to go to Tcherkizovsky market, otherwise no dumping prices would have saved me from the monkey-house in the nearest militia station. “On Manchuria knolls” song was endlessly turning in my noddle throughout the evening. My cheek-bones were aching because of the dreadful mistake of 1945 year, when no single Chinese suffered while the Japanese were squared with. It was surely an unpardonable bungling. And the most unfair thing is that everyone seemed to subdue. After the first lap our Svetlana Zhurova was a bit ahead of Wang of China. The advantage was very insignificant, but it existed. And the majority of journalists gave preference to that rice queen. It would have been all right, if she was the only one there. But there was a squinting dozen of them. It was evident at one sight. And it was a complete roistering. When I become a bit freer, I’ll turn to anti-doping committee. There are nearly 200 of forbidden medications in the list, but for some unknown reason no rice is mentioned. Let the rice take the first position. And all those who use it, should be mercilessly disqualified, right up to the term of life!

I’m sorry for such emotional content. But it has become really unbearable. And our Sveta is a brick. She managed to cope with all this armada, being absolutely alone, without any moral support. Moreover, she skated in one pair with this favorite and outstripped her splendidly. I don’t remember time difference, but it doesn’t matter. Roll your lips up. You’ll get fig, not the gold. The gold is ours. To be more correct, it belongs to Zhurova. It’s the fourth one.

I’ve already said everything concerning female one-man luge. It’s the case to mention “that accounts for a Good Deal” comment. There’s nothing to add, and my true prediction of the final result doesn’t satisfy me as it could have been easily predicted even by any Chukchee reindeer herdsman. German sportswomen have been favorites for 12 years already, and at least the same period of time is ahead. All this sounds pessimistically, doesn’t it?

After Zhurova’s medal I felt that even I began to expect more gold from our sportsmen and wished they could overtake Americans with gold. Do you notice what appetite comes with eating? Let’s forget about the donkey and come on, Russia! Where are humiliating faint notes of the Olympiad beginning? I wonder to my own self. I’m nearly becoming a kind of regionally committee secretary. By the end of the Olympiad I’ll very likely append instructions and locally use foul language. But my high spirits were a bit lowered by Ted Ligety from the USA mountain-ski team. Men combination took place yesterday and the downhill was won by the American Bode Miller, a well-known strong drinks-lover and generally a very gifted guy. He’s the best in the downhill, but there were worthy rivals for him in slalom. Especially taking into account that Miller skillfully cheated at the first attempt. If there were no television, he would have become the champion. The thing is that there was a bazillion of gates on the route, and Bode didn’t close one. And pretended that so it was to be. As a result he was disqualified.
I’m really sorry for this guy, but frankly speaking, such things play important role for us, as Miller was the only American in the group. His absence made me support all the rest - Brazilians, Argentineans. And this Ted Ligety emerged right from nowhere. And took the gold medal, preventing Croatia from winning it.
Taking into account my growing imperial ambitions, it was a small loss. Germans reached Russia according to informal team results. Not only luge, but biathlon passed successfully for them. It happened so with the “great support” of poor Norwegians, who can take the first place in no way for the second time. They failed to do it in yesterday sprint either. Hanevold should be using system approach, as he’s begun with the bronze medal and won silver this time. Frode Andresen lost his chances because of misses. And great Bjoerndalen missed thrice yesterday. It was absolutely unpardonable and even his accelerated slide didn’t save him.

Russian sportsmen were told by their mothers in their childhood: “If you shoot – never miss, otherwise try ballroom dances”. Ivan Tcherezov and Maxim Tchoudov followed this instruction yesterday, but unfortunately didn’t have enough physical endurance. Tcherezov is the sixth, Tchoudov - the tenth.

In the morning the skiers got one more medal. Well, they seem to start enjoying the process. The medal is bronze, but it’s worth of gold. According to the list, sportsmen were to fulfill team sprint. Nationality, sex and religion played no role. A short distance (a bit longer than half of the km.) was to be overcome thrice in a running leg. Two team members were to ski, passing the baton to one another. I’ll repeat that it all was to be done thrice. Both men and women got into the final. But only due to the fact, that they took part in semi-finals. Generally they overcame short distances with frequent intervals, right up to bluing in the face.
Our girls did their utmost, but at the moment they can’t ski at their full potential. That’s why they couldn’t get higher than the sixth position. Meanwhile Vasily Rochev and Ivan Alypov frayed Scandinavian nerves, rather successfully, by the way. Only the final spurt became a failure. Not too bad, we’ll forge tomorrow. I can only congratulate Swedish team, which suddenly became lucky, getting two gold medals. I’m a bit envious, so quickly and ably they did it. But this time it’s a positive envy, as it was not China that won.

According to the schedule this day is not very promising for us. If it is promising at all. That’s why let’s fix the results of four days:

The USA: gold - 5, silver -2, bronze – 0.
Russia: gold - 4, silver - 3, bronze – 2.
Germany: gold - 4, silver - 1, bronze – 2.

Hasta la vista. Savar.

Technorati Tags: Olympic Games Torino 2006

Posted by Xena at 10:15 PM | Comments (0)

February 14, 2006

White Torino rings - 2

Author.::.Savar

It’s well known, that Monday is a difficult day and has absolutely nothing in common with Friday. Even Wednesday seems to be far more attractive. Though, tastes differ. It’s quite possible, that all the fuss around Monday is a purely Russian muddle. Then we should be very grateful for the touching attitude of the Olympiad organizers towards Russian team in their attempts to shorten the most possible quantity of starts exactly in this uneasy period, when, paraphrasing one famous aphorism: what is good for a German is mortal for a Russian. Being clearly aware of the fact, that very often on Mondays Russian man is not a man, for these days the calendar authors adjusted either those kinds of sport, which are very dim even for Russian Olympic Committee directors, or those, in which our sportsmen are obliged to succeed in spite of the Bastille capture day weekly celebration. Biathlonists and skaters are the only exception as if every their start is diluted with weekends, winter Olympiad will smoothly transfer into the summer one.

Female hockey tournament is in full swing. By the way, before the Olympiad I couldn’t imagine that our team is its competent participant; though the participation is rather specific. As it turned out, Russian female and male hockey are two big differences. With all regards to our girls, they act on the ice as the Mongolian team at the Russian hockey World Championship. But Mongolians could at least outstrip Estonians, though before that they dealt only with horses. To render justice I’ll notice, that only journalists and sometimes commentators, but not Russian hockey leaders, pay attention at the female team. It’s no wonder, that there are no positive results. And the sport commentator congratulates us with a very good play of our girls against the Canadian team, while the score on the table is 0:12. But at the same time Russians played with zest.

On Monday curling competitions started. By the way, curling is a very amusing thing. It’s resemblance with general auditorium cleaning before the holidays is only visual. In reality heaps of men and women with idiotic brushes and a clever face-expression, rubbing already swabbed sparkling ice, finally produce an exciting show. There are only two “but”. The first is that unfortunately Russian combined team couldn’t get to the Olympiad. But at the same time female team is rather good. The second “but” is that those people, who were planning TV program, were probably not informed about the existence of this kind of sport. Or, perhaps, they think that curling is something average between kegling and bodybuilding. I hope that at least parts of final matches will be shown. By the way, curling will be held every day beginning from yesterday.

Meanwhile lugers’ competitions are very transient. For example, hardly had the Olympiad for Albert Demchenko begun on Friday, when on Sunday it was over. But If you still remember, the end was very successful. As representatives of fair sex, female lugers are not afraid of Mondays. But everything will also be finished for them today. Unfortunately, there is nobody to support Demchenko’s initiative in our combined female team. Two yesterday heats proved a well-known fact: if German Wehrmacht had carried war right like their girls lug, I would have probably been writing all these lines in German, only if I hadn’t been hacking coal somewhere in Kemerovsky region. On the other hand, if all Germans go in for luging, in a couple of years we’ll have to choke with some ardent “Ochota” instead of drinking Bavaria beer. I don’t doubt that the whole pedestal in female luging will be of “German bottling”.

Let me think, whether I’ve missed anything tricky. Oh, yes, it’s half-pipe, my new passion. Yesterday I watched female final and tried either to understand the implication, or to enjoy the beauty of the action. And I seemed to perceive why this pipe is of no interest to our risky snowboard fans. It’s possible to break your head, but only if you dash it against the wall on purpose. It’s also impossible to break the board because of Torino pipe configuration. Only wooden board may be spoilt. But it’s of no rush. All the rest is as smooth as the billiard table, only the curved one. The snow is artificial. Nothing resembles snowdrifts and boulders, hidden under them. The whole action is judged not by your buddy-suicides, but doltish experts, who want to see beautiful pirouettes, but not the striking examples of the backbone in the form of broken stones, stellated with trousers’ – boards’ dribs and drabs.

In general, I liked half-pipe, partially because the last time I dealt with boards at the wood-working industrial complex 25 years ago, or may be because of the delightful idea that personally I was sitting at home in a warm armchair and not exerting myself in this devilish pipe. Though, I had several questions. For example, what’s the use of this crab, or grab and why should the sportsman touch the board with his arm while completing this element. The failure will provide you with loss of points. It’s rather strange, indeed. Figure-skaters also do many elements, but no one makes them hold the skates while showing triple axel. Perhaps the work of the hands is supposed to be shown. If it is so, let all the participants appear with picks or spades, - there will surely be something to shovel in this pipe.

Speaking about the results: I’m absolutely sure that this kind of sport was included into the Olympic program only under the pressure of the sixth marine aircraft-carriers of the USA; and half-pipe itself appeared somewhere on the industrial Colorado state dump. It’s no wonder that only a few manage to dilute male and female Americans, and it’ll become possible to win half-pipe only if the competitions are held on the Independence Day. Of the USA, of course.

Now let’s talk about the most important events.

First of all, it’s great that nothing prevented us from starting to fight for medals in figure-skating. Though there were some obstacles. Here I once again became certain that Chinese expansion is not the result of the morbid imagination, but objective reality are given to us by means of sensibility. These guys complete everything it in a fast, impudent way and on a grand scale. They also don’t neglect massive tactics. Hardly have they learnt to skate on the big rink, when they immediately try short-track, since the board resembles Chinese wall and the sportsmen have no problems with proportions. In those places, where an ordinary person will surely break the board after speeding up, they easily manage to make a turn. So Chinese had no problems with getting medals in short track. I’m sure they would easily slide in the bath-house, if there was a frozen swimming-pool inside.

If they manage to turn, why not try jumping? No problems. The only obstacle is the wind, which may blow the Chinese skater away and he will land very slowly. For this case the female partner is indispensable. And here we go to the tops of pair skating.

Speaking seriously, only awful fall of a Chinese pair with one surname Zhang played decisive role in medal distribution. Though, it seems to me that at the moment Russians Totmianina and Marinin are hors concours. But I doubt whether the experts shared my point of view. All’s well, that ends well. It was our third gold medal.

The second gold was won by our girls in individual race. Besides, they managed to win silver and nearly won bronze. No one could expect such a result, simply longing for one of prize positions. Pessimism off and bump them off in the John!

Just as two days ago at the men’s race, total shooting was far from being ideal. Someone managed to pass two, someone – three lines without misses. Very soon it became clear that one miss is not a problem, while two misses certainly are. Three misses - pour out water and easy all. And the majority of our primeval rivals, including Bailly of France, nearly complete set of Germans, Poiree of Norway, missed the goal thrice and even more times. For example, Wilhelm made five misses. The same can be said about Disl. Only Anna Bogaliy from our team took their original challenge “who’ll miss more”. But even she couldn’t miss more than five times. All the rest changed their mind in time; and then decidedly isolated themselves from the world biathlon elite, though it slightly smells of streikbrecherschaft. But as a result, Svetlana Ishmuratova won gold, Olga Pyleva – silver. It’s a pity that Albina Akhatova, who had all chances to take bronze, failed to do it. Martina Glagov of Germany didn’t follow the example of the elder teammates concerning leaving the targets in inviolability and outstripped Akhatova for 20 sec. If I were one of German team chiefs I would certainly raise a question of Glagov’s unworthy behavior and scandalous breach of the team ethics.

One more silver medal of Monday was heroically won in male 500 m. racing skates. Last medal in this kind of sport was taken 12 years ago. Dmitry Dorofeev did his best, though 0.02 sec. separated him and the Korean sportsman, who finally took bronze.

They say that according to the length of the distance time-transference of 0.02 sec. is somewhat 2 sm. Needless to say whether it’s fair or not.

And it was an American, who became the leader. He won with a big advantage. This Joey Cheek should have left his main job long ago, or his last job was that of a courier in Alaska. He’s the world champion of 2006. It was possible to fight with him. But the process was nearly useless. Nevertheless the silver medal is our now.

It turned out that after the last Monday competition was finished, Russia (freeze, the twinkling, - so wonderful you are) gathered the largest number of medals. Can you imagine that! Though, Americans have one extra gold medal.

But everything changes, doesn’t it?

Hasta la vista. Savar.

Technorati Tags: Olympic Games Torino 2006

Posted by Xena at 12:40 PM | Comments (0)

February 13, 2006

White Torino rings - 1

Author.::.Savar

Well, there has finally been gust of my gold childhood and partially adolescence. As later it has never occurred to me to tear to shreds “The Soviet Sport” newspaper which for that period of time was the only source of sport information used as the basis for collecting Olympic champions and persons close to them. On Friday the 20-th Olympic Games started. The event took place in Torino, the industrial capital of Italia, and the show was especially vivid and pompous.

As I’ve already said, I like winter Olympiads more than summer ones, as they are short, dynamic and scenic. White snow together with blew ice and red noses remind me of Russian flag colors, and it looks awfully charmingly. And if you still have a glimmer of patriotism, the TV set has finally been repaired, and commentator’s Guberniev heart-rending comments are clearly heard, then you’ll surely get high unendorsed adrenalin dosage fifty-fifty with validol, in which connection it’ll be useful to remember that the emergency number is “03”.

Those times, when grand plans for medal-fighting concurrently with five-year industrial plan were worked out in the depths of Politburo, are in the past now. I’m quite serious, saying that. Those plans concerned mainly gold. Silver and bronze surely refer to metals somehow, but let tinsmiths and sculptors deal with them. Our party wanted gold - as more as possible; in any case, more than that of Germany and the USA, not even speaking about Luxemburg and Argentina. As far as I remember, our sportsmen’s task was to take no less than 15 gold medals. And the failure was interpreted as the support of the world imperialism and discredit of the main guiding political tack.

Imperial manners (even if they still draw their existence) are deeply buried nowadays. Having spared incredible efforts, we managed to get only 5 gold medals at Salt-Lake-City Olympiad, without considering doping and other scandals. That’s why this time I heard plenty of best wishes, but there followed no directions concerning getting “as more as that” medals. There came few very tactful prognoses, not very optimistic indeed.

And it’s clear, why. Combined team of Russia is to take part in all 15 types of Olympic program. But, for example, Russian hokey team was perfect even 4 years ago, though, as a result it could get only bronze. Besides, there are more than 20 bulls in the team, meanwhile only one medal is given. Rather unfair, isn’t it? We come to the evident waste of time.

Today biathlon and figure-skating are the only kinds of sport, filling up the piggy-bank. We still manage to bag medals here. As basically figure-skaters prove to get gold, they will surely be brought to their graves if they win nothing. Meanwhile there are some chances in biathlon, but we can easily fail to gain anything, as here there are far more obstacles on the way to the medal. I suppose you understand yourself: the bullets are bad, the sun is blinding, or the skies were left somewhere.

And I wonder whether there is any reason to await anything from biathlonists, ski-jumpers and even honorable bobsleigh-athletes, if all gutters in our country are used for industrial wastes and the hugest ski-jump, situated on Vorobievy hills, is completely miserable? Results will be the same if we make night-shift of subway charwomen play curling. I’m not speaking about such funny disciplines as snowboard, freestyle or mountain-skiing. Surely our president has tried to develop all of them, and it will be silly to complain for the lack of mountains, but the absolute majority of new-made skiers prefers mulled wine-paradise of some vulgar Courshavel; meanwhile real snowboard fans consider ordinary mogul or half-pipe to be made for cowards, and prefer to break their heads somewhere on Elbruz.

On the other hand, there is always some place for the feat in our lives. For example, Baron Munchausen used to spend two hours a day (from 9 to 11 a.m.) for that. And succeeded, by the way. Besides, Olympiad is not the World Cup and is worth going all out. It concerns even those who have never appeared in any rate (and are unlikely to succeed further). There are and there’ll surely be enough examples of that.

In general, all this disgrace is worth watching. Besides, it was a good way to spend holidays, and so I did, especially taking into account that these were two first Olympic days.

At one stroke and without any compunction I cast aside women-mogul and men-half pipe. As I’ve already mentioned, all these childish hummocks and an idiotic pipe-stump in snowboard will attract our guys only when the space between the hummocks is mined and the pipe is filled with rusty bolts.

I wouldn’t have paid any attention at the men-downhill, if one very interesting thing hadn’t happened. Favorites had a real bummer. Alpine aborigines, be it Austria or Switzerland, have always been considered to be the leaders. The Austrians, very smart guys, were the best in this type of sport program. Yesterday it happened according to the knurled scheme: two Austrian sportsmen did their best without lingering and relaxed, having quickly bought some fizz on the security of the nearly won contemptible metal. But suddenly one Swiss sportsman came down and spoiled everything for them, diluting the sweet couple. Generally, Austrians were not very sorry and kept waiting for the final result, being ready to receive gold and bronze without wounding the mountain neighbor’s feelings. The only thing was to wait till all the comers (since they were not ashamed to be put on the list) go downhill. When the final starting-numbers next to the 30-th were appearing one after another and the broadcast-director became rather tired of transmitting, one more kamikaze started off. Something French, nearly Napoleonic, could be hardly noticed in him. Nothing was said about the person, who had taught that guy to ski in such a way. Perhaps the commentators didn’t know themselves. But the fact remains: he outstripped the leader for more than 0.07 sec and clearly proved that champagne is made only for the Frenchmen. As it isn’t clear whether we would ever hear anything about him again, try to remember his name: Antoine Deneriaz.

Perhaps average distances have once been subject to Russian male and female skaters, but my memory is too short to keep in mind anything of this kind. Now everything here is painted into orange colors of tulips country representatives, sometimes mixed with Americans. But while Americans do it for fun, Dutchmen are born with skates. It’s not Russian matter, besides there isn’t enough money for good skates in our country. Though sometimes we take place in the thirty of strongest.

On Sunday we could also watch men short-track. If you don’t know what it is, I’ll explain: it’s the same skating, but on the hockey filed. Only those, who didn’t get enough to eat or were fed only with rice, manage to turn in this tough space. It goes without saying why Korea and China go ahead of all in this discipline. We could have tried to ask our hockey players to play short-track, but they would have surely used body-checks. And it’s clear we don’t need one more Olympic scandal with our participation.

As you understand, nearly all parts of the Olympic program, i.e. about 12 from 15 were not supposed to be successful for Russian sportsmen. I was almost sure of that.

In two days there happened only one biathlon race and preliminary figure-skating rounds. Thank God, I was wrong predicting no medals.

Though I have to admit that individual 15 km. man-sprint disappointed me completely. Only 0.8 sec. separated Sergey Chepikov from the bronze medal. It all happened because of the careless shooting. Once more I greatly wished to send our sportsmen to the Sherwood Forest for a couple of weeks to master shooting. It’ll be fair to say that nearly everyone missed the target, but only few managed to compensate it with good speed, with which our sportsman had certain problems. But I don’t dare to blame 39-year old Sergey.

No one expected any wonders from Russian biathlonists. But comparing this Olympiad with that, which happened four years ago, when because of low results, Russian biathlon team was irrationally returned home from half the distance, this time we had grounds to be glad. Sergey Maslennikov was the fifth in ski-jumping, and, according to general team results, took the honorable tenth place. Perhaps it’s not a feat for the Russian biathlonist, but there’s surely something heroic in it.

90-meter ski-jump competitions were even more surprising. That was the reason of commentator’s Guberniev furious shoutings, when he was asking to toss him up to the ski-jumps. I’ll tell you what happened. It’s not a surprise that Russian have been trained to ski-jump a bit. Dmitry Vasiliev, the leader of our team, manages to succeed from time to time. I mean getting into the top-twenty. The best result is the place in the top-ten. That’s why we were all greatly surprised getting to know that Dmitriy Vasiliev was the absolute leader after the first attempt on K-95. It all reminded me of Antoine Deneriaz.
Vasiliev’s first jump was really phenomenal and the furthest one. God knows how we prayed for the medal. But the Fortune turned Her back to Vasiliev, as by that time Russian select team had already overfullfilled wonder-making plan, when in the morning all Turin was staring at the skiers. Unfortunately, Vasiliev was only the tenth.

And now it’s high time to speak about the wonders.
To be more concrete: it’s no wonder that Albert Demchenko got silver in luge. It’s simply the result of very hard and laborious work. Though, if you train starting in Dmitrovsky gymnasium, and all the Moscow region hee-haws at you, each event of this kind seems to be more ravings of a madman. But Demchenko is surely not a madman. He exactly knows what he does. Albert has nearly won gold even in spite of the unhappy sortition and the sympathy of the audience towards the Italian luger Zoggeler and the fact that fridge settings were made optimal only for him), - his silver medal is a worth of gold exploit.

Strange as it may seem, but the first medal for Russia was won by skiers. They also got the first gold for our country. It was a real miracle.

Duathlon was in full swing. For those who don’t know: duathlon is half by half jumbled running and cycling leg with a pit-stop in the middle, when the skies and, perhaps, the sticks are changed. Frankly speaking, I didn’t pay attention as it’s not the main point.

The girls started 15-km race. Then the men with a 30-km one followed. The world champion Julia Chepalova was our greatest hope, as she’s an acting world champion in this discipline. But something went wrong for her from the very beginning. The mood was spoilt, but after the pit-stop (can you feel, how wonderfully it sounds) two Russian girls were noticed in the top-ten. I have heard something about Zavialova before, but I heard about Medvedeva for the first time. And I swear I’ll remember this name for ever. This miniature girl managed not only to keep her position after the leaders, but put her husband (who also combines coaching her) in the most required place on the route. As in a bow-wow style he shouted that they didn’t need the fourth place, she didn’t delay with taking the third. Unfortunately, Medvedeva had no opportunity of outstripping Estonian Smigun and Neumannova of the Czech Republic. Perhaps, Medvedeva’s husband was too late with inspirations. But I wish every girl had such a husband.

Men duathlon became the climax of all Russian expectations. There was no Chepalova there. But we found out that there is Evgeni Dementiev, a very shy guy, who loves skiing and does it from time to time. Sometimes he takes the skis off. But he never hurries up at pit-stops. In general, he is as cool as a cucumber.
Yesterday he seemed to be completely indifferent towards all that classical and skate riding haste, that after the first 15 km. he was far behind the others. He lagged for 0.5 min. from the leaders and was simply enjoying the race, thinking of something private; though from the very beginning he was warned about the perspective of some exerting on two last ascents. He wasn’t against and, according to his own words, became so carried away with exerting and outstripping that was completely bewildered, seeing no one ahead. And he had to overpass about 20 meters for getting gold. Thus he did. So this is an approximate scheme of winning gold medals.

To summer up: the first two days were rather intriguing and in general rather lucky for Russia. There is a full set of Olympic medals at our disposal.

Hasta la vista. Savar.

Technorati Tags: Olympic Games Torino 2006

Posted by Xena at 10:12 AM | Comments (0)

January 5, 2006

Run, Zaika, run...

Author.::.Savar

Thank God, it has finally been decided to audit inventory in Heavens and stop wasting snow on Spanish roads. Besides it’s against all possible rules to hold winter season in the Northern hemisphere in such a way. I wonder what kind of punishment all the guilty carried, but hardly had I written about the lack of snow in Sweden, when nearly all the Europeans were immediately sorry about driving without winter tires. And as only those who do nothing, never make mistakes, those guys from Heavens overdid it; as a result there wasn’t enough snow for everyone, and snow guns were used in Sweden till the last moment of the competitions in order to hold them in a proper way. At the same time in Belgium one could easily hold snow-tractor competitions instead of regular football tour.

The first biathlon round of the new season started in Swedish Ostersund. I got to know about biathlon (i.e. skiing combined with shooting) before I learned anything about bobsleigh. Moreover, Russians have far more old traditions in this kind of sport. Largely speaking, if you aren’t a member of Greenpeace and a total pacifist, if you have seen a rifle at least once in your life and you’re rarely thrown out of the ambush with recoil when you shoot, then you’ll easily pass for biathlon athlete while skiing and chasing a hare at the same time.

If you do it ongfnhjyand have a certain number of cartridges, your race can be easily called sprint one. But if you occasionally find yourself beyond your gate and your neighbors rush to help you with their own ammunition, then the sprint race will become pursuit. Though in order to reach complete resemblance with biathlon competitions your neighbors should haunt you.

We may suppose that you’re a hermit. Or, for example, all your neighbors prefer not to approach your house, knowing about your habit of shooting without warning. In this case chasing the running away target (especially with no shop and a beaten path on your way) will be easily transferred into individual race. If, vise versa you’re always in the centre of attention and everyone is ready to belt with you; if you decide to cop a drag on the porch and suddenly notice a running-buy hare, chasing it together with all your company will be a real mass-start. The only term is to begin simultaneously.

At last it should be mentioned that mostly final result is not a matter of importance for the majority of competitors. The process itself is far more interesting. Very often there emerge some obstacles on the way. For example, the booze comes to the end and it’s necessary to remember about buying some more. But everyone knows that too much booze is never enough, so the process of running and buying is permanent. Then, if you finally get all-in, break your skies, or loose the rifle, some of your less tired partners will change you. This process is called a relay race.

Well, this was a brief description of modern biathlon discipline features. Though some time ago so called patrol races were hold, but very soon they stopped their existence because of close resemblance to the police tactical operations.

It’s hard to define whether running or shooting is more important in modern biathlon. Surely attention should be paid to both. But a rational compromise should be reached. You may shoot as good as Robin Good or Tchingachguk, but if you have never seen snow or have heard about it only from your grandmother, there’ll be hardly any sense to take part in biathlon races. But there are some variants in case you’ve been skiing since early childhood. Mostly former skiers, not shooters, become biathlon athletes, although positive results emerge later, if there are any.

There are plenty of good traditions in Russian biathlon. Our great sport chiefs always plan receiving gold medals in this particular kind of sport. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a World championship or Olympiad. The situation is different from other winter kinds of sport (for example, clean and jerk combination or cross-country skiing), the representatives of which used to show good results, but at present they are glad just to get into top-ten. Meanwhile biathlon athletes let nobody down and both women’s and men’s teams are always considered to be hypothetical winners.

Moreover, last season Olga Pyleva nearly won the World Cup, and only at the last March race Sandrine Bailly of France and Kati Wilhelm of Germany managed to outstrip her. But Russian sportswomen became the first according to general team results. The men’s select team was in a more complicated situation, as Norwegians with Ole Einar Bjoerndalen at head are absolute leaders at the moment. Ole was the best in the last year World Cup. Sven Fisher (Germany’s sport-star) became the second; meanwhile his short outstripping shouldn’t be taken into account at least because the Norwegian didn’t take part in two races at all. The reason for that was amazing! Bjoerndalen missed the competition as at that moment he was taking part in ski-races for Norwegian select team. Thus it becomes clear why Ole Einar never gets lower than first five places in biathlon even when his shooting is rather poor.

Two Sergeys – Tchepikov and Rozhkov, became the best Russian biathlon athletes. They took the fourth and the fifth places.

As there are usually no great changes just before the Olympiad, it was quite expectable that familiar characters would appear at the first competition round in Ostersund. The only difference was that no one wanted to lay their cards on the table, and some unexpected results (besides green lawns around the route track) could emerge.

Sprint and pursuit (which is held the next day after sprint, being closely connected with its results) were planned to be held in Ostersund. Already mentioned nature whims didn’t become a great obstacle and everyone’s hopes to enjoy the competitions mostly came true.

Our expectations primarily concerned stubborn struggle in the women’s part of the program, in which nearly all our leaders except Albina Akhatova (who got ill) took part. Olga Pyleva’s and Olga Zaitseva’s triumph was especially waited for. In addition to it Zaika (its Zaitseva’s a term of endearment) managed to show supreme results. But then a turn of inexplicable failures took place.

Unfortunately Pyleva failed at shooting completely. Surely it’s not a tragedy, as it’s far more important to succeed in February and win medals at the Olympiad. Besides, Olga showed better results in relay.

Zaika was a break. Together with Anna Bogaliy-Titovets she managed to overcome sprint distance and finally the girls took the fifth and the sixth places. They could have got even higher, but perfect shooting of Uschi Disl of German and Tadeja Brankovic of Slovakia prevented them from doing this. Disl’s results were quite expectable - grandmother of German biathlon is still as fast as a cheetah, but her shooting lets her down often. If it doesn’t there are nearly no chances to leave Uschi behind. Brankovic’s results were a surprise and she managed to start the second after Disl in pursuit.

Such a situation didn’t last long as Disl usually fails to shoot twice. This time it was like that. The same can be said about Brankovic. But no one could stop Zaitseva. Such an attempt was undertaken by Sandrine Bailly and nearly all the German select team, but Olga went on. The result is first Russian gold medal. Three points of lag from Disl are unworthy. Though, it’s early to sum up after two races. We’ll see.

Meanwhile it’s possible to make a first conclusion according to men racing results: if Bjoerndalen goes on in the way he does, even his absence at the half of the races won’t help the others. It’s unbelievable, but he outstripped Nikolay Kruglov of Russia bagging nearly 25 sec. in 2. 5 km. at the first round of the men’s relay, in spite of the fact that Kruglov is a very good athlete.

In spite of the fact that Russian guys didn’t show their best, three of them took places in top-ten. And if it wasn’t a problem for Kruglov and Rozhkov, Ivan Tcherezov, who managed to win the third place in pursuit, made a very pleasant surprise for everyone.

Team results of the first round look rather impressive. Russian women’s select team is the first, the men’s is the second after Norwegian one. But it’ll be as hard to overtake it, as to drive the Norwegians from the Barents Sea.
Today the second stage of the Cup starts with the individual women’s race in Austrian Hohfilzen. It’s a suitable moment to mind that Olga Pyleva won the Cup in individual races last year…

Hasta la vista. Savar.

Technorati Tags: biathlon

Posted by Xena at 3:01 PM | Comments (0)

December 29, 2005

Like swans the toboggans are...

Author.::.Savar

Very soon Turin winter Olympic Games will start. We’ll only have to spend long-lasting and honestly deserved new-year binge, celebrate Christmas meanwhile, drink and pray for the old-style chronology - and then Olympiad will begin. For some reason I have always liked winter Olympiad more than summer one. Everything happens there in a different and even more attractive way. Perhaps snow and ice make everything look smarter.

Of course, the main part of the program is somehow connected with skis and skates, but what variety do we have! And what about great number of opportunities not being used... For example, why don’t the skaters, especially stayers, each get a rifle in order to have fun while overcoming tiresome 10 000 meters? Sportsmen may shoot anywhere – there are enough targets around the race track, and the audience may be asked to buy armor-waistcoats. Emotions will be keener and the waistcoat may be of some use later. Besides, no one has ever tried to mix winter kinds of sport with summer program elements, i.e. to jumble springboard jumps with trench stand. Hardly starts the jumper, when a plate is flung at him. And the jumper should find the way to knock it down. It can be simply done with hands or hat. The result will reckon not only the quality of a jump, but the splinter-bonus (depending upon the size); if he manages not to miss the goal.

When in spring I decided to meddle with this weird affair called “sportblog”, I thought beforehand that if I have at least a bit of backbone, besides all kinds of football and auto-moto, I’ll surely write about my favorite winter games. And there are two of them at the moment - biathlon and, strange as it may seem, bobsleigh. But, thinking for a while, one’ll understand that there is nothing strange at all... Roughly speaking, bobsleigh is also a technical kind of sport (something like Formula-1, but on sleds). And as Mother Nature has lately been completely confused, and at the beginning of November the temperature in Oslo is higher than in Madrid, it’s no wonder that no one in Scandinavia can recall how the snow looks like. That’s why biathlets failed to start the first stage of biathlon Cup Championship 2005/2006, as they didn’t know how the skis should be used. So it was His will to start with bobsleigh.

It seems to me, no single person disliked tobogganing when being a child. Of course if there were any sleds. But it didn’t occur to anyone to show this on TV before. And only when in 1980 it was decided to cultivate not only potato but also bobsleigh in our country, it all moved from the dead point. But it was possible to watch the competitions only once in four years. Nevertheless I clearly remember all the joy I got while watching these speeding bright things with no single idea about the way they could be driven. And I should say they zipped along beautifully.
Later it turned out that Switzerland is considered to be Motherland of bobsleigh and it became clear why Swiss and Germans are usually far ahead, though not always the ancestors of something stay on the top later on. And the third place at the Olympiad of 1984 in Sarajevo taken by Russian Zintis Ekmanis's 2-crew looked absolutely incredible. And when in four years in Calgary we won gold in 2-crew and the bronze in 4-crew, this event was celebrated as the national holiday. Janis Kipurs was the gold pilot of our 4-crew. It’s easy to notice that the pilots were Letts, and this fact is no wonder as the only track was created in Sigulda.

By the way it’s still there, but now in another state, and frankly speaking, not very friendly one. It’s evident that having no track left, Russian select team had hardly any chance, especially taking into consideration all the mess of that time. And the result was quite expectable. Gradually even I became more indifferent to bobsleigh. Though the beauty didn’t disappear, there stayed no one to support.

Thank God, there were reckless guys who went on going in for this kind of sport. Gradually, using beat sleds, training on God knows what, being drastically short of training practice on real tracks, they finally managed to get out of the trap, and, (fantastic!) reached the leader’s level. It took place even taking into account that, for example, in summer for mastering pushing (one of the primary track elements) they simply had to use the part of a railroad and push a trolley on it.

Finally, being deeply ashamed, with my tail between my legs I returned into the rows of bobsleigh fans. And wasn’t sorry for that.

During the last season Alexandr Zoubkov and Yevgeniy Popov constantly speeded along as the pilots both of 2-crew and 4-crew of Russian select team. They did even more. And if Popov nearly reached top ten, Zubkov was finally the third in 2-crew and won the World Cup in 4-crew. And it differs greatly from winning a pair of races. After that our guys gained not only respect but even became a bit afraid of.

Last season one even more important event took place. At first sight it looks as unreal as our results. Of course one may wonder why bobsleigh appeared in respectable Switzerland and not in our country, where after the first drink nearly everyone is ready to get down from anywhere on anything. But the very fact of our successful attempt to interest and even begin cooperating with Zinger brothers, leading specialists in the field of sled-projecting, caused not only my wonder, but true amazement. We can do if we want, especially taking into account that BMW aerodynamics is used for making German sleds, and Boeing Corporation works out American ones. Meanwhile we’ve been using second-hand equipment practically till nowadays. But at the present Olympian season only Germans and we’ve got new sleighs.

This year Calgary cup opened the season. And as it’s incredibly hard to get even into the ten of strongest in this technically complicated kind of sport, it was easy enough to name the potential leaders. First of all it was Martin Annen of Switzerland, last-year winner in 2-crew and combination; Pierre Lueders of Canada, who was the second in 2-crew and the third in 4-crew last year, and Andre Lange, the leader of German select team. And I’ve already mentioned Zoubkov.

Lueders couldn’t get higher than the fourth place in 2-crew both on his ‘own territory’ and at the USA second cup. According to general results he was only the fourth. At the moment Annen also hardly remains last-year champion as he makes many mistakes and as a result takes the third place in 4-crew and only the tenth in overall time of 2-crew.

But Andre Lange and American Todd Hays have made an incredible start. Lange has won everything in Canada. Heis, as if he were tied to Lange, was permanently the second. Zoubkov got third places, what is considered to be a failure in our team.

Just as the first, the second stage in Lake-Placid was considered to be one more training session before the Olympic Games, and was to clarify something (including Russian chances).

Unfortunately American track is good for holding bowling, but not luging competitions. Perhaps nothing bad can be said about the quality of concrete, but even our ordinary street cleaner would make the ice covering better. Lugers were the first to feel it having got serious injuries while opening the season. And then the turn of bobsleigh pilots came.

During 2-crew competitions, which are far easier than 4-crew, organizers didn’t have to patch the holes often. Lange was the best again, while Hays was the third, having lost the second place in a severe struggle against his countryman Mike Kohn. Zoubkov had to start with a new pusher because of Dmitriy Stepushkin’s injury. And elementary difference in the weight of two second numbers and, as a consequence, bolide’s disbalance, didn’t let Alexander to get used to the new conditions. The result is the sixth place.

Hardly had the 4-crew runs started, when it became clear that the gutter wouldn’t stand long and the glass shining will stay like that no longer than ten minutes. At the same time there is only one break between the first and the second runs. But when you aren’t sure whether you’ll scoop ice or concrete with runners at the next curve, no one will wait for regulations. By the way, Zoubkov’s team started the first race brilliantly and was much ahead of Lange.

The second run was broken several times in order to close the patches manually. This didn’t work. That’s why Italians, who had nearly reached the fifth place, had to wait for the start for too long and got ‘overwarmed’; this nearly prevented our Yevgeniy Popov from getting onto the podium for the first time. After the first attempt only 0, 01sec separated him from Lange, but at the second stage bazillion of time was swollen by that part of the route, which had desperately been ‘mended’ by organizers.

Hays’s 4-crew turned over at all. The pushers were gathered on the turns like skittles. It was hard to believe that two (instead of four) Americans reached the finish alive and safe. I wish you could only see Todd’s helmet, or, to be more correct, its remains.

And Zoubkov was gorgeous. All the overturns happened before he started. But nevertheless he looked just as he was remembered the previous year – the Winner. Without any doubt unconditional one. After two races he was more than 0, 7 sec ahead of Lange. This is really incredible according to bobsleigh standards. You got it!
At the moment everyone is going to Touring for pre-Olympic testing.
At this point I’m taking my leave.

Hasta la vista. Savar.

Posted by Xena at 12:49 AM | Comments (0)

November 29, 2005

About viruses and monarchs.

Author.::.Savar

As you know, two weeks have already passed since November came. Usually at this time all the main heroes of leading auto-motor-championships are certainly spending their honestly-earned money or licking their bruises and cuts into shape in some bungalow at a quiet lagoon-shore with turquoise surf far away from the city fuss. And Schumacher-the eldest, who should definitely have a very strong stimulus to take part in unique by passion-incandescence Swiss third-division matches, just as Valentino Rossi who can be seen driving Ferrari with enviable constancy, being motivated by the same reason, seem to be more a kind of exception of a rule about legitimate quiet shelter after tense season.

Perhaps these are just special relaxation course-elements for seven-time champions; though there certainly exists bazillion of common mortals, who prefer to spend two precious vacation-weeks (which are snatched away from cheeky chiefs), for example, on some board under ever-wet piece of duck, which is permanently trying to remove the upper part of your body into the water, the temperature of which is good only for penguin migration and long-time storage of laminaria.

By the way Michael's passion for battles on the green lane finally led him to ankle injury, but having personally seen his "offensive actions" in charitable matches I can say for sure that he wouldn't spoil the mass playing for half of the Russian Premier-liga teams. As Ferrari chiefs announce, the injury isn't serious and can't anyhow influence 2006-season team-work, preparations for which Schumacher will begin in January. As for Rossi, his results at Formula-1 bolide's wheel in Mugello are far from ideal, but Valentino still has plenty of time to overcome 5-second lag of Baricello's best time.

Motor riders continued their "performance" for three extra weeks after Formula-1 races were over. Planned marathon, consisting of 17 races, came to its logical end in Spanish Valencia, and the end was quite unexpected. It's clear that I'm speaking not about the championship, the result of which became clear long ago, and my last article was about king's Valentino latest coronation. Just as the others, I wasn't an exception, predicting a person to become the owner of MotoGP 2006-season's crown. But what goes for the rest...
Thank God, at the beginning of the year and while MotoGP events were in full swing I didn't have enough money and felt no pernicious desire to gamble, otherwise I would have long ago been loafing at some pawnshop holding my last pants.

When I turned to MotoGP topic for the last time it seemed to me that to fix the triumvirate of winners would be even easier than to buy a dozen of eggs. So much the more, it was necessary to fix only a pair. And I had nearly no doubt that the pedestal will be completely Italian; among the other things this fact sufficiently relieved musician's life, as they had to learn only one melody - of course, Italia chiamo!

Everything we finally saw is one more proof of the following - the fact that you've studied the content of medicine encyclopedia doesn't make you a great diagnostician.
For example, I laid great hopes on Loris Capirossi, taking into account Ducati's August and September considerate headway, and primarily, the Italian's great performance in Czech Republic (where he was the second) and his two victories in Japan and Malaysia, following one after another. It was Capirossi, who from my point of view, was to become the third in final forecast. But unfortunately everything happened so, that Carlos Checa was the only person to fight for Ducati brand during the final stages because of Capirossi's serious fall in Australia, after which he was able to take part only in the last Valencia racing. That's why Loris's third place, which he heroically managed to take after Malaysian motor-racing seria, turned into the final sixth. And Ducati's only second number efforts were evidently not enough for a full third-place fight with Movistar motorcyclists.

In the very Movistar just as in rival Repsol Honda, a kind of "orange revolution" took place during the season. Marco Melandri and Nicky Hayden, who are numbers two in both teams, seriously decided to take the heavy burden of leadership, thus relieving lives of Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi. But what concerns Gibernau, even he himself can't explain what has been happening to him all this year. Getting poles with inexplicable easiness, Sete hardly ever reaches the finishing point once in two races. If MotoGP regulations could be changed with the same frequency, as Formula's chiefs do, and the Spanish king asked to limit Grand Prix distance with three laps because of patriotic reasons, then today's Spain would have got not only the constitutional monarch and Fernando Alonso, but MotoGP king Gibernau. And he would have also got autographed T-shirt of Madrid "Real" (just as Alonso has recently done). But the guy got only the seventh place and no T-shirt at all.

As against Movistar situation none let Nicky Hayden from Repsol Honda have the place without fight. As I've already written, after not a very successful start Nicky gradually became a serious competitor for Max Biaggi from the same team, and after seven races for the first time he took the victory in the US. Meanwhile Max should have been meditating about smth abstract, as he either failed to notice this fact, or didn't consider it to be significant, hoping for God knows what. Perhaps the virus of cock-sureness, which affected me at the moment I was unconditionally ready to give the second place to Biaggi, also affected Max somehow; but we have what we have: no points at all in Qatar and Australia, just as the places, far away from the podium in Turkey and Valencia, threw the Italian back to the fifth place. And if one more racing had been included into the schedule, in such a tempo Repsol Honda would have very probably lost even the second place in constructor's championship.

Melandri and Hayden vise versa managed to finish the championship irreproachably, and during final Grand Prix fought for the first place till the last minute, being finally separated by 0,097 sec. Just as in the previous racing, Melandri was the winner and became vice-champion by rights. Repsol Honda had nearly lost the second place and Movistar motorcyclists, lead by Melandri, failed to gain some seven points for taking the second team-place. It means that poor Gibernau had to fall only one time less...

Team Yamaha, lead by Valentino Rossi, became the absolute winner. And it couldn't happen in any other way, if we take into account at least Rossi's personal result. And he managed to get 367 points. Meanwhile Repsol motorcyclists, who took the second place, could both scrape only 379. A simple arithmetical calculation draws us to the following conclusion: Colin Edwards, Rossi's partner in Gauloises Yamaha, could have taken part in racings only twice for the season, and either once become the fourth, or twice the tenth. But Edwards also didn't try to find easy way-out, and though he can't surely boast of frequent podiums or victories, nevertheless twice he became the third and once the second (we are not speaking about his less significant achievements). And now he justly takes the honorable forth place, having outstripped Biaggi, Capirossi, and, all the more, Gibernau. That is it.

I won't have to promise anything again, as we'll rest from MotoGP as long as from Formula-1. As usual, motorcyclists only start their season later. Just as in Formula-1, at the moment (though only two weeks have passed since the championship ended) MotoGP world is full with all kinds of rumors. But they won't become true until the spring chirping of, how are they called?... sparrows begins. Only the tests of Rossi, driving Ferrari, seem to be quite realistic. But the organizers insist on their exceptionally private character. The guy is just having a good time. Perhaps he's having a rest this way. Or he can't afford a good surfing board. Or maybe Valentino is just afraid of water. Everything might happen.

Well, we'll see.
Hasta la vista. Savar

Posted by Xena at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)