Career of Ekaterina Yurieva. Biathlete Ekaterina Yurieva announced the end of Ekaterina Yurieva’s sports career

- What are your impressions of the next season, which ended in Tyumen with the World Cup final?

I liked the performance of the French, Italians, and Austrians. I expected more from the Germans and Norwegians, with the exception of . We also wanted to expect results from our Russian team, but initially we understood that there were absolutely no prerequisites for this. I can't even rate their performance. They performed as they were ready.

- Why didn’t you see the prerequisites for better results from Russians? After all, a year, two, or three ago, our athletes performed much better than they do now?

- I will take the liberty of saying that there was no single team - neither male nor female. There were only scattered athletes who tried to somehow prepare themselves. When you don’t feel part of the team, don’t feel support from the coaches, then the energy in training is not at all the same.

- You've probably read statements about the atmosphere in the team?

Certainly. I understand perfectly what she meant. Even without taking into account the material and technical base or training plan, the first thing a team should have is the right emotional climate. Figuratively speaking, if I know that everything is fine in my family, I work completely differently. And if there is no understanding and support, you get the feeling that you are alone. And it’s extremely difficult to go alone and compete with the best biathletes in the world.

- You are very familiar with both coaches of the women’s team - and. Why were they so indifferent to their athletes?

- I have been preparing personally with Korolkevich since 2009. Then I purposefully looked for a coach who would profess a completely different approach to training than in Russia. At that time, Vladimir Borisovich was aware of absolutely all trends. To the point where you could ask him which store is best to buy training socks from a particular company. I can’t say much about Konovalov; I know him only as an athlete and fellow countryman. In terms of the vision of shooting training, I do not completely agree with him; a different approach is closer to me. I have always been a risk-taker when it comes to shooting, Seryozha is more restrained.

- Korolkevich did not become a senior coach because of his doping history and ended up playing the role of a consultant. Although there is reason to think that in fact, he was mainly in charge of the process, and Konovalov did not have clear powers. Don’t you think that this is what ultimately led to the embodiment of the saying “seven nannies have a child without an eye”?

- I absolutely agree with you. Tugging at the blanket and unclear distribution of responsibilities has never led anyone to anything good.

WAITING IS THE FATE OF LOSERS

- Who is your candidate for the position of president of the Russian Biathlon Union: , or someone else?

- Someone third. I find it difficult to name a specific name, but this person must have a cool head, a sensitive heart and the ability not to be fooled by provocations. First of all, it is necessary to define and create a clear vertical: a junior team, an adult team, perhaps an experimental one. Then at least it will be clear who is responsible for what.

- This person should be a famous athlete or a businessman like?

- Complex issue. An athlete is, after all, a person who has worked under someone else’s guidance for a significant part of his life. Accordingly, he has no experience in making decisions and organizing the work of a large team. I’m not saying that he must be a businessman, but the future president of the federation must definitely have entrepreneurial skills.

- The German coach also said that there are no biathlon talents in Russia, and we need to wait for the next generation to come. Do you disagree with him?

- In general, waiting is the fate of losers. Just like saying that unique talents are needed to achieve results. You either work with the people who are on the team at the moment, or don’t bother. I believe that in absolutely any generation there are always one, two or three people who are capable of a lot. Another thing is that often coaches cannot see them or some circumstances interfere.

- There is an opinion that some of our athletes in childhood and junior age were hooked on doping, then were forced to give it up, but can no longer show “clean” results that they achieved while taking prohibited drugs. What do you think of it?

- I don’t have reliable information, so it’s difficult to talk about this topic. I can only say that the system of rewarding a coach based on the specific result of his personal student is vicious. She forces the mentor to squeeze every juice out of the athlete, without thinking about the future. That’s why people often join the national team who are no longer able to handle the workload or improve. The point is not even in prohibited pharmaceuticals, but in the fact that people approach their most productive age - 24-25 years old - physically and mentally exhausted.

- Your former friend on the Russian national team is now at a crossroads - should she stay in biathlon for another season or two, or is it better to end her career? What would you tell her?

- If we are talking about just “lingering”, of course, it’s not worth it. But if Katya really feels the strength and desire to run further, it’s better to realize them. Even if something doesn’t suit her in the future team, she can always go to self-preparation.

KUZMINA DID THE RIGHT THING TO LEAVE

- From our interview, one gets the feeling that there is complete hopelessness in Russian biathlon. Do you not admit that next year the president of the federation will change, other coaches will come, and we will already be talking about triumph, and not about disaster?

- To be honest, I don’t see any prerequisites for triumph next season. One or two athletes may jump out, because after all, a lot of work has been done for the Olympics. But for the whole team to run... It must come from a coach of some cosmic level. I don't see such a person yet.

- You started your career at the World Cup together with the future three-time Olympic champion as part of the Slovakian national team. Do you think it was a mistake that she was released from the Russian team at one time? Could she achieve the same results as part of our team?

- Nastya would definitely achieve high results no matter who she competes for. She definitely has talent and motivation. Another thing is that I’m not sure that if she had remained in the Russian team, she would have been able to perform at the level for so many years. After all, we have quite high competition, and she would have to win her place on the team every time. As for her departure to Slovakia, in my opinion, she did the right thing regarding the situation that had developed at that time. And we see the result.

- You ended your career due to disqualification four years ago. What are you doing now?

For three years now I have been actively involved in the development of a women's clothing brand. We started out very difficult, there were all these cataclysms with the dollar exchange rate, a downed plane... At times it was so damn hard. But I’m the kind of person that if I do something, I throw myself into it. Now we have reached a level where we have our own circle of clients and sufficient fame. The main thing is that our customers like things. Now I’m thinking about implementing the next project related to travel and active recreation.

- What conclusions did you draw from your repeated doping disqualification, which actually turned out to be lifelong?

- This became one of the most important life lessons for me. Never work with people who lie to you.

Three shots right on target. How they “killed” Ekaterina Yuryeva

“Soviet Sport” continues a series of publications about biathletes who were caught doping. The reason is known - pending proceedings in connection with the “list of 31” from WADA.

Ekaterina Yuryeva is now 33 years old. In a good way, she could still run at the stages of the Biathlon World Cup, collect points, maybe even get into medals. But she is not on the national team, just as she is not in the world biathlon.

"Murder" number three

Ekaterina Yuryeva announced her retirement on February 27, 2014, immediately after the end of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. It seemed to many then that she was not included in the Olympic team unfairly, that she fell victim to coaching intrigues that pushed other girls into the national team to the detriment of the result.

Here are excerpts from an open letter from biathlon fans written to Vitaly Mutko in support of the athlete:

“We, the fans of the Russian national team, who sincerely wish the athletes success at the home Winter Olympics, appeal to you with a convincing request to pay attention to the process of forming the composition of the women's Olympic biathlon team. Ekaterina Yuryeva is still absent from the lineup, although she qualified for the January stages based on her results at the World Cup in December, while the application includes Valentina Nazarova, who performed significantly weaker (73 and 65 places at the World Cup) and has no experience of performing at the highest international level Galina Nechkasova.” “Her removal from the main team occurred despite the fact that the program of the stage in Ruhpolding (the next stage after Oberhof - editor's note) included an individual race of 15 km, where Ekaterina Yuryeva had her best result of the season and was able to fight for the Small world Cup".

After this, the fans make a frightening conclusion:

“From all of the above, we can conclude that the coaching staff deliberately does not give Ekaterina Yuryeva the opportunity to compete and be selected for the Olympic team in head-to-head competition with other contenders for the remaining vacant places.”

"Murder" number two

Yuryeva never went to Sochi. And thank God. Literally a week before the start of the Olympics, it became known that prohibited substances were found in the doping tests of several athletes, including Russians. Yuryeva did not make it to the national team. On February 27, she announced her retirement.

“This decision was not easy for me, so it took me quite a long time to give up on my dream and understand that I needed to move on. I returned, but to leave,” Ekaterina wrote on her blog.

It is unknown what complex decision we are talking about. At the beginning of March, it was officially announced that the suspicions were confirmed - the doping test B of the Russian biathlete confirmed a positive result for recombinant erythropoietin. This biathlete turned out to be Yuryeva.

In July 2014, it became known that the International Biathlon Union had disqualified the girl for 8 years. A year later, the period of disqualification was increased to 12 years, although Yuryeva had already completed her career.

"Murder" number one

Such a huge period of disqualification is due to the fact that Ekaterina has already been caught for doping. Therefore, she was tried as a repeat offender. It’s surprising that he wasn’t immediately banned from the sport for life.

Yurieva was first caught in December 2008 - at the World Cup stage, at the same time when the test of another Russian athlete, Albina Akhatova, gave a positive result. The reason is still the same - erythropoietin. From that moment on, the girls went side by side: disqualification for two years, appeal to the arbitration court, refusal, appeal to the Swiss tribunal, refusal, waiting. The only difference is that, unlike Akhatova, Yuryeva continued her career and hoped to go to the Olympics in Sochi.

Her name will likely appear on the notorious list of 31 biathletes, whose receipt from WADA was announced by the International Biathlon Union.

source: “Soviet Sport”

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To put it pathetically, every man would like to go on reconnaissance with Katya Yuryeva. Firstly, she is blonde, secondly, she is a senior lieutenant, and thirdly, she has a rifle, from which Katya shoots without missing a beat. But she doesn’t go scouting, much less hunting. Katya is a world champion in biathlon.

- Tell me, how do you train? Who do you imagine getting in: a coach, a former lover?

During training, you perceive the target as something inanimate, and if you need to get angry, cheer up, then you begin to remember who hurt you today, you get excited, imagine how you will take revenge on him now. At competitions it’s a different matter; it’s a proven technique when you completely disconnect from the outside world. You, like a computer, set a program for yourself and work specifically according to it.

Why did you go to biathlon? There are tennis players running around the court in short skirts, earning millions, and you are in a ski suit with a fleece, a knitted cap and even with a gun on your back.

I don’t have the voice to shout like Sharapova: “Ah!.. A!.. A!..” You drive silently the entire route, but at the finish line there is such breath - you can dub erotic films. But seriously, I tried rowing, orienteering, and skiing - a little of everything, but one day a young coach came to us and said: “Girls, do you want me to bring a rifle and you can shoot?” Still would! Who doesn't want to shoot at twelve years old? Well, we shot, the coach looked at my target and went nuts, invited me to try myself in biathlon.

- One shot - and that's it: you hit it!

Got it! I realized this a month later, when more modest grades began to appear in my diary instead of just A’s. Following school, girlfriends and boys faded into the background. Because this feeling of being shot, the presence of danger and adrenaline cannot be compared with anything else. It is not for nothing that biathlon is second in the ranking of the most popular sports after football.

- Does this somehow affect your earnings?

Unfortunately, we do not have sponsors who would provide fabulous fees. Officially, athletes receive seven thousand rubles a month. And at CSKA I have a good salary, since I am an officer in the Russian army with the rank of senior lieutenant. I hope to get a captain this year.

- Why do you get stars?

For winning the World Championship.

- What can you buy with the prize money?

Well, some modest metropolitan foreign car.

- They say that athletes have no childhood.

Everyone lies! My childhood continues to this day.

- One swimmer said that for him every distance is a little death. How do you feel?

I do everything with full dedication and enjoy it; I don’t even think about death. Of course, after you give your all, you have no strength, you cannot think, you breathe with such frequency and speed that it seems that your lungs are about to burst and your heart will stop. But when it passes, you realize that you have wasted all your energy, and everything is filled anew.

-What do you miss most in life?

Time.

- For what: dates, parties, sex?

For everything, including this. Because there are a lot of thoughts in my head, but not enough time to implement them. We get up at 6.30, go to bed at 11.00 - this is the time that is necessary for the body to regain strength. After the first training session, we have a free hour, which is used to prepare for the next one: wash, change clothes - and not just lie and do nothing. After the second workout, wash again, change clothes, have lunch, fill out your diary and sleep for a few minutes.

- What other diary?

All athletes who strive for something keep a diary and analyze what they are doing. This is not a diary where young girls write: “Today the man of my dreams came up and proposed,” but dry facts and figures: how far I ran, what I felt, what my pulse was, why that was. And only before bed I have an hour and a half of free time, which I can devote only to myself.

- And when is your personal life?

After training camp, I have one or two weeks to rest, and then I take a break. As a rule, during these periods we begin to expand our sports families. In winter roads, children are born in winter, because they have arrived from training camps, and by the next winter they are already with a gift. There is a joke about male biathletes: by the date of birth of the children, you can determine how many times dad was at home. He did the job and went back to training for a year, nothing bothers him.

- Do biathletes have many fans?

Everyone really enjoys our summer training. As a rule, when it is very hot, we ride in short shorts. You come to shoot, lie down on the carpet, spread your legs - because that’s the shooting position. There are enough fans.

-Are you in love?

I wouldn't say that I'm in love. I'm very picky. I like it when a man has his own tough position, a conscious perception of reality. A man must mature and fall into my hands. But I don’t like “daddies”, I have my own dad.

It seems that there is such a rule: actresses do not want to connect their lives with actors, musicians - with musicians. What about biathletes?

I wouldn't want to live with an athlete. This means constant traveling, training camps, and competitions. But I need my husband to wait for me at home and be able to devote the time I need to feel like a woman. I know this because I had many affairs with athletes - all of them were very short. Nice boys biathletes who have not reached any heights in the sport. As a rule, such handsome guys quit the sport very early, because biathlon is very hard money.

- And the pretty girls?

Yes, those who are very nice and smart also leave the sport early. Why train eight hours a day when you can marry a businessman and not stress. I set a goal for myself: until I get Olympic gold, I will work. I already have my whole life planned out for a couple of years in advance.

- Which star or politician would you like to have an affair with?

Well, with Brad Pitt, probably. True, he has so many children - not my option. And I'm not interested in politicians at all. They are always in character - serious and boring.

- Do you go hunting?

No, I never went. As soon as all the men find out that I am a biathlete, they immediately call me: “Katya, come hunting with us.” But I don’t shoot animals, I love them. This is vile: if I take aim, the animal has no chance to survive, I will hit the squirrel’s eye from fifty meters, and if the weapon has optics, then from any distance. It’s not like some amateur hunters: they accidentally shoot a carcass, and it lies wounded and in pain. It's not mine! I can go to the shooting range to shoot and have fun. In general, I’m white and fluffy, and I need a machine gun for protection.

- Men are probably afraid of you?

You know, many of our men don’t even know what biathlon is. They come to meet each other. "What are you doing?" - “Biathlon”. - “Where is this store?” Well, you start explaining to them. Some people rush off to an important meeting, but mostly men are turned on by this. Still would! A woman with a gun.

- There will be a world championship in February. Who is your main competitor?

Me myself. This is my main competitor, whom I sometimes try to lock at home, but she is always nearby. This encourages me to move on. Because I like to be lazy and not go to training. Nobody forces you, but you still get up at six in the morning... Sometimes you think: why do you need all this? And it is necessary! To be even stronger.

Biathlon world champion Ekaterina Yuryeva, having finished her sports career, found a calling in sewing fashionable women's clothing. She has her own brand, which today goes international.

The clothes that Katya produces are designed for confident women who have their own unique style. The online store offers a fairly wide range of products, and anyone, or rather, any lady, can choose the model they like, which will be made to order. The sewing workshop is located in Belarus, and Ekaterina Yuryeva herself lives in Moscow.

New clothes are in great demand, in particular among Tchaikovsky customers. And the first fashion model, who rightfully demonstrates all of Katina’s “hits and new items of the season” in the city, is her mother, Lyubov Anokhina. She talked about how the former biathlete lives now. Although, as you know, there are no former athletes.

About myself and family

The place for a frank conversation with Lyubov Anokhina was not chosen by chance. Cheerful children's laughter, a courtyard hidden from prying eyes, and a bench in the shade of tall birch trees perfectly set the interlocutor in a lyrical mood, help to relax and relieve tension. Moreover, the conversation ahead was difficult.

- « I think tailoring is what Katyusha was born for, - speaks Lyubov Vasilievna sitting down on a bench on the playground. – The dress I'm wearing right now is from her collection. It is really convenient and comfortable because it is made of natural fabric that “breathes” and is sewn especially for me. In fact, at Tchaikovsky I am Katya’s model and demonstrate her products to everyone. And in general, my wardrobe is entirely their brand. Katya believes that every woman’s outfits should be individual and reflect her spiritual world».

Lyubov Anokhina is a good mother; she does not ask her children “unnecessary” questions. What they consider necessary, they tell her themselves. There are three of them: the eldest Dmitry, the middle Katya and the youngest Vladislav. The eldest son is already 35 years old, lives in Votkinsk, he has three children. The youngest is a second-year student at RUDN University in Moscow. Katya works as the executive director of the company.

Ekaterina Yuryeva is a cheerful, persistent girl with a very strong character, without which there is nothing to do in sports. Her mother taught her to go towards her goal systematically, without rushing from one extreme to another: “ You see the prospect - then with a smile, forward and with a song!» Lyubov Anokhina is sure that you should never make spontaneous decisions. You need to stop for a moment, listen, what does your soul want? - " We so often don’t listen to our souls, we’re always in a hurry to get somewhere. And sometimes you just need to take a time out" And Katya picked up this habit from her mother - before saying or doing anything, she will weigh everything carefully.

From birth, Lyubov Vasilievna instilled in children a rich spiritual world, humanity, an attitude towards people according to the principle “the way you want them to treat you,” and never returning evil for evil. " No matter how difficult and difficult it is, look for the positive in everything, don’t withdraw into yourself"- says Anokhina. The word “mother” is sacred in their family; children try not to upset their parents. But life makes its own adjustments.

This is exactly what happened when...

- « Such a sore and sensational topic is the doping scandal. No matter how much we want to leave it, it continues, - Lyubov Vasilievna it immediately becomes more serious and sadder or something. And it is clear that this issue has not yet been resolved for her, and the wound is still bleeding. – For ourselves, we concluded that this is politics. It dates back to the time of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, when the Americans motivated their non-participation in it by the USSR’s war in Afghanistan. Then there was our retaliatory boycott of the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. I didn’t go into details before, but now I understand that it’s just politics. I look at Lena Isinbayeva, Maria Sharapova... Some admit it, some don’t, but this is the system. And I’m very sorry for the guys who spend so much energy and health preparing for the most important competitions in everyone’s life and not getting to them».

And, in fact, athletes’ training is grueling. Lyubov Anokhin knows this firsthand, because... In her youth she was involved in athletics. Today she is a sports veteran.

- « While on the national team, Katya left early in the morning, then came home to sleep for an hour or two and left again. Because if you want to achieve a certain result, then you devote yourself to the sport without reserve, without sparing yourself. Katya has been heading towards the Olympics her entire adult life. And here it is for you! Never in his life will any person, at least as far as I know, risk his career. We never even had a topic - illegal drugs! Everything was in plain sight. And when they suddenly reject her, they call her with unknown words... We had enough of all this to our ears».

Katya’s mother helped her cope, survive, and not lose heart back in 2007. Sometimes they both wanted to close themselves off, get away from everyone and everything, disappear, especially when the meticulous press tried to get into their souls. And there were a lot of intrigues and calls from journalists, including Katya’s mother. We overcame and changed the circumstances. But…

The second doping scandal happened. And in 2014, just before the Winter Olympics in Sochi, the media again started talking about Yuryeva’s removal from competitions. Lyubov Anokhina suffered an ischemic stroke. Here Katya supported her mother as best she could. It was then that she decided that she was leaving big-time sports.

We experienced the situation as a whole. Katya’s “godfather” Vladimir Batsin and his wife Olga helped a lot in coping with it. Now the Batsins’ daughter Alexandra is also involved in biathlon. Katya gave her her rifle - passed it on, so to speak, as an inheritance.

- « I would like to wish the parents of those girls and boys who have not made it to the Olympics to find the strength to survive this, - Lyubov Vasilievna I sincerely sympathize with them. - And be sure to be with the children both in sorrow and in joy. It was this connection between daughter and mother, the support of close friends that helped us then».

Sports and personal life are closed topics

So, overnight, having finished her sports career, Katya Yuryeva was forced to find a new calling for herself. She decided that she would never send her children to big sports. But she didn’t stop training. " A healthy body means a healthy mind,” as well as healthy eating, positive thinking and exercise every day", says Katya. In the summer she roller skis, swimming, swimming, jogging, marathons, yoga - she tries to keep herself in shape.

Two-time Olympic champion and world champion in middle distance running Svetlana Masterkova also trains with her. The friends came running, rinsed off in the shower, cleaned themselves up, and at eight in the morning - they were already “dolls”! Katya's mom is watching all this on Facebook. And she does it herself in the morning: walking, jogging, physical exercise. Although the topic of sports in the family has long been closed!

Ekaterina Yurieva’s plans are to develop in business and delight women with new outfits. In the near future, the company plans to expand its range by producing sportswear. Today it is reaching the international level. And this means participation in exhibitions that take place in Moscow, new connections and new perspectives.

Katya is not married yet. She once shared revelations with her mother that she dreams of finding a loved one, a husband and a father to her future children all rolled into one. She won't settle for anything less. Therefore, while there is time, Ekaterina helps her student brother get back on his feet. And mother, Lyubov Anokhina, dreams of grandchildren, and that her daughter will certainly have twins - a boy and a girl, for whom the grandmother will definitely knit little socks.

Lyubov Vasilyevna draws the likeness of imaginary woolen products in the air, and you can see how her fingers tremble, and her eyes sparkle with surging emotions. She, of course, dreams of her daughter’s happiness and, from the height of her years, understands that there are no chance meetings. She believes that the entire life scenario is planned in advance, all that remains is to wait. That’s why he never goes to fortune tellers – there’s no need! He says let everything take its course: “ Life is beautiful in all its manifestations. And no matter how painful it is, get up, smile and go!»

If I'm happy, everyone around me is happy!

This motto helps her in many ways to look like a queen.

- « How we think is how we live! I am the master of my destiny. I wanted to be happy - and I am happy. In the morning I got up, worked out for an hour, took a contrast shower, and set my mind to dedicating the first hour of my life to myself today. And - I set off to decorate the world with myself!»

She wished her children, and above all, Katya, a peaceful sky above their heads, solid ground under their feet, simple human and family happiness, as well as health.

- « When a person devotes his youth to sports, his health goes away: his knees and back hurt, his eyesight becomes blurred. Even though we say that we have forgiven and let go of everything, the scars on our souls still remain. I would like all these scars to heal beautifully, and my soul to become pure and bright. Probably, today this is from the realm of fantasy, but life itself is a fantastic thing, what, as they say, is not a joke?!»

And Lyubov Anokhina wished all Chaikovsky members peace of mind and stability.

Today, Ekaterina Yuryeva, one of the brightest and at the same time scandalous biathletes of the last decade, turns 32 years old.

The fan favorite and smiling girl became a participant in two of the most notorious doping scandals in the history of biathlon and ingloriously ended her career without ever competing at the Olympic Games.

As a stepdaughter

You could make a series about the fate of Ekaterina Yuryeva, and you wouldn’t even have to invent much. In the early 2000s, under the guidance of the famous coach Innokenty Karintsev, two young athletes trained at Tchaikovsky Natalia Burdyga and Ekaterina Yurieva. The first one was considered more promising by the mentor himself, because it stood out for its speed. A natural sniper, Yuryeva was inimitable at the turn even then, but she had serious problems with movement on the track. That’s why she can only boast of relay medals in juniors.

However, she got her chance immediately after the Olympics in Turin, when the heroines of the victorious relay went on maternity leave in a friendly formation, and their places went to untested debutantes. Katya quickly found a common language with her then mentor national team Valery Polkhovsky and was able to contrast psychological stability and discipline with her unstable girlfriends and rivals. The only problem remained was speed, which did not allow Yuryeva to compete for prizes. During the mass start at championship peace in Antholz she went into the finishing lap third and finished only fifth.

First appearance of the good fairy

I watched Yuryeva’s first podium race live at the stadium in Lahti and, together with hundreds of Russian fans, was shocked by the transformation of the young biathlete. Yurieva was not only accurate on the lines, but also showed incredible speed. Soon there followed a continuation of the “banquet” in Holmenkollen, where Ekaterina made it onto the podium twice already. What contributed to her such a sudden transformation, no one could guess then, but in the new season Katya was already one of the leaders national team Russia and a popular favorite.

She was a completely atypical Russian biathlete. Smiles for the camera, sincere communication with fans and revelations with journalists - Yuryeva was immediately surrounded by a sea of ​​adoration. She felt comfortable in it, like a dolphin, and swam on the crest of a wave to new successes. Catherine's finest hour was championship peace in Östersund. In a strong wind, she showed a master class in shooting and deservedly won the individual race, and then almost became the heroine of the relay. For those who don't remember, the team Russia was forced to make up almost two minutes of the gap due to Albina Akhatova’s broken rifle, and only in the last meters of the distance in the fight for bronze did Katya lose to the Frenchwoman Sandrine Bailly.

When the carriage turned into a pumpkin

The wonderful transformation continued in the new season. Young Russians Yuryeva and Svetlana Sleptsova, to the envy of the Germans, waged a desperate struggle for possession of the leader's yellow jersey. Ekaterina made a decisive breakthrough before the World Championships and came to Korea as a world leader. But this was the end of the magic, and as in the famous fairy tale, at midnight the carriage turned into a pumpkin, and three Russian biathletes Yuryeva, Dmitry Yaroshenko and Albina Akhatova were charged with doping.

The outrage of the biathlon community knew no bounds. Wolfgang Pichler began collecting signatures for the removal of the entire Russian team, the rivals did not hide their indignation, and Michael Rösch, who had recently flirted with Yuryeva, even went so far as to insult him. However, despite the decision of the Supreme Sports Arbitration Court on disqualification in the Russian biathlon environment, there are still coaches who consider what happened to be a conspiracy and part of big politics. What can we say about the fans? They did not turn away from Yuryeva, but counted the days until her return to the ski track, like a soldier until demobilization, and they waited.

Second appearance of the good fairy

In December 2010, Yuryeva and Yaroshenko’s first return to the big ski track took place at the Izhevsk Rifle. Both took second place in the individual race, but while Yaroshenko showed good speed and, albeit briefly, qualified for the team, Katya lost to her namesake Yurlova for more than two minutes on the track. In comparison with world leaders, this gap could easily be multiplied by two. Hopes for a quick increase in condition were not justified in the next season. Speed ​​and endurance in the last lap again became the scourge of our sniper, who never allowed Yurlova to rise above the IBU Cup.

But then 2013 came and again, like six years ago, the biathlete experienced a sudden transformation. In the second league, where until recently she looked like an average player at best, Katya again became one of the fastest and scored four victories in a row in Otepää and Ostrov. However, returning to world Cup It didn’t turn out so enchanting. At the altitude, Katya hit the peak of acclimatization and ended up 92nd, but she remained in the national team for the next Olympic season.

Instead of an epilogue

After fourth place in Östersund, Yurlova looked like a strong candidate for the national team and ended December as one of the team’s leaders. However, even then, rumors began to spread that the team was back to their old ways and several biathletes were having problems, and soon it turned out that two athletes were caught using the good old recombinant erythropoietin. One of them is the opening of the season and Olympic hope Irina Starykh, the other is Yuryeva, who by that time was no longer considered as a candidate for the national team.

Old and the third person involved in the new scandal, Alexander Loginov Now they are waiting for a verdict, which, in the most favorable scenario, will allow them to return to business next season. Yurieva's career is over, which she officially announced after the season. History always repeats itself twice, first as a tragedy, then as a farce. Yurieva’s sporting fate best demonstrates how slippery a slope it is to try to achieve success with the help of illegal drugs. Humanly speaking, I still feel sorry for Katya, and therefore I want to believe that life after sports will be successful for her.