MOSCOW, January 20, Oleg Bogatov. Anton Babikov's gold medal at the Cup stage World Cup in Antholz (Italy) will add to the coaching staff of the Russian biathlon team reasons for reflection ahead of the selection of the final composition of the team to participate in the Olympic Games in Beijing, said two-time Olympic champion Anna Bogaliy. The Russian on Thursday became the winner of the individual race at the seventh stage of the World Cup. The athlete covered the distance of 20 kilometers in 49 minutes 46.8 seconds, never missing at four firing lines. Babikov was not previously included in the list of five athletes who will perform at the Games in Beijing and is the first substitute. The Olympics will be held on February 4-20. «The individual race is a classic discipline and determines the best athletes in two components,» Bogaliy said. «Anton shot with four zeros today, he is a great fellow, and I congratulate him on his victory. his goal and clearly walked towards it. The last firing line is especially indicative of his work. I am not a coach and cannot assess Anton's chances to compete at the Olympics. I think that the mentors of the Russian national team now definitely have a headache. «Because an athlete who shot four zeros, is a potential contender for a medal in Beijing,” the agency’s interlocutor noted, “and, of course, the coaches need to think hard before making the final verdict. We have all the guys as a selection, all great, but we need to decide who at the Olympics will run a sprint race, and who will run an individual race. But the individual race, I repeat, is a classic of biathlon. And I believe that coaches are now thinking hard om that the task is really not the easiest. «
