MOSCOW, January 20, Alexander Sergeev. Former head coach of the Russian national team Anatoly Khovantsev said that biathlete Anton Babikov deserves to go to the Winter Olympics in Beijing. The athlete is included in the Russian team as a substitute. Earlier, the 30-year-old Russian took first place in the individual race at the seventh stage of the Biathlon World Cup, which takes place in Antholz (Italy). «Great performance! Three of ours are in the top ten, two of them are in the prize-winners, a very strong result. Today, most of the rivals were very wrong. In the individual race, first there is shooting, then the move. The price of a shot is very expensive. Yes, and there was a difficult situation with the wind. Only Babikov shot without misses. He is offended: he shows the result, and the team for the Olympics has already been formed. It is their own fault that lost the quota. Having six people would be much better: it would be easier for coaches to vary the arrangement of athletes by distance,» Khovantsev said. The specialist also expressed concern about Eduard Latypov. The biathlete is now in quarantine due to the coronavirus. “It is not known how the mess with Latypov will end.
