MOSCOW, Aug 31 maintains contact with the former head coach of the Russian national team Yevgeny Trefilov. At the end of June, Vyakhireva signed a contract with the Norwegian club Vipers. Trefilov later criticized this decision. «I do not communicate with Trefilov, and this does not bother me. Family, close people, most of the handball family, the president of the Russian Handball Federation Sergey Shishkarev supported me. The reaction to my transition was mostly positive. There were those , who didn’t like it, but among the sponsors, the media, the general public, everything went smoothly,” said Vyakhireva, quoted by the Norwegian edition of VG. “The main reason for moving to Norway was handball. I like the country, I like the way Vipers plays «Norway is one of the capitals of women's handball. I wanted to try something new. I could earn more in another club, but I did not come here because of the money,» the Olympic champion said. The athlete said that she was thinking about ending her career. “After the Tokyo Olympics, I was mentally and physically exhausted, I couldn’t take it anymore. I thought about ending my career. I thought about it already in 2020, but then the Olympics were postponed for a year, and I kept my will for a year. Now I really like to play. I don’t know how long I will be. I found a balance between handball and everything else in my life,» Vyakhireva added. Vyakhireva has represented Rostov-Don since 2016, won the Russian Championship five times with the team, Cup and Super Cup of the country, became the finalist of the Champions League. As part of the Russian national team, Vyakhireva won the 2016 Olympic Games, became the silver medalist of the 2021 Games in Tokyo, and was recognized as the most valuable player in both Olympic tournaments. Also on her account is the bronze of the World Championship and the silver of the European Championship.
