Alexander GovorovCorrespondent SportAll materialsThe Russian biathlon team was not much believed, even despite the excellent performance this season. Still, eight years have passed since the last medal at the Olympics. And those Games in Sochi are now perceived differently. But our guys took it and brought great joy to the country, taking bronze in the mixed relay at the Games in Beijing. Who are they, the four sports heroes of the country? Nigmatullina's hard way to the topUlyana Nigmatullina was considered the country's most talented junior. Then the Russian woman performed under the name of Kaisheva and gave hope for a bright future for Russian biathlon. Ulyana is the absolute world champion among girls under 19 years old. She made her World Cup debut at the age of 21. It’s incredibly early for our biathlon, because coaches usually like to marinate athletes for many years, believing that they need to get stronger and get used to adult sports. They didn’t delay with Ulyana, realizing what a talent she was. However, Nigmatullina did not have results for a long time. The fact that she went to the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics was largely an accident. Just then, only four of our athletes were allowed to start — two each for men and women. Ulyana really revealed herself only last season, when she got into the top 20 at the end of the World Cup and became the country's second biathlete after Svetlana Mironova. This year, Nigmatullina's progress continued. Confident performances made her an indispensable member of the relay. Getting into the «mix» at the Olympics looked logical and predictable. And the Beijing 2022 medal has become a well-deserved reward for the work of the athlete.
