08.04.2018

Kruglov Nikolai Nikolaevich

Russian Biathlete

Honored Master of Sports

Nikolai Kruglov was born on April 8, 1981 in the city of Nizhny Novgorod. In the seventh grade, Nikolai began skiing at the Sports School No. 5 in Nizhny Novgorod, under the guidance of coach Igor Vartman. In the eighth grade he entered the school Olympic reserve No. 1 in the group of Yuri Kuzmin. In the eleventh grade, Nikolai Kruglov, under the guidance of his father, Nikolai Kruglov Sr., became the champion of Russia among young men in cross-country skiing.

Since 1999, he began to compete in biathlon and moved to the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug. In biathlon, Valery Zakharov and Nikolai Kruglov Sr. became his mentors. In the very first season, the novice biathlete becomes a two-time winner of the European Championship and a two-time silver medalist of the World Championship among juniors. In the 2001-2002 season, the leader of the Russian junior team, he won two victories at the European Championship and became a three-time silver medalist of the World Championship among juniors, held in Khanty-Mansiysk. At the end of the 2001-2002 season, he wins the right to become a member of the main team of the men's national team. The first victories in adult sports were not long in coming, for several seasons, Nikolai repeatedly climbed the podium of the World Cup stages, and in 2005, as part of the Russian quartet, he became the World Champion in the mixed relay for the first time.

Thus, Kruglov Jr. became one of the four athletes who were the first in the history of biathlon to win this title. In 2006, in Turin, Italy, Nikolai Kruglov won the silver medal of the Olympic Games as part of the Russian relay four. A few weeks later, in Slovenian Pokljuka, he confirmed his status as World Champion in the mixed relay.

Seriously ill with a sore throat, Kruglov was forced to give up performances and leave the location of the national team right during the world forum. According to the athlete, even then all thoughts were concentrated on the upcoming Olympics. Kruglov made a big bet. During the pre-season, he repeatedly stated that the season would be the final one in his sports career, and that he would make every effort to adequately perform at the Olympic Games and compete for gold. Throughout the entire sports season, Nikolay showed outstanding results, however, he invariably defended his right to represent our country at the main event of the four-year period. As a result, thanks to several outstanding performances, Kruglov wins the right to speak at the white Olympics. Already at the pre-Olympic training camp in the Canadian Silverstar, the athlete felt that the accents placed in the pre-season training were beginning to bear fruit. A few weeks before the start of the Olympic Games in Vancouver, Nikolai came to his perfect shape, which was only confirmed by key trainings and control starts. But… coaching staff decides not to put the athlete on his favorite sprint and pursuit, giving, in fact, the only chance to prove himself, only in the individual race.

In the individual race, Nikolai demonstrated great speed during the race, and, despite the most severe psychological pressure, he managed to shoot at all firing lines without penalty. After the third shooting range, he was the undisputed leader of the race. But on the fourth lap there was an unfortunate fall, as a result of which the portable belt came off the rifle, and the athlete had to carry the weapon in his hands almost to the very line. This circumstance made it impossible to compete for gold medal. As a result, Kruglov Jr. was left without a medal, taking only the eleventh line in the final protocol. After the 2010 Olympics, Nikolai announced the completion of his sports career.

After the end of his sports career, Nikolai Kruglov headed the federation of ski racing and biathlon of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Then, I received an offer from the Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Valery Shantsev to join the regional Government. Since January 2011, Nikolai Kruglov has taken the post of Deputy Minister of Sports and Youth Policy of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

For 3 years of work in this position, under his direct supervision, the following were organized and held: rhythmic gymnastics; World Cup Final modern pentathlon; Olympic and Paralympic torch relay; Host Cities Announcement Ceremony and 2018 FIFA Fan Fest. In addition, during the period of work in the Ministry of Sports, Nikolai managed not only to withdraw the organization sporting events to a fundamentally different professional level, but also to multiply the number of participants and the total budget of events by attracting and integrating partners and sponsors.

In 2014, Nikolai joined UTair Aviation, where he held the position of Head of Corporate Communications. During his time in this position, several large-scale projects in the field of CSR were implemented under his direct supervision. So, together with partners, the following were organized: “Air Marathon of Kindness” - entered in the Russian Book of Records as the longest aviation donor relay race within the framework of one project; donor marathon "70 Years of Victory"; aviation show "Visiting UTair". In addition, during this period, Nikolai was in charge of PR, supporting a large-scale project to restructure accounts payable in the amount of 43 billion rubles and anti-crisis communications of the company.

In 2016, Nikolai entered the top 100 public and corporate relations directors of the Top 1000 rating of the Association of Managers of Russia and Kommersant, taking fifth place in the Transport category. Member of the Board of the Association of Communications and Corporate Media Directors.

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Nikolay Kruglov - biathlete of the Russian national team, participant of two Olympic Games, multiple world champion. The athlete was born in 1981 in Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod). Nikolai Kruglov tries not to advertise his personal life. It is known that the athlete is married. His wife's name is Julia.

Carier start

Even in his school years, the boy began to engage in cross-country skiing. personal trainer was his father Nikolai Kruglov Sr. - a famous Soviet biathlete and Honored Master of Sports. In the 11th grade, Nikolai was able to win the youth championship of Russia in cross-country skiing.

In 1999, the Kruglov family decided to change their registration and moved to the Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug. It was there that Nikolai Kruglov began to engage in biathlon. Another coach of the boy was Valery Zakharov. Until 2002, the guy performed at the youth level. In the 2001/02 season, the biathlete took part in three types of competitions at the World Cup stage in Antholz. In the individual race, Nikolay Kruglov took 36th place, in the sprint - 7th, and in the pursuit he finished 22nd.

Start of a professional career

In the 2002/03 season, Kruglov began to play regularly as part of the main Russian team. Having missed the first stage in Östersund, the athlete took part in the sprint race and in the pursuit, in which he took 45th and 18th lines, respectively. At the third stage, the Russian again missed the relay, and finished 27th in the sprint. In the follow-up race, the biathlete worsened his starting position, dropping to 51st position. In the second trimester, Kruglov ran two sprints, an individual race, a pursuit, and was also included in the relay four for the first time. The February stages brought the first medal to the biathlete. In Lahti, Kruglov finished in 4th position in the sprint, and in the relay in Holmenkollen, the Russian team was able to win silver medals. Nikolai Kruglov Jr. spent only one race at his home world championship in 2003 - in the "individual" the athlete finished in 39th place.

The 2003/04 season brought Nikolai his first medals in individual competitions. The debut in Östersund failed. According to the results of the sprint, the Russian took 24th place, and in the pursuit - 27th. In the relay race, the Russians with Kruglov finished in 4th place, winning the insulting “wooden” medal. At the fourth stage in the sprint, Nikolay took 6th place and got into the flower ceremony. Having started the race from a high starting place, the biathlete was able to win back 4 positions and won silver. The Russian managed to win the second silver in the American city of Lake Placid, also in the pursuit. A week later, also in the pursuit, Kruglov won the bronze for the first time in his career. At the end of the season, the biathlete scored 390 points and placed 14th in the overall standings.

Seasons 2004/05 and 2005/06

In 2004, it was decided to hold the first stage of the World Cup in Beitostolen, Norway, and not in Östersund. In the first three races, Nikolai Kruglov Jr. won silver in the sprint and pursuit, as well as bronze medals in the relay. After a successful start for the next award, the Russian biathlete had to wait a month. At the beginning of 2005, the Russian relay four won another bronze medal. At the sixth stage, which was held in Antholz, Kruglov finished third in the individual race and took 4th place in the pursuit, starting from 36th position. At the seventh stage, Nikolai won bronze medals in the relay. In the pursuit race, which took place in Pokljuka, Kruglov won his first gold in his career, and in the last race of the season, which was a mixed relay, Nikolai helped his team add another victory to the asset. At the end of the season, the Russian took 8th place in the overall standings.

At the first stage in 2005, Kruglov again won silver in the relay. A week later, the Russian four again remained second, and in Oberhof the team took 2nd place for the third time in a row. At the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, the men's relay team was once again one step away from gold medals.

Season 2006/07

The start of the biathlon season Nikolai failed. In the first 7 races, the athlete never even got into the flower ceremony. The relay race in Hochfiltsin was the beginning of one of the best periods in the biography of Nikolai Kruglov. After the second place in the team race, the biathlete won three starts in a row, and in the fourth he again became the second. After that, Kruglov finished 5th, 6th and 4th in the sprint, mixed and another sprint race respectively. At the 2007 World Championships, which took place in Antholz, Italy, Nikolai, together with his teammates, was able to win a gold medal in the relay race.

At the stage in Lahti, which took place after the world championship, Kruglov finished three times in the top ten: in the sprint, he took 10th place, and in the pursuit and in the individual race, the biathlete took 9th place. The athlete failed the last two stages of the World Cup. The highest position of the biathlete was the 15th place, taken in the sprint at the home stage in Khanty-Mansiysk. In the overall standings, the Russian is in 8th position.

Season 2007/08

The season started for Nikolay Kruglov not quite well. In the first 9 races, the biathlete could not rise above 6th place in individual competitions. As part of the relay team, Nikolai was able to win 4 silver medals and one gold.

In Antholz, Kruglov managed to break a series of failures in personal races. At the end of the sprint, he took 2nd place, winning his first award in single starts of the season. In the pursuit race, the biathlete could not rise higher, but he did not give his 2nd line to anyone either. At the World Championships, Nikolai won two medals. The biathlete won both awards in relay races. In the mixed doubles, the Russians became the third, and in the classic men's relay - the first.

Kruglov missed the stage in Pyeongchang, but in Khanty-Mansiysk he showed decent results. In the sprint one of best snipers the national team became the sixth, and in the pursuit and mass start, the biathlete took 5th place. In the last race of the season, Nikolai Kruglov won the silver medal. 493 points earned during the season put him in 9th place overall.

End of career

In the 2008/09 season, Kruglov took part in 17 types of competitions. In the individual race in Sweden, the Russian took 18th place, in the sprint the biathlete finished at the beginning of the third ten, but in the pursuit he was able to climb to 9th place. In Hochfilzin, the Russian relay squad won gold. This medal was the only one for Nikolai in the season and the last gold in his career. At the 2009 World Championships in Pyeongchang, he ran a sprint and finished 66th. After that, the athlete did not go to the track anymore.

The 2009/10 season was the last sports biography Nikolay Kruglov. In the first two races, he finished only at the end of the fifth decade, but already in Hochfilzin, Nikolai was able to win a silver medal in the sprint race, and then repeated the achievement, but in the relay. These were his last career awards. At the stage in Pokljuka, the biathlete could not even finish in the top twenty. In Oberhof, the athlete finished the sprint in ninth place, and in the race with a mass start, he was eighth. After that, Kruglov's sports results began to decline. 52nd and 28th places in the sprint and mass start, respectively, caused Nikolai to be out of the relay four in Ruhpolding. In Antholz, the highest position of the Russian was 12th in the sprint race. In the pursuit, the biathlete lost three positions and finished 15th.

At the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, Kruglov went to the start only once - in the individual race, Nikolai finished in 11th place. After that, the Russian biathlete announced the end of his sports career due to loss of motivation. The last race of Kruglov was the sprint in Khanty-Mansiysk, according to the results of which he took a place at the beginning of the eighth decade.

Statistics

Nikolai Kruglov took part in 167 individual races and 33 relay races during his career. In 130 out of 167 starts, the biathlete was able to finish with points. In the top ten Kruglov was 52 times and in 10 races he failed to cross the finish line.

As part of the relay team, Nikolai was on the podium 23 times in 33 races. Only three times the Russian team failed to score points, and only one finish with a score was lower than 1st place.

Achievements at youth level

Nikolai Kruglov won his first award in his biathlon career in 2000 at the European Championships in the age category under 21. The Russian was able to take gold in the sprint race. The next day he repeated his achievement, and won the second gold medal in his career.

At the 2000 World Junior Championships in Hochfilzin, Austria, Nikolai won the silver medal in the pursuit and relay. A year later, at the home world championship in Khanty-Mansiysk, Kruglov won three silver medals: in the sprint, in the pursuit and in the relay. At the 2001 European Championships, the Russian won gold in the classic race and relay races.

Achievements at the professional level

Nikolai Kruglov Jr. is a biathlete who has achieved a unique achievement. He is the only athlete in the history of Russian biathlon who managed to win two gold medals in the mixed relay at the World Championships. In total, Nikolai has 4 gold of world championships.

Between 2005 and 2008, Kruglov won one gold at each World Championship. For the first time, he was able to climb to the highest step of the podium in Khanty-Mansiysk following the results of the mixed. In 2006, the athlete again won the mixed relay, and in 2007 and 2008, gold medals were obtained in the classic relay races. Nikolay is also a silver medalist of the Olympic Games and the World Championship.

Life after retirement

After Nikolai Kruglov Jr. completed professional career, he began working as the head of the ski racing federation of the Nizhny Novgorod region. A little later, he became a member of the regional government.

In early 2011, Nikolai was appointed to the post of Deputy Minister of Sports. In 2015, he began to cooperate with the sports TV channel Eurosport. He commentated on some races at the World Cup.

We remember the most famous cases when athletes parted with the main award in life

Legendary Soviet gymnast, four times Olympic champion Olga Korbut sold her Olympic medals for a total of $230,000. According to media reports, the glorified athlete was pushed to a gesture of despair by difficult life circumstances. Allegedly, since 1991, Korbut has been living in the United States, and recently she has remained practically without a livelihood. However, later the athlete herself denied this information on her Twitter, noting that she does not experience problems with money and is happy with her husband. the site decided to recall how and why other famous athletes sold the main awards obtained at the Olympic Games.

Victor Shuvalov

Great Soviet hockey player Viktor Shuvalov is now 93 years old. He won his medal at the Olympics in 1956 as part of the USSR national team. In the 90s, the pensioner experienced serious problems with money and decided to take a desperate step, selling his award for next to nothing.

On May 28, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin returned the award to the hockey player. Then the head of state said that the medal was in the United States.

“I know that in the difficult 90s, Viktor Shuvalov lost his Olympic medal. It ended up in the United States, we found it with the help of collectors. And now we want to return Viktor Grigorievich,” the Russian president said.

Nikolai Kruglov

double Olympic champion In 1976, he sold medals for only 5 thousand dollars so that his son would also go in for biathlon. The athlete at that time did not have extra funds to provide for his son's classes, so he sold the medals so cheaply.

Much later, having become the silver medalist of the Turin Olympics in 2006 and having received prize money, the son bought Olympic awards Nikolay Kruglov.

Facts from the biography of Kruglov are taken as the basis for the script for the film "Champions", which was released in 2014.

Erike Salumäe

This famous athlete, who celebrated success in cycling competitions twice, parted with medals at an auction in London. Salumäe's gold medal, which she won at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, was bought at an auction for £25,000 by the president of the Estonian Olympic Committee, Neinar Seli.

Salumäe's gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics was also sold for £25,000. The offer was made on the Internet, the identity of the buyer is unknown.

Anthony Ervin

Sydney 2000 gold in the 50-meter freestyle helped the victims of the earthquake in the Indian Ocean. The sportsman placed an announcement about the sale of the medal on eBay in 2004 and subsequently donated the proceeds of 17 thousand 101 dollars to the victims of the earthquake. Erwin again participated in the 50-meter swim in 2012, but did not receive a medal. It is curious that the American left the sport in 2003 at the age of 22.

In Rio, the American, who resumed his career, managed to return to the podium. He won twice more - at the same distance and in the relay.

Vladimir Klichko

Wladimir Klitschko's gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was received as a sensation. He sold his award at an auction for a million dollars, which went to help young athletes. The buyer turned out to be a mysterious philanthropist, who immediately returned the award to the owner.

Mark Wells

Another hero who won the 1980 Olympics with the US hockey team. Following the Americans' historic victory in the final against the USSR, team player Mark Wells sold the bounty to pay for treatment for the rare genetic disease that caused the damage. spinal cord. The buyer of the medal was a private collector who, in turn, sold it through an auction house for $310,700 in 2010. A note was attached to the medal.

"This gold medal symbolizes my personal achievements and the achievements of our team. As one of only twenty players to receive this gold medal, it has held a special place in my heart since February 1980. When I made the decision to sell it, I also decided that as long as it is with me, I will not take it off my neck. I even slept with this medal for the past two weeks ... I hope you will cherish it as much as I did. "

Petr Malakhovskiy

Polish discus thrower, Olympic medalist in Rio Piotr Malachowski sold his silver medal at auction to help a child with cancer. The medal was sold at auction for $126,000. The buyers of the silver medal are Polish billionaires Dominika and Sesastian Kulczyk.

On January 23, the film "Champions" was released on the screens of Russian cinemas. This is a movie about life in sports and about sports in life, a film about the victories that we already have. Ekaterina Ilyukhina and Svetlana Zhurova, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, Ilya Kovalchuk - the stories of these great athletes will not leave anyone indifferent, just like the amazing story of the father and son of the Kruglovs, who brought glory to the Soviet and Russian biathlon. The correspondent of "Championat.com" - the official partner of the film "Champions" - talked to Nikolai Kruglov Jr. and learned about working with screenwriters, the goals and objectives of the creators of the tape and the ongoing search for a second medal.

Nikolai, tell us about your collaboration with the creators of the film "Champions", which tells the story of your family.
- I collaborated with the creators of this film, there was a long consulting work with the scriptwriters. He did not take part in the filming. There were difficult filming schedules, I had a fully loaded calendar, I just didn’t have time. The only thing is that we talked a little with Mark Bogatyrev, the actor who plays my hero.

- Did you know this young actor before the movie "Champions"? Have you seen his work?
- Frankly, I don't watch TV very often, so I didn't know this actor and didn't know him.

It seems to me that the creators of the film did not set themselves the goal of showing a documentary film about athletes, there is a more important message: to reveal the story. All the stories in the film were completely different: for some it was a love story, for someone it was a life story, a family story, for someone it was a story connected with fans.

You were present at the closed premiere screening of the film "Champions". How realistic was the story of your victory?
- To be honest, there is no definite answer to this question, since this is a feature film and elements of fiction, of course, are present. There are questions about the chronology of events, but in general the story was conveyed quite realistically. It seems to me that the creators of the film did not set themselves the goal of showing a documentary film about athletes, there is a more important message: to reveal the story. All the stories in the film were completely different: for some it was a love story, for someone it was a life story, a family story, for someone it was a story connected with fans. The creators of the film, in my opinion, tried to reveal the theme of patriotism and support for our athletes in a completely versatile way. Many sometimes forget that athletes are living people who, in addition to sports, have a private life and it is also interesting, although sometimes very difficult.

- Did you like the choice of your actor? Do you think Mark coped with the task assigned to him?
- Probably, the creators of the picture and the audience should answer this question. In my opinion, the emotion was absolutely correctly conveyed, the emotions were played absolutely realistically. With this, Mark undoubtedly coped. And let film critics and those people who come to the cinema and watch the film give an assessment of his work. I can say one thing for sure: I would watch this film again, because the premiere screening turned out to be very difficult for me. Cause? Any person related to the picture is trying to find their own nuances.

- What did you feel when you looked at yourself from the side? How did the audience react?
- In my opinion, the film turned out to be dramatic, at least for me, because all the stories that are revealed in the film are quite dramatic in themselves, and personally the film kept me in suspense from the first to the last frame. In addition, there are a number of touching moments that really touch the soul, and it seems to me that those lucky ones who managed to get to the premiere experienced similar emotions.

- In your opinion, why from a huge number real stories Athletes were chosen precisely these five?
- It is difficult for me to answer this question, because I did not take part in the selection of episodes and stories. Probably, this question should still be addressed to the creators of the picture.

- Who went to the premiere with you?
- We had a fairly large group of relatives, friends, comrades and work colleagues, representatives of the Russian Biathlon Union, so I had a large support group.

- Did they share their impressions with you about what they saw on the screen?
- I can't say that we actively shared our opinions and impressions on this matter. Many people liked the film, and almost everyone said that they would like to watch it again in order to understand the whole story in detail.

In our country, there is a huge number of great athletes, great people, one movie about which will not be enough. When we were at the premiere, I caught myself thinking: there are so many people who would be worthy to have such a film made about them. There are a lot of these athletes, each of them deserves a separate story about himself.

- In your opinion, what goals and objectives did the filmmakers set for themselves?
- The main objectives of this film are the awakening of patriotic feelings, especially on the eve of the Olympic Games. We will all watch the Games and cheer for our athletes. Pictures of this kind allow us to somehow reveal that side of an athlete’s life that is hidden from the eyes, because the viewer most often sees competitions and does not know that whole lives and dramatic destinies pass behind this short competitive time. Athletes have to overcome not only themselves, but also life circumstances, misunderstanding of other people, and so on. Therefore, the main thought and idea of ​​the film is to rally our society before the Olympics, and not only before it. Still, here lies the idea that the athletes who will represent the country at the Olympic Games are the best of the best, those people who are the best prepared today. And even though someone may not be able to show a high or expected result, they do their best. It seems to me that today all the guys who will perform at the Games need our simple human support. Not throwing mud, not a statement of facts, even if not unfounded, but support and understanding that they are rooting for them and believe that they will succeed. The athlete knows everything better without us.

Many figures in the film industry in our country are talking about the revival of sports patriotic cinema. "Legend No. 17" and "Champions" confirm this. What athletes, in your opinion, deserve to be filmed about them?
- In fact, in our country there is a huge number of great athletes, great people, one movie about which will not be enough. When we were at the premiere, I caught myself thinking: there are so many people who would be worthy to have such a film made about them. There are a lot of these athletes, each of them deserves a separate story about himself. This is a huge field of activity, there is no end of work there. In general, in the life of any athlete who performs at the very high level, for sure there is something similar that could form the basis for creating a picture or plot for a movie.

Svetlana Zhurova, after the premiere of the film, said that it makes sense to show "Champions" in sports schools and hold meetings with the athletes whose stories were told in it. If, nevertheless, such a project is created, will you be ready to take part in it?
- Yes. And what's more, I support Svetlana's idea, because today's guys need some living examples. The beauty of this film lies in the fact that it tells not about those athletes who, perhaps, are no longer with us, but the history of contemporaries is revealed, and things that are absolutely understandable even for children are shown. Often, young people are not always interested in watching patriotic films just because they see a gap in time, and this tape tells about today and the heroes of this time: Anton Sikharulidze, Lenochka Berezhnaya, Svetlana Zhurova, Katya Ilyukhina.

- In your opinion, at what age will children be able to correctly understand this picture?
- It seems to me that it can be watched from any age, especially since there are no age restrictions in the picture. The film is in a very understandable language, filmed in youth slang and does not set the task of understanding the deep meaning. Everything is told in a very simple and understandable way.

- As far as I understand, your story is not over yet. The search for the second medal continues?
Yes, we are still working on this issue. This is not to say that this is a fixed idea, but everything is in the process.

Source: Dmitry Sokolov, SBB Special Correspondent Nikolai Konstantinovich Kruglov Graduate of the State Institute physical culture them. P.F. Lesgaft (1976). Honored Master of Sports (1975, biathlon). Champion of the USSR in the individual championship and in the relay (1973-1975). World Champion (1974.1977 - 4x7.5 km relay, 1975 - 10 km sprint). Silver (1975 - individual 20 km race and 4x7.5 km relay, 1977 - 10 km sprint) and bronze (1976 - 10 km sprint, 1979 - 4x7.5 km relay) medalist of the world championships. Two-time Olympic champion (1976) in the 20 km individual race and the 4x7.5 km relay.
Awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor (1976). He worked as a biathlon trainer for the Armed Forces, a teacher at the GZRKU PVO. Retired lieutenant colonel. Honored Coach of Russia.
This year, N.K. Kruglov's treasury of awards was replenished with the title "Hero of Sports". The famous biathlete was honored by the national public fund "Constellation" and one of the Nizhny Novgorod charitable foundations. The diploma was signed by the great doctor Leonid Roshal.

Nikolai Konstantinovich Kruglov was born on January 31, 1950 in the Balakhna district of the Gorky region, in the homeland of one of the founders of the Nizhny Novgorod militia in 1612, Kuzma Minin, in the village of Krasny Mys. Nikolai Konstantinovich's parents died early. He was left without a father at the age of six, without a mother at 11. He was brought up with his brother Alexander. He is 13 years older than Nikolai Konstantinovich. To the question: “Was it hard?” Nikolai Konstantinovich answered simply and sincerely: “Normal. But they grew up as normal people.”

“Normal” is a word in which my interlocutor puts a special meaning. Normal is not just good, it is the way it should be, the way it is required.

Nikolai Konstantinovich does not like to talk about "what would happen if ...". It was like this and nothing else. He is harsh in his wording when it comes to injustice. About any injustice. Especially in relation to the sport to which most of his life is devoted.

Nikolai Konstantinovich, you came to biathlon while serving in the army, before that you were engaged in skiing, but they left him and "picked up a gun." Why such a choice?

Biathlon "tried" when he served in the air defense forces in the Urals district. They offered to take up this sport for those who want to. I liked it - for many reasons. An interesting sport. More interesting than skiing. Because it is a synthesis of two kinds.

Why do people watch biathlon? He is more gambling, more serious, more unpredictable. Everything is clear in skiing - if you are strong, then you will be a leader. Yes, without tactics there is nowhere, you need to look ahead, as they say, but we have even more tactics. Everything multiplies. Everything is much more serious. Although biathletes are funny guys ...

- And what were the successes in the competitions?

At the championship of the Armed Forces, he was fifth in both cross-country skiing and biathlon. I had little to do in the army: I served, I graduated from the school of sergeants - the school of junior commanders. But, having retired from the army, he did not leave biathlon.

After the army, you came to Gorky, came to work at the Krasnoe Sormovo plant - this, so to speak, is the labor part of your biography. What about biathlon? Where did you train?

There is no biathlon at Krasny Sormovo and there never was, so I started doing it at Trud. I got into the “trade unions”, then into the national team. On the spot, in Gorky, I trained very little, my mentor here was Boris Pavlovich Martynov, a cross-country skiing coach at the Krasnoye Sormovo sports club, but these were special cases. And so basically on the road, including sometimes here in Gorky. VN Komarov (coach of the Lokomotiv sports club) also helped me. Helped with weapons, because I didn’t have them at first.

- There were no weapons? But you have already competed at international competitions.

Yes, I did, but I didn't have a weapon. I was not given it. As a novice athlete, I came to the Trud society, and everything was distributed there. Nikolay (son), by the way, had a similar situation.

Nevertheless, you got into the national team rather quickly. Meanwhile, they say, it was more difficult to qualify for the national team of those years than to win the World Cup. It's true?

The competition is always high. For the strong it is less, for the weak it is higher. I quickly got into the national team and entrenched in it for a long time. Probably had good data. Much was given from birth - as I understand it. Well, he set the tasks correctly and solved them correctly.
Indeed, in Russia there were quite a few strong athletes. And for many it is difficult to get into the national team because the mass character of biathlon is very high. And a very large number of athletes of approximately the same level. Let's say 10-15 rather strong biathletes perform at the World Championships - a group of the strongest. The rest are weaker. Here we could have 30. Today one will perform normally, tomorrow another. Well, and you never know any other reasons that we have in Russia ...

After you joined the national team, Alexander Tikhonov was the leader there. How difficult was the rivalry with him?

Well, how hard is it? He is a strong athlete. But he was defeated - and more than once, in particular, at the Olympic Games, at the world championships.

- And yet, was Tikhonov an involuntary guide?

I qualified for the national team after he appeared in the team. Yes, I had to look at it. Although I looked at everyone. And I took all the best from many - I took what I needed. What could be borrowed? For example, Viktor Mamatov has the ability to concentrate and assemble. On the other hand, I also came not an ordinary person - a strong one with a strong character.

How did your personal relationship develop?

They folded normally. Usually. We crossed paths only at training camps and competitions. Where can I communicate with him? He lived in Novosibirsk, I live in Nizhny Novgorod. Even more so now. He has his life, we have ours. That's all.

- Did you have "landmarks" from among foreign biathletes?

In our time there were very few international competitions, respectively, and met with athletes a little. What will you take in this case? Yes, and it was not necessary then as it is now.

But they say that knowledge of the opponent, his strengths and weaknesses- this is an additional trump card in the struggle for leadership ...

An athlete in such sports as ours competes with himself. “You know - you don’t know” is a significant factor in the pursuit, which we did not have, in the relay race, in the mass start. Yes, there you must know the individual qualities of each athlete: how he behaves at the turn, how he shoots, where, etc. Nikolai and I talked a lot about this topic.
And then what? 20 km and relay. You go and you go. You fight with yourself. Shot - hit - well done. No means everything. Of course, you study your opponent: how he feels, how he moves. This small "anamnesis" is quite enough to compete normally.

Competitions, especially at the international level, are a big psychological burden. Did you train with specialists who helped you relieve stress and get ready for the race?

We had a "psychologist", the best - masseur Valentin Sobolev. His memory was phenomenal. I went to a lot of Olympics - both summer and winter. And now you ask him about anyone - he will tell you about everything during the massage. Here is the mood! And everything else... Some guys came to us, but... I'm not saying that psychologists are bad people. But what happened at our level is trifles. Nonsense, in general.

Did you have your own race preparation secret that you would share with your son? What should you think about, what to do before the start?

You should always think about what you will do. You can't help but think about the race anyway. My son said in an interview that before one of the Olympic distances he read some kind of historical novel, but he didn’t understand anything there, his thoughts were only about “tomorrow”. It really is.

No need to strain, split. You just need to think not about the race itself, about how you will perform, but about what exactly you will do. You know the route, so go through it - you need to concentrate, soberly evaluate, and not “burn”. This is how I approached responsible competitions. In the evening I will go out, take a walk, and the next day I already know where I will go more often, where, on the contrary, I will swing.

- How important was the help of coaches at a distance to you?

I did not ask for help from distance coaches. I didn't need it in bulk. Let's say I'm walking and shooting normally, but there's nothing I can do to make another athlete shoot at the "penalty". Excessive information on the "twenty" can be fraught. Why do you need to know that the other shot without a penalty, and that's how much you win. Die, do it? And you begin to think latently: “But I am obliged, I must ...”. And often it doesn't work.

They also say that shooting “doesn’t work” because of extraneous thoughts, because he approached the line unprepared. Is it so? Many fans are interested in what the biathlete is thinking about during the shooting.

During the shooting, there is no time to think, for example, that they are looking at you. You just need to think about how to work correctly. Everything happens almost on autopilot. There is a moment - and that's it.
It is necessary to develop precisely such qualities that allow you to focus on the processing of the trigger - no more. Know how to concentrate.

We must think about what is necessary, and not about what climbs into the head. Who knows how - the results. Someone gets it automatically, but the machine does not always work clearly. We need to focus, show volitional qualities. It's very difficult, of course. But the strong show.

Does success always depend on the athlete? For example, the press wrote that the failure at the 1978 championship was due to the late transition to the new kind weapons.

In 1978, I shot without a penalty at all, and was only fourth. At that time, the entire championship was unsuccessful for us. We even finished fourth in the relay. For the Soviet team, this is a failure. It was like that.

If we didn’t “fly” ourselves, if the coaches always smeared in a good way ... Very often we “flew” with lubricants. I remember very well that, in particular, in the 77th year, I was "smeared" and Ushakov. I lost 38 seconds and was only sixth, although I lost to those athletes who won by three minutes each. "Smeared" was tightly.

You had a successful pre-Olympic season. A year before games-76 at the World Championships in Antholz, you won gold in the sprint and two silvers. Did you expect to repeat the success in Innsbruck?

Counted - did not count ... It is only a fool who can say: "I will win - and that's it!". Especially in this kind of sport. I prepared, showed very good results, excellent shooting, normal speed qualities. And I think I deserved to win. If it wasn't for the success, of course, I wouldn't hang myself. Do I owe someone something? On the other hand, the burden of responsibility is enormous. The whole country was watching - moreover, then the competitions had just begun to be shown, before that in small fragments in the news. Moreover, I am a responsible person. I understood that, as they said, “the country has entrusted”, that they hope for someone, but not for someone - he came, participated and left. And I was driving with certain, specific goals. Well, everything worked out fine.

- You have two Olympic gold- personal and team. Which is more expensive?

Of course, individual. I remember the 20 km race very well – inside and out. Individual is individual. You are the champion and no one but you. A relay is a relay. Also, of course, the discipline is important, but ... As an individual, you are a champion for all time, no matter how anyone would like.

- You participated in one Olympics. It's a shame?

Of course, it's a shame. It happened the way it did, and there's nothing you can do about it. Life is such that it turns around in every way. In any case, it did not depend on me. I was ready perfectly, performed well, and the fact that I didn’t go was not my fault. So, it had to be. Someone ... There are always those who do not want to.

Of course, you don’t choose times, and you don’t like the subjunctive mood, but still, would you like the heyday of your sports career to come today?

Yes, times do not choose ... Of course, I would like to. Moreover, now there are so many such disciplines in which I would look pretty good, as far as I know myself.

- Nikolai Konstantinovich, what is the difference between modern biathlon and biathlon 20-30 years ago?

Lots of psychology. Tactics. Both strategy and tactics are taken into account very well. It is in such disciplines as the pursuit race, mass start, that is exactly what you need to think about. A person must definitely develop tactics, a general strategy even before the race and apply everything that he has in service.

How do you feel about the introduction of new disciplines - such as the mixed relay, the possible appearance of super sprints in the program?

I'm fine. It's interesting! And a short sprint will be interesting. And the mixed relay is one of the most interesting. This is generally an exciting race where both men and women compete. Moreover, it was introduced into the program of the Olympic Games. What is there to say? Kolya, by the way, is so far the only athlete who has become a two-time world champion in this discipline.
I really don't want to go the distance of 20 km. A lot of people watch it, because this is a classic biathlon.

Now there are a lot of starts - both within the framework of the World Cup, the European Cup, and commercial ones. To what extent is this a positive phenomenon, how does it affect biathletes?

For athletes, modern biathlon is a titanic load. Good financially for those who win. Of course, on the other hand, it's hard to run about sixty starts all winter. Yes, there are summer starts. It's hard, it's hard. We have the right not to run. Sent away - and left. With all the ensuing consequences. Tactically somewhere to rest - you have the right to do so. But if you are fighting for cup points, then you will think twice more. It depends, of course, on what goals the coaches pursue, if they pursue any goals at all. For biathlon, this is a plus. What other sport is shown in winter? The people sit and excitedly "sick". People of all ages absolutely. In our house, 80-year-olds sit and watch, pass kind words to Kolya.

He came to the Gorky Sea for literally two days. The girls come up: "Are you Nikolay Kruglov?" "Yes. How did you know?" - we ask. “We watch TV, grandparents, parents watch, root for you.” Nicely. That's what biathlon is and what popularity is. There was nothing like it in our time.

- Putting on skis, did you initially aim Nikolai at biathlon?

A person must undergo ski training. He also played table tennis well. But I think I made a good choice.

Have you ever regretted that your son followed your path?

No never.

- Even in difficult moments, when you parted with the won medals?

I don't regret this. It was just an opportunity... I parted with the medals with absolute ease. What should I look at them? Do you know who I am? And everyone else knows. Everything is fine. Nothing else matters. There was an opportunity - and thank God. This investment turned out to be a positive result.

What else could I do if I come to sports committees - city, regional (they said that "we" do not need biathlon), I say - I need to buy a rifle. (Then Nikolai was studying at the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Dynamo society had to buy a rifle. They answered that “we have no money.”)

The committees also told me that athletes use their own money to buy skates, bicycles ... But I bought a rifle for society with my (!) Money. It's ridiculous that the regional committee does not have nine thousand (for that money). OK. I buy a rifle, skis. I got out of this situation with dignity. And I'm glad it turned out well. The son knows this very well. I just tell him: “Why do I need these medals? You will still spend money." No and no. This is a special case.

Why does my son have to return the medals to me? Why play heroism? This way we will get to the point where he will have to sell his medals in order to buy mine. They have increased in price now, and it is not known how much. If I sold them then for five thousand dollars, and dollars then cost a penny, how much should I pay for them today? ..

- Are the merits of Nicholas appreciated by the local leadership? We talked about the apartment, about premium ...

The issue with the apartment is slowly, but being solved. But Nikolai has not yet arrived from the Olympics to lead the region and the city. No official meetings. Only the school of the Olympic reserve and the native school - the 40th lyceum - were invited.

- Do you still cook it?

We talk to him almost every day. I ask how you are, we communicate regularly. So far, he has not lost a single test in the national team (the conversation took place in August - author).

- What do you intend to “pull up” in preparation for the season?

I think that this year he will, as we talked, ride a lot, more kilometers. After all, this is the time after the Olympic Games. This is not something to “pull up”, but simply to work, to make an inclination towards this.

Which of the rivals should Nikolai be more afraid of: the “old guard” - Bjoerndalen, Poiret, Grice - or the rapidly progressing youth - Ryosha, Chudov, Svennsen, Fourcade?

Everyone. All rivals. All are strong. There are no weak among the strong. Athletes are still growing there.

- Why, in your opinion, Bjoerndalen did not perform very well for his level in Turin?

Well, apparently, psychologically difficult. Very hard. Repeating is always harder than winning. It is difficult to judge, but, apparently, something has not worked out. There are many such athletes. Magdalena Forsberg, for example. Why the same Tikhonov in the 76th? All the same, apparently.

In recent years, the percentage of hits by biathletes has been steadily increasing. Don't you think that this trend increases the role of speed both on the track and when shooting?

Everything is interconnected. Moreover, more attention is paid to the sprint, everything is on TV. In such "downhole" distances as sprint, super sprint, mass start, everything is decided by the quality of shooting, including the rate of fire.

Pavel Rostovtsev noted in an interview that one of our weaknesses- “non-rate of fire”, that we spend a few seconds more on cartridge processing than competitors. How do you feel about this opinion?

That's right, there is. But how are we doing? If you shot badly or slowly, and even unsuccessfully, then today or tomorrow you will be sent to Russia. They will bring another by the ear and they will “roll” him. Three, four times, people are returned to the national team, who have been tested a long time ago and have not shown anything special. This suggests that the athlete is not allowed to experiment. Failed today - goodbye.

How do you feel about the reshuffles in the headquarters of the national team, how positively or negatively they can affect the results of the athletes?

Let's see, of course. A lot depends on the athletes and the conditions. From medicine. From science. Need to be directed training process, control it. Even in our time there were scientific teams. Where the money goes now is not for me to decide. The fact is that there are no scientific teams, as such. This is very bad. Science is inactive. Whatever the athlete would be, if a whole scientific team goes after Bjoerndalen, and in fact we don’t have anyone at all, what results can we talk about?

At the Olympics in Turin, the German team amazed everyone with its power. Do you believe that our athletes will be able to fight the Germans in Vancouver on an equal footing?

There are no invincible people. It's just that we need to adopt what the Germans, Norwegians and everyone else use. After all, nothing just happens. Victory is a merit not only of an athlete. There should be a bunch of people who would solve one problem. Victory is forged not by one person - a coach or an athlete, but by scientists, doctors, massage therapists, and management. The Germans are fine. A German car is a German car. Of course, a lot of people work together. And we are in the Stone Age and we are still competing with them.
After all, athletes are forced to go their own ways, and therefore they “fly in”, including doping. They are scolded, but they need help.

What needs to change in order for things to move forward?

The middle link should work. Even if the president works around the clock, and the rest do not, then nothing will work.
Athletes are also smart, thinking people, and they will also say that you can’t win just like that. You can’t “ride” on one athlete, on his personal health. Something will change. Give something God.

- And who is more difficult - the coach or the athlete?

Of course, the coach. It is much more difficult for him, if, of course, he works, works creatively. Especially if he works alone, and he needs to think about both the doctor and the massage therapist, etc.
The coach cannot look into the soul or into the mind of an athlete. Of course, an athlete also cannot know what the coach thinks, but he has one thing - he must study himself and, together with the coach, develop a strategy and go towards a specific goal. The coach must think, think, think and resolve all doubts.

The coach is to blame for the misses. In victory - the merits of the athlete. If the coach works creatively, of course, it is difficult for him.

I cannot but ask about the current state of biathlon in the Nizhny Novgorod region. For several years now, the leadership of the region and Nizhny Novgorod have been talking about the construction of a biathlon base, but for now, things are not moving forward. Can you say something about this?

There is no Nizhny Novgorod biathlon. Chatter about the biathlon stadium is the third year, in my opinion. And there are still projects in progress! This question was asked more than once, and no one tells me anything, as if I have nothing to do with biathlon. I have already said that I heard statements that we do not have biathlon and we do not need it. And they said: "Your son will never be anyone, I already figured it out." This man apologized for his words. But now the policy, in my opinion, is just that.

You, like no one else, are interested in the development of biathlon. Have you tried dating the governor? He could listen to your words.

I once asked for a meeting with the governor - I just wanted to describe the situation. After all, all the people who are "at the posts" will speak from their bell tower, defend some of their own selfish goals. It's one hundred percent. I don't hold any positions.

I have a great attitude to all sports and never spit on them. But for some reason we have the majority in the paddock Olympic sports. At least there is a springboard, they jump from it. But there is nothing for biathlon: a roller track, a shooting range, weapons. The situation is depressing.

In all my life I have never met with anyone from the leadership of the region, no one has ever invited, asked: “Guys, well, what needs to be done?”. So it is this time. There was no meeting. In our country, they are fighting crime, drug addiction, they are developing programs, that is, terrible money laundering is going on. Well, tell me what kind of drug addiction program can be better than that to give money for sports equipment, to enable coaches to work?

- Take, for example, Khanty-Mansiysk. Why is there a different attitude to biathlon?

Is it only in Khanty-Mansiysk?! They love this sport there, they built an excellent shooting range, there is money for it. Nobody says that such a shooting range is needed in Nizhny Novgorod. Here… One gets the feeling that we live in a swamp.

- Finally, a question about the prospects for the upcoming season. What can we fans expect?

Patients get sick. For whom? There is no women's team as such. There are only young people. So ... (smiles - ed.). Who knows, maybe the young will show themselves? But to be objective, it's unlikely. So far, everyone has remained in the men's room: both the “old men” and the “youth”. We will see. We competed before, and now we will.

Nikolai Konstantinovich, thank you for the conversation. Biathlon fans wish you all the best, solve problems with Nizhny Novgorod biathlon, success to your son and congratulate you on the 30th anniversary of graduation from the Lesgaft Institute of Physical Education.

Results of the individual race for men, 20 km, 1976, Innsbruck
1. Nikolai Kruglov, USSR
2. Heikki Ikola, Finland
3. Alexander Elizarov, USSR

Relay, 4x7.5, men
1. USSR (Alexander Elizarov, Ivan Byakov, Nikolai Kruglov, Alexander Tikhonov)
2. Finland (Henrik Fleyit, Esco Saira, Juhani Suutarinen, Heikki Ikola)
3. GDR (Karl-Heinz Menz, Frank Ulrich, Manfred Beer, Manfred Geier)