Biathlete Khalili won the marathon with cramps and loss of concentration: “Cool distance”

Yes, not all leading athletes took advantage of the chance to become known as eagles on the biathlon circuit. In Uvat, Eduard Latypov and in general the group of coach Kaminsky, Alexander Loginov, Anton Babikov, Daniil Serokhvostov did not take part in the marathon… Ahead is the final of the Commonwealth Cup in Murmansk on April 12-14, apparently, they set priorities not in favor of the marathon.

But last year’s winner Nikita Porshnev, and Karim Khalili, who then won silver, and Alexander Povarnitsyn, Kirill Bazhin, Ivan Kolotov, Pyotr Paschenko also entered the distance…

And now – 40 km, eight firing lines, after the fourth line – a pit stop with a change of clip and skis. Penalty loop length: 75 meters. If he missed, he ran for free throws and stretched his distance even further. Thirty participants.

Karim Khalili, who was able to ideally lead himself to the main starts of the season and was even tired of fending off these questions (how is that possible?), covered the distance in 1 hour 57 minutes 41.7 seconds. And he made only three mistakes on eight firing lines. Nikita Porshnev finished in second place (+1.01.6; 7 misses), and Ivan Kolotov (+1.04.6; 5 misses) finished third.

Karim Khalili, without a doubt, brought himself to the main competitions most successfully of all the athletes. At the Spartakiad in Zlatoust he won gold in the mass start and silver in the pursuit. In Ufa he won the individual race of the Russian Cup final. Just in Tyumen at the Russian Championship, which ended a few days ago, I received two gold medals: in the sprint and mass start.

In Uvat, Karim simply rushed over a long distance, not particularly outwardly, it would seem, bothering with shooting, but at the same time not missing. One miss after six boundaries, then two more on the seventh. But they didn’t solve anything at all, much less irritate me, because the opponents were somewhere far behind.

Therefore, it was not impudent at all to tell the story after the finish that he was driving and counting: how much can you miss? The distance still took a lot of energy, so different thoughts crept in, Khalili wanted to be ready if he “really knocked him out.”

And how much these laps of the biathlon marathon cost could be understood from the champion’s meager story. Khalili remembered that from the seventh-eighth lap, cramps began, his muscles cramped, and at the penultimate turn he lost his concentration a little. The track is difficult, even if you try to “economize”, it’s hard to recover.

But the winner will name all of the above beautifully and say that in the last laps, “of course, I didn’t get bored.” And he recognizes the marathon as a “cool discipline.” And after the finish, Karim will dedicate the victory to the friend with whom he trains: Daniil Serohvostov. “I drove and thought only about him.” On this day, Daniel celebrated his 25th birthday.

Nikita Porshnev, remaining second, was pleased. And the fact that he was able to fight long distances is something that he traditionally runs well. And the fact that we managed to win several medals at the end of the season.

The finish brought Porshnev silver in the marathon. Even before the last milestone, Nikita, Ivan Kolotov, Kirill Bazhin and Vyacheslav Maleev began the battle for second and third places. But clean shooting left Porshnev and Kolotov “in action.” Ivan, who had already created a sensation at the Russian Championship by winning the pursuit race, still lost to Nikita. But he immediately called him “a great fellow,” admitting that Porshnev “masterfully did it” at the finish line.

And at the same time he admitted to Match TV that he was afraid that his rivals might catch up at the finish line. “I understood that it was the last lap, and when there were two kilometers left, the struggle was not for life, but for death, with myself first of all.”

And on April 5, women will take to the start of the 30-kilometer marathon in Uvat. They, too, apparently want a backhand fight, these thrills that Kolotov spoke about. And in general, the mood in Russian biathlon is understandable. As Kirill Bazhin noted, “everyone says, “a lot of races, a lot of races,” but in March we rested for almost three weeks, so I want to run and run.”

Russian Biathlon Championship. Marathon, 40 km

1. Karim Khalili – 1.57.41.7 (3 penalties)

2. Nikita Porshnev – +1.01.6 (7)

3. Ivan Kolotov – +1.04.6 (5)

4. Vyacheslav Maleev – +1.19.5 (10)

5. Kirill Bazhin – +1.28.2 (5)

6. Alexander Povarnitsyn – +2.15.1 (7)