Khrustaleva says after her victory Kazakhstan will be valued in world of “biatlonists”
09/03/2010ALMATY – Central Asia’s lone Olympic medalist, Elena Khrustaleva, wasn’t expecting to win a medal at Vancouver. After all, in 12 years as a professional athlete, she had never won a medal in any competition.
“I wanted this victory, but didn’t expect it. I knew there were strong competitors and took that into account”, she told Central Asia Online. Khrustaleva said her goal was to finish fifth — the minimum required by her contract with Kazakhstan’s Olympic Committee.
But Khrustaleva beat Norway’s Ture Begrer by 20 seconds to win silver in the women’s 15km individual pursuit biathlon.
“This is my first Olympic medal. I never won another prize-winning place, not in the world cup or the world championship. My best result was sixth place in PyeongChang Korea at the biathlon world championship”.
Despite her unexpected win, the 29 year-old says she wasn’t surprised. “I was awfully happy — but not surprised”.
Khrustaleva is originally from Krasnodar, Russia, where her parents still live. She began training as a teenager. She was one of four children. Her brother was also a biathlete, and even though he gave it up she said he still “always worries about his sister, and this time worried as well.” Khrustaleva said her entire family has closely followed her success.
She failed to make the Russian Olympic team, so in 2002, she represented Belarus at Salt Lake City, Utah, where she came in seventh. Afterward, she moved to Kazakhstan, and last year became a citizen.
“If you’re comparing it to Russia, of course training conditions in Kazakhstan are much worse. But I had my own advantages. So, here there are pluses and minuses. I decided to give up more comfortable conditions, in part good target ranges and roller tracks, but I get an advantage from training in the mountains, living in a home environment, and eating natural food. At the moment good ski-biathlon training centres are being completed in Kazakhstan, and the training conditions are improving, although this is only for the coming years”.
Khrustaleva downplayed her move to Kazakhstan. “The medal is an award for the sportsman. And if he was born in Russia or some other country and left for somewhere else – what does it matter”?
She said winning the silver in Vancouver has given her confidence.
“I know that I can do it, and will continue training, and will go further. I don’t promise the gold in the future, but I will strive to represent the country with honour”, she said.
After so many years without a win, Khrustaleva seems to be enjoying her fame. Upon her arrival in Kazakhstan she was greeted at the airport: “With an orchestra, music, posters, and a tonne of flowers”.
For winning the silver, Khrustaleva has been awarded US $150,000 by the government, and was named a lieutenant in the interior forces. The akim of Almaty Akim has promised her an apartment. “There was an official celebratory meeting with the president”, who said she “saved Kazakhstan and Central Asia from humiliation”.
Ahead for Khrustaleva in 2010 is the Kazakhstan Championship and the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsk competition in Russia. “You won’t see me in the world cups; I’m leaving all that for next season”, she said.
While she is currently the darling of Kazakhstan and Central Asia, Khrustaleva said her life’s work is to continue training.
“My own demands and those of my leadership have grown. So I am going to work harder”, she said. “But right now I can’t pledge to win everything everywhere”.