The swift career of the Honored Master of Sports, biathlete Alexei Volkov did not go unnoticed by the public. For 6 years, the athlete became the only six-time European champion and eight-time Russian champion in history. Alexey is an Olympic champion, multiple European medalist and two-time world champion. What is the secret to such success?
Athlete's Family
Alexey Volkov (biathlete) was born on April 5, 1988 in the city of Raduzhny, Tyumen Region. Parents are not the indigenous inhabitants of the city, they came to Rainbow for production. Alexey's father is an electrician, his mother worked as a machinist.
According to the athlete, he did not study very well at school, after the ninth grade he was simply hinted that he would not finish the eleventh. But this did not stop the athlete from graduating from a professional lyceum with a degree in electrician, and then getting higher education. Alexey is a graduate of Surgut State University.
The wife of Alexei Volkov is a biathlete, master of sports, silver medalist of Europe. Before the wedding, young people met for several years, the wedding ceremony took place in April 2014 in Khanty-Mansiysk during the Russian Championship. In October 2015, Alexei and Eugenia had a daughter. The athlete says that children are a great joy in life, it’s much harder to leave for training camps for a long time.
Skiing - a childhood hobby
Alexei started skiing at the age of 9. The first coach is Andrey Kolisnichenko. In 2003, a biathlon school was created in Nizhnevartovsk, in which successful skiers were recruited. In the same year, Alexei's father was awarded a trip to the World Cup, where Alexey Volkov first saw such competitions live. The athlete recalls that on his return, when the coach came to record in the section, Alexei, without hesitation, switched to biathlon.
The athlete recalls that they ran cross-country in the park, and he wanted to ski. After three weeks, he got bored, so he stopped visiting the biathlon section. A year later, the younger brother Sasha went to biathlon school, his coach invited the best skiers to the team training camp, including Alexey Volkov.
The biathlete says that at that time, leaving Raduzhny was a huge event. The coach promised to take Alexei to the training camp, provided that he did not miss a single workout during the year. At that time, the young athlete did not even think about the Olympics. I just understood: it would be good to train - I could go to the training camp.
First fees
The first training camp in 2003 in Kazakhstan, Alexey Volkov (biathlete) remembers well. He recalls that at that time it was difficult with equipment, and all of it came down to a hat and gloves. At the same time, the athlete was engaged in a polyathlon - it was skiing for a ten-kilometer distance, pneumatic shooting from 10 meters standing and pulling up. Therefore, the athlete shot well.
Alex persuaded the coach to take him to training camps in Khanty-Mansiysk, as he was no longer in the group by age. The athlete went to the camp at his own expense. Then he took first place at the Championship, which surprised everyone, since these were his first competitions. So Alex got into the biathlon team of the region.
Rapid success
Aleksei Anatolyevich Volkov falls into the junior team in April 2009 and becomes a real find of the national championship - ahead of all participants in the number of medals. In addition, he wins the prize of the governor of the Tyumen region - a car - and becomes the youngest owner of such a prize. In December of the same year in Sweden, the athlete participates in the World Cup.
Aleksey is distinguished by his constant desire for victory. The European Championship 2010 brought the athlete medals in four disciplines. In February 2011, participating in the European Championship brings him silver in the sprint and gold in the pursuit. In December of the same year, Alexei Anatolyevich Volkov took part in the race and won the competition. Biathlete’s sports career is on the rise:
- In 2012, Alexei wins the individual race and the pursuit in Uvat, takes second place in the mass start, in the relay team race he becomes the six-time champion of the country.
- In 2013, Alexei was the silver medalist of Russia; the relay race brought the athlete a silver medal.
- In 2014 receives silver in the individual race.
- In 2015, she became Russia's silver medalist in the pursuit, relay and mass start.
- In 2016, takes second place in the relay at the World Cup.
In November 2016, the World Cup started in Sweden, it will end in March 2017 in Norway. The Russian team took second place in the mixed relay. Alexey Volkov is also a member of the team. The biathlete says that after the IBU Cup, there was only 2 days to recover. He didn’t feel very well, but was pleased with his performance. Plans to participate in the IBU Cup individual race in Arber.