Akhatova Albina Khamitovna is one of the most titled Russian biathletes. Winner of several state awards. Rightfully considered one of the best skiers in the history of the Russian Federation.
Albina Akhatova: biography, early years
The future champion was born in November 1976 in Nikolsk. I grew up in a family of athletes. My father was a famous coach who trained more than one famous skier and biathlete. The girl's mother was the director of the Sports Palace in Labytnangi. It was clear that Albina would connect her life with sports.
At ten years old, Albina Akhatova, whose photo you see in the article, went skiing for the first time. Dad undertook to train her, and even then the little athlete demonstrated that she had certain inclinations. She was directly involved in cross-country skiing and, until she graduated from school, regularly participated in children's and various youth competitions. In 1993, he fulfilled the standard of the master of sports in cross-country skiing. It was then that it became clear that Albina Akhatova was ready to devote herself entirely to skiing.
The beginning of a sports career
In 1993, Leonid Guryev became the coach of a talented skier. It is he who prepares her for the first serious competition in her career. The girl will train in Khanty-Mansiysk. Even then, Akhatova Albina will begin to engage directly as a biathlete. In the same year, she goes to the first Youth Olympic Games. Unfortunately, it was not possible to win any award, but Albina showed herself from the best side. She becomes eleventh in the classic sprint and eighth in the air rifle biathlon. After these competitions, the young Russian woman began to be talked about all over the world.
In 1994 Albina Akhatova goes to the Arctic Games, which will mark the beginning of a successful career. From there he will return with three awards at once, and two of them will be received for the first place. In the relay four by seven and a half kilometers Akhatova Albina Khamitovna won her first gold in her career. A few days later, she becomes the first in the sprint at a distance of seven and a half kilometers. At the end of the tournament, he rises to the second place of the podium in the ten-kilometer pursuit race.
Participation in the World Cup
Being a twenty-year-old girl, she goes to the World Cup for the first time. At that time, Albina Akhatova was already a fairly well-known athlete.
The sprint race in January 1996 becomes her debut. Unfortunately, it is not possible to show a decent result. The girl becomes only fifty-sixth. It is noteworthy that she performedworse than all other Russians.
A year later, the World Cup was held in Sweden, and here she was able to improve last year's result. As a result, it becomes the seventeenth. It was noticeable that the young biathlete was progressing and would soon be able to claim prizes.
Indeed, in 1998 Albina for the first time rises to the podium. It happened in Slovakia. In the individual race, she managed to become the second. Experts were sure that the Russian woman would soon be able to win the gold of the World Cup, but this did not happen. A significant event happened only in 2003 in Italy. In subsequent years, she will be able to become the first one more times, the second seven times and the third ten times.
Totally participated in 172 World Cup races during her professional career.
Performances at world championships
For the first time Akhatova Albina went to competitions of this level in 1998, in Holmenkollen. Many were sure that the Russian woman would be able to take first place here. Akhatova also had no doubt that she would return home with an award, because at that time she was in good shape. The predictions were confirmed, and the biathlete really won gold in the team race at a distance of seven and a half kilometers.
The next season upset the girl. She took part in two races at once: an individual fifteen kilometers and a team relay. Managed to win only bronze and silver, respectively. For others, such a result would be excellent, but not for Albina Akhatova, she raised too highbar for yourself.
In 2000, he wins gold in the four by seven kilometers relay. It is noteworthy that in the same city, the Russian woman won her first World Championship medal exactly two years ago.
In 2003, the competitions were held in Khanty-Mansiysk, which is well known to the biathlete. Naturally, all representatives of the Russian team tried to perform as best as possible. The two-time winner of the Arctic Games was no exception. She managed to confirm the highest level and won two gold medals. Thus, at the age of twenty-seven, she becomes a four-time world champion.
In 2004, Albina takes part in a tournament in Oberhof. Wins silver in the 7.5 km race and the 4 x 6 km relay.
In 2008 he goes to his last World Championship in Östersund. In the pursuit race, he rises to the third step of the podium, and in the sprint - to the second.
Continental Championships
Albina participated in the European Championship once. It happened in 1997 in Austria, namely in Windischgarsten. At that tournament, the Russian team took first place. This became possible largely due to the successful performances of Albina Khamitovna. She helped to get gold in the relay at a distance of three to seven and a half kilometers. In the individual race was the second.
Olympic Games
The Olympics is the dream of any professional athlete. Akhatova took part in this tournament three times, which she is extremely proud of. Another reason to be proud is the fact that she always came home with awards.
In 1998, she went with the Russian national team to the international games in Nagano. There she replenished the collection of awards with a silver medal. Four years later, in S alt Lake City, he won bronze in the team relay. In 2006, in Turin, she once again proves that she is one of the best skiers on the planet. She managed to get three medals at once: two bronzes in individual races and gold in the relay.
Doping scandal
In the winter of 2008, a blood sample was taken from Albina Akhatova, which was supposed to show the presence of illegal drugs in her body. The International Biathlon Union later confirmed that there was a banned substance in the blood. In 2009, the sports court decides to suspend the athlete from participating in international tournaments for two years, and she was also banned from participating in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.
The girl could not agree with such a verdict and filed an appeal to Lausanne, but this did not produce any results. The Biathlon Union released an official statement saying that through scientific research it was possible to confirm the presence of prohibited drugs in the blood.
Albina Khamitovna continued to fight for her reputation, but there were no results. As a result, in 2010 the period of disqualification expired. She did not return to the sport, but decided to end her career.
Coaching
After a line was drawn under professional sports, the skier decided to try herself inas a coach. Initially, she coached Maxim Maximov, who is the winner of the World and European Championships and part-time her husband.
In 2012, she received an offer to become a shooting coach and accepted it. Since then, he has held this position in the national team of the Tyumen region.
Albina Akhatova: personal life, her children
In 2002, she legalized relations with Dmitry Maslov, who is also a famous skier. The marriage lasted until 2004. The young people had no children.
The second marriage was with Andrei Dmitriev. He worked as a doctor for the women's biathlon team. Did Albina Akhatova become a mother in this marriage? Children were welcome in this family, and in 2006 the couple had a boy, whom they decided to call Leonid. It was because of pregnancy and childbirth that the girl completely missed the 2006/2007 season.
Now Albina Akhatova, whose personal life interests many of her fans, is married to Maxim Maximov, who has a son from his first marriage. In 2013, young people got married, and in the same year they had a daughter, who was named Nastya.
Interests
Like all people, Albina has other interests besides her main activity. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis, skiing in the mountains, and enjoys planting cacti. However, she prefers to devote most of her free time to children and her husband. Albina is not at all bothered by the fact that she has to immediately raise three children. Her husband helps her in every possible way and always tries to support her.
From food anddrinks prefers green tea, strawberries and roasted duck. As for her favorite discipline in skiing, here the girl prefers an individual race for fifteen kilometers.
Economist by education. Graduated from the State University of Railways and Communications. Today she is a postgraduate student at one of the universities of Tyumen.
Lives in Labytnangi. Biathlon tournaments named after the famous Russian skier are regularly held in Nikolsk. Competitions are held primarily in order to introduce the younger generation to the sport. Naturally, coaches often find talented guys here, who then begin to professionally engage in this sport.
Awards and achievements
In addition to international awards, she is a multiple winner of the Russian championships. Defends the colors of CSKA Moscow. He has several state awards in his collection, among which it is customary to single out the Order of Honor for his great contribution to the development of sports and the medal "For Merit to the Fatherland" of the first degree for excellent results at the Olympics in S alt Lake City.
Akhatova Albina Khamitovna, whose personal life was discussed in this article, is a loving and caring mother, beloved wife and great athlete. Perhaps her career would have been even more successful if not for the doping scandal. Unfortunately, due to someone's unprofessionalism, the girl lost at least a few more gold awards. However, she does not worry about this, because she already managed a lot.achieve. The skier showed the whole world that it is necessary to fight even in situations where there is no chance anymore. It was thanks to her intransigence that she managed to reach those heights that many never dreamed of.
Some experts say with confidence that Akhatova is one of the strongest skiers at a distance of fifteen kilometers in the modern history of the Russian Federation.
