Excellent athletes Russia is rich. You can recall a lot of names that have become widely known not only within one country, but also around the world. They were able to increase the reputation of Russia in their sport. However, we will not talk about all the athletes who glorified the country. There is simply not enough strength for this. In this review, it was decided to talk about a man like Alexander Zubkov. He managed to achieve a lot with his crew in a sport such as bobsled.
There is an opinion that the steering bean, rushing at a speed that exceeds 100 km / h, on a specially designed gutter, must be born. Our country may well be proud of the fact that it lives in its open spaces, and also brings such an athlete to fame.
When did bobsleigh become popular?
It all started quite simply. About a sport such as bobsleigh, in the USSR it became known only after the 1984 Olympics. The first success in this discipline was achieved by Soviet bobsledders in competitions held in Sarajevo. This inspired the boys and made them learn about what this sport is.
First Steps to Glory
It was during this period that Alexander Zubkov, who was 10 years old, decided to enter the sledding section. However, he did not even think about bobsleigh, devoting himself to luge. His first coach was E. Karabanova. After Alexander moved to Irkutsk, he began to train under the leadership of L. Antonenko. Mentors managed to instill in the guy not only perseverance, but also determination, on which success in professional sports disciplines will completely depend.
The results were not long in coming. The biography of Alexander Zubkov was replenished with the first victories and cups. He became a prize winner in luge in various categories.
Change of sports directions
The year 1994 was marked by the fact that Alexander, together with Danila Chaban, managed to get ahead of absolutely all the rivals in the sleigh-two competitions. Given the fact that this sport has much in common with bobsled, the competitions were held on the same tracks. And that is precisely why the question arose before Alexander about who he should be - a sleigh rider or a bobsledder. He made his decision only after the Olympics, which took place in 1998 in Nagano. The biography of Alexander Zubkov took a completely different path. He began to participate in completely new bobsled competitions. P. Koloedov began to train him.
From this period Alexander’s life was replenished with new sports pages. The sufficiently strong character of the athlete fully proved himself in bobsled. Throughout the career path, Alexander was supported by his loving and beloved family - his wife Tanya and daughters Lisa and Milan.
It should be noted that the bobsledder’s wife also went in for sports, namely basketball. The eldest daughter Lisa, like Alexander Zubkov, decided to devote herself to luge.
Regular victories in competitions in Russia
Since 2000, Alexander began to constantly win domestic competitions. However, in Salt Lake City, he was able to take only 16th place. After that, he realized that successes in the world and Olympic arenas remained to be expected not so long, although he would have to work hard. A series of bright enough victories in various competitions has significantly increased the ratings of athletes. In 2006, bobsledder Alexander Zubkov and his crew only confirmed the opinion of the imminent success in this sport. They won
silver medals, losing only to German athletes.
Injuries did not impede bobsledding crew
We also could not do without injuries. The biography of Alexander Zubkov contains such a moment when he injured the Achilles tendon right before the start of the Olympic Games in Turin. However, if he had not taken part in these competitions, he would have completely crossed out the years of continuous training and hard work. And the hopes of numerous fans and coaching staff would have been deceived. This was not able to afford Alexander Zubkov.
Bobsleigh for him was a great chance to show his character in full. However, the following sports were skipped by Alexander due to injury. He took a medical course in Germany. However, after the end of the 2008/2009 season, it became clear to everyone that Alexander was not going to just give up. He and his crew won the World Cup, ahead of everyone in the competition of fours. The team for the first time became the winner, speaking immediately on the fours and on the twos.
The bobsledding crew began to be perceived as direct competitors
To date, the Russians began to train more hard, as many leading athletes perceived them with a kind of leniency. The bobsledding crew could get access to the best European tracks without any problems just because they were not perceived from the position of worthy rivals. However, after the high-profile victories on the world stage, which contains the biography of Alexander Zubkov, the opportunity for training was already provided with great difficulty. After all, few people want to watch how direct competitors are taking shape.
In Russia, regardless of the brilliant results, not a single track was constructed that would meet absolutely all technical requirements. Therefore, a team of Russian athletes hones their skills on a popular track in the city of Sigulda.
Alexander enjoys the success of the whole country
At the 2014 Olympics, Alexander Zubkov was elected ambassador. This event was for the famous athlete a great incentive for an excellent performance at the games. Once again, he was able to prove to absolutely all fans and bobsledders that Russia is a great sports country.
Alexander is not going to stop there. He will continue to try to reach the highest places in such a sport as bobsled. And viewers and numerous fans can only rejoice at the successes of athletes and wait for their new achievements.