The Sochi Olympics did not work out very well for the Russian women's biathlon team. A series of sports scandals, lack of results - it was clear to everyone that the time had come for fresh blood, the arrival of new young talents. One of these hopes was Daria Virolainen. Photos of athletes increasingly appear in publications dedicated to biathlon.
The daughter of the Olympic champion
The girl was born in a famous sports family in 1989 in Khimki near Moscow. Mom, Anfisa Reztsova, was an Olympic champion in biathlon, dad is a coach in the same sport. In addition to Dasha, three more daughters grow up in the family - Kristina, Vasilisa and Maria. Kristina has already achieved some success in biathlon, having won schoolchildren in the Games. However, she became known to the general public thanks to the extravagant attire in one of the races - a pink lace combination over a sports uniform. As the girl later explained, in this way she fulfilled the conditions of a lost dispute.
Daria Virolainen, already 4 years old, went skiing and, under the leadership of Valentina Romanova, began her sporting life. The trainer of Anfisa Reztsova was a famous specialist Leonid Myakishev.
Soon, he becomes the coach of her now 16-year-old daughter. Daria is rapidly progressing and achieving her first success in biathlon.
Privacy break
A sports career takes all your free time and energy. Shooting skiers usually start a family only after thirty years, when they no longer need to think about skiing, rifles, cartridges. Daria Virolainen decided not to delay with a responsible matter and already in 2007 signed with the Belarusian skier Roman, who gave her his exotic for Russia surname and son Daniel. The athlete goes on maternity leave and for some time forgets about biathlon.
Return to the big sport
Athletes always have a hard time returning to an active career after giving birth. But youth takes its toll, and Daria Virolainen immediately starts to win victories. The awards at the summer World Cup, the Universiade gold in 2011 follow - all these are applications for future great achievements.
Then the athlete slows down for a while, and everyone slowly forgets such a name as Daria Virolainen. Biathlon of high results a couple of seasons without a young mother. After a failure for the women's national team of the Olympics, Daria has the opportunity to prove herself. The coaching staff decides to renew the team and puts the biathlete at the World Cup stage in Pokljuka.
Starting among the last in the sprint distance, she flies the entire stretch without a single slip and ahead of the invincible Daria Domracheva, sensationally taking second place.
In the women's biathlon, a new star lights up. In the same year, Daria Virolainen takes bronze at the European Championships in the 10 km race. In the season 2014/2015 she is part of the main team and steadily takes part in all races of the World Cup. 16th place according to the results of the cycle becomes a good achievement for the first full season in the major biathlon league.
Daria takes her second medal at the World Cup on January 24, 2015, giving herself silver for her birthday. She spends her next season not so smoothly. As a result, coaches lose confidence in her and do not always put a biathlete at the main starts of the World Cup 2016/2017.
Nevertheless, such talented athletes as Daria Virolainen are always in sight, and the girl will definitely run fast and shoot accurately.