The future Olympic medalist and world champion in biathlon, Cherezov Ivan Yurievich was born in the Udmurt Republic, in the city of Izhevsk, on November 18, 1980. The athlete began to engage in biathlon very young - at 9 years old, thanks to a friend who brought Vanya to the sports section. Parents approved hobbies of the son. Mom supported the young biathlete in difficult times and did not give up the sport when Ivan wanted to leave him.
The beginning of the way
For 6 years, Cherezov persistently paved the way for the first victory, and at the age of 15 years (1995) he won it at the youth championship in his homeland - in Udmurtia. The first major award Cherezov received in 2000 in Europe. In an individual race, a Russian wins silver. Having replenished his junior piggy bank with several more awards, the athlete gets into the main part of the Russian adult team 3 years later.
In 2003, after the World Cup, Ivan Cherezov strengthens his position in the first team. Ivan combines his hobbies with studying at the Nizhny Novgorod Law Academy, where he mastered the profession of a lawyer. I even managed to work hard for several years in the criminal investigation department.
Best Olympic Athlete of 2006
In 2006, in the relay at the Olympics in Turin, Ivan takes silver. In the relay four participated:
- Cherezov Ivan.
- Rostovtsev Pavel.
- Kruglov Nikolay.
- Chepikov Sergey.
In the same competitions at the World Championships, a Russian wins three gold medals: in 2007 - Anterselva - gold; in 2008 - Ostersund - gold; in 2009 - Pyeongchang - third place in the mass start, first personal medal. Under the guidance of coach and mentor Viktor Churin, in 2006 Ivan Cherezov received the title of best Russian Olympic athlete. The President of Udmurtia handed the athlete a check in the amount of 500 thousand rubles for the prize at the Olympics.
A year later, a joyful event takes place in the biathlete's family - the birth of Alexander’s son. In honor of this, Ivan received keys from a two-room apartment from the President of the Football Federation of the Republic and the President of Udmurtia. Further, Cherezov’s sports career developed rapidly, the silver received at the Olympics in 2006 gave him motivation and strength, he from the 15th position went sharply to 4th place in the overall World Cup.
Sports Achievements
The title of an experienced stable biathlete was associated with the name of Cherezov for his accurate shooting and good running speed. In firing accuracy, his best result was in the 2006/2007 season. 93.1%. At that time, it was the best personal indicator in the overall standings. The athlete’s career went uphill, he confidently began all relay races. And he successfully fought for prizes in such disciplines as:
- sprint;
- pursuit;
- mass start.
At the 2009 World Championships, held in Korea, Ivan Cherezov overtook the biathlon legend Ole-Einar Bjerndalen in the mass race and took the prize third place. Among Russian skiers, Ivan showed the best results in the World Cup. The 2009/2010 season brought the Russian not only bronze, but also a place in the top three of the overall standings.
Achievements in the Olympic Games:
- 2006 in the relay - silver medalist;
- 2010 in the relay - bronze medalist.
Success in the World Championships:
- 2005 - gold in the mixed relay;
- 2007, 2009 - the highest award in the relay 4 x 7.5 km;
- 2011 relay race - silver medal;
- 2009 in the mass start - bronze medalist.
Injury and return
In 2011, on September 22, at the summer biathlon, on the ill-fated Ufa descent, the permanent leader and captain of the Russian team fell and was seriously injured. It was an unpleasant combination of circumstances, Ivan Cherezov slipped due to a stick that knocked down the biathlete's left leg, as a result of which he received a fracture. The athlete had to skip the 2011/2012 season, at which time he successfully underwent surgery and underwent rehabilitation in a New York hospital.
Many have already managed to put an end to Cherezov’s sports career, but he did not forget about biathlon for a minute and, as soon as the doctors allowed, started training. After some time, the ski world of Ivan Cherezov began to fill up with new colors, though not so bright. In March 2012, in Altenberg, at the IBU Cup, the athlete takes 5th place in the pursuit. However, Ivan was not declared in the national team for the 2014/2015 season. The head coach of the team, Lopukhov, no doubt deleted from the list of Cherezov, giving a chance to the other six young athletes, and he falls into the veteran group.
Retirement
Russian biathlete March 20, 2016 at a farewell press conference announced his retirement from the sport. The meeting was held in Khanty-Mansiysk, where back in 2003 the first World Championship was held, in which Cherezov participated. According to Ivan Cherezov, biathlon brought him 90% of the goals.
What else could be competed for, this is for Olympic gold, the biathlete did everything possible for this. The Udmurt athlete went through the World Cup stages perfectly, won 7 times in personal races, 20 times on the podiums, 23 times on the podium in relay disciplines. For five years after the unfortunate fall, Ivan stubbornly tried again to reach the world level, but to no avail. Because of the injury, a big sport had to be left forever.