Bobsleigh and skeleton competitions are an exciting sight. After all, athletes fly along the ice chute at great speed and at the same time still manage to choose the most optimal position on the bends in order to save an insignificant fraction of a second, which can ultimately lead to victory. At the upcoming Winter Olympics, a very tough struggle will surely flare up among the strongest bobsledders in the world. What are the chances of the Russian national team and who will be included in it?
What the bobsleigh coaches say
According to head coach Pierre Luders, the Russian national bobsleigh and skeleton team is ready to compete with even the most eminent rivals. Control trainings after the summer period showed that the athletes are in good shape. They perform well. The final composition of the national team will be determined on January 19, 2014, taking into account the results obtained in early October at the Paramonovo base in the Moscow region, as well as in Sochi, during the tests of the Olympic track.
One of the main tasks of the training camp in Sochi will be testing new racing cars - "beans", which will be used by Russian athletes at the 2014 Olympics. In addition, the coaches plan to test different compositions of "twos" and "fours" in order to find the most optimal ones.
Who can join the Russian national bobsleigh team
The most titled athlete and the main candidate for the national team is the Merited Master of Sports Alexander Zubkov, who won a silver medal in Turin in 2006 and a bronze medal in Vancouver in 2010. He is highly respected by his teammates, who pay tribute to his experience and professionalism.
Zubkov's company, with a high degree of probability, will be made up of the athlete Maxim Belugin, who is an international master of sports. He became the silver medalist at one of the stages of the 2012 World Cup.
Alexey Negodailo, an international master of sports, who won a silver medal at the 2013 World Championship, is rightfully considered one of the strongest Russian bobsledders. There is no doubt that the coaches have already added his name to the list of the Olympic team.
Almost certainly, Alexander Kasyanov, who has repeatedly won the World and European Cup stages, and Denis Moiseichenkov, who won the silver medalist of the World Cup in the Canadian city of Whistlere in 2012, will be included in the national team.
