Russian-born Dmitrii Shamaev has been competing for Romania in the Biathlon World Cup for several years. He doesn’t have any real chances against the top nations. Also because Norway and Co. have completely different requirements. Especially when it comes to material.
The Romanian team is one of the “small ones” in the biathlon circus, not only at the Olympics but also in the World Cup. The performance level of the athletes is impressive, but not high enough to regularly be in the top 30. One member of the team looks especially enviously at Norway.
“In the end it comes down to money,” said Dmitrii Shamaev in the “sportsdaily” interview, referring to the material advantages that the Scandinavians have over the Romanians, among others. “If you have money,” the 30-year-old continued, “you also have all the specialists.”
Small biathlon nations have “no chance”
Shamaev continued: “For comparison: We have two people who prepare our skis, the Norwegians have 24. Twelve people are on the machine, twelve on the track. They simply have a lot more material available and a much larger selection. We don’t have that.”
“The financial factor is important to ensure they have the best possible equipment, from the skis to the specialists,” he added.
This material advantage has taken on a new dimension thanks to the fluoride ban. “That killed the competition. It’s impossible for third-rate nations like Romania or Moldova to keep up. We have no chance because our skis are so much worse than those of the top teams.”
The Romanian continued that the training of young biathletes in Norway is on a completely different level. “They have a well-structured training system that starts with the young athletes and extends to the senior team.” This, too, does not exist in this form in smaller nations.
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