2023-05-21 04:00:00
As a great biathlete refused to bow the flag.
Star veteran of the world biathlon Alexander Tikhonov famous for loud statements and bold antics. And so it has always been. Let’s tell one high-profile incident from his life that happened at the 1980 Olympics.
Proudly walked past the podium
At the 1980 Winter Olympics, which were held in Lake Placid (USA), Tikhonov went in the status of a big star. For him, these were already the fourth Games, and from three of them he brought gold. True, not personal, but relay race. Nevertheless, the three-time Olympian was entrusted with carrying the banner of the USSR Olympic team at the official opening ceremony.
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The parade of athletes passed around the arena past the presidential podium, where US President Jimmy Carter was also sitting. The standard-bearers were supposed to bow the banner, thus saluting honor. Tikhonov refused to do so. The biathlete, on the contrary, defiantly raised the Soviet banner even higher.
“I carried the banner with both hands. In front of the podium, the president had to bow him down. But remembering all these cold wars and so on… I raised the banner a little higher and walked proudly near the podium. I’m not the Russian peasant to bow the banner, ”Tikhonov recalled that episode in one of his interviews.
Tikhonov committed a truly scandalous act, given the political situation in the world. On the eve of the Olympics in Lake Placid, Carter, with representatives of Great Britain and Canada, called for the transfer of the 1980 Summer Games from Moscow. The reason was the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan. The IOC did not support this project, but the world situation was extremely tense. At the same time, the biathlete showed the whole world that our people will not bow before the onslaught of ideological opponents.
Sign of respect for veterans
Years later, Tikhonov remains true to himself. When a scandal broke out around the Russian racer Nikita Mazepin, Alexander Ivanovich was one of the first to support the athlete. Mazepin, being a Haas pilot, refused to kneel before the race in support of the Black Lives Matte movement, but later did so in memory of the veterans of the Great Patriotic War.
“Nikita did the right thing by kneeling before the Spanish Grand Prix. He showed a sign of respect for the veterans, and I support him in this. I also agree with him that he has not bowed the knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement before. Because the Russians should not stand up to anyone. On the contrary, let all other countries bow down. Especially America and all of Europe. Because 90 percent of the victory depended on the Russians, ”Tikhonov said in an interview with SE.
Alexander Tikhonov.
Alexander Vilf, Photo archive “SE”
Special Games
The daring act at the 1980 Olympics did not overshadow the triumph of the Soviet biathlete. Although at first Tikhonov failed the individual race for 10 kilometers due to a cold. The athlete was tormented by a high temperature, so the coaching staff refused to include him in the relay. The dream of a fourth Olympic gold was dissolving before our very eyes. Tikhonov was very nervous because of this. Miraculously, before the race itself, a coaching council took place, which nevertheless decided to give a chance to the star of the Soviet biathlon.
“Tikhonov does not lose his composure in any, the most difficult situations, he always acts in the interests of the team. He will not let you down, ”said coach Alexander Privalov.
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The race was successful for the USSR national team. Tikhonov, together with the team, won gold, which was his fourth in his career. And he was even included in the Guinness Book of Records as the winner of four Olympics, winning gold medals four times in a row.
After the Olympics, Alexander Ivanovich ended his career and became a coach, and then the head of the Russian Biathlon Union. Tikhonov, now 76, is retired and lives in Minsk.
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