Double Olympic champion Olga Zaitseva has defended the sub-par performance of Russian biathletes this season, which included an historic collapse at the world championships in Germany.
Russia won the men’s and women’s World Cup team competitions, but picked up just two bronze medals at the world championships last month in its worst-ever showing.
Most of the blame appears to have fallen on the coaches, with the Russian Biathlon Union announcing last week they had done an “unsatisfactory” job in the 2011-12 season. Sports minister Vitaly Mutko chimed in too, saying the performance at the worlds "didn't satisfy anyone."
But Zaitseva, who won relay gold in the 2006 Torino and 2010 Vancouver Games, insisted there were positives to be drawn.
"For the team I can say that I don't consider the season to have been a failure," the 33-year-old told RIA Novosti. "It's been a long time since the men's team has had almost every athlete on the podium or next to the podium. And the women had the same result, on the whole."
It was too early to expect top-notch results from training efforts this season, Zaitseva said.
"The work that we have done in pre-season will bear fruit a little later. From my point of view the women's team is experiencing a generational change, this also needs to be given time."
A number of Russian commentators have called for the national team coaches to be replaced, with particular ire reserved for German coach Wolfgang Pichler, who trains the women’s team.
"To blame the coaches, look for scapegoats, isn't right," Zaitseva said. "Yes, there were mistakes but you need to draw the right conclusions and take action, not trash-talk."
Zaitseva won 11 medals over the season, including three golds, to finish sixth in the overall standings that were topped by Germany's Magdalena Neuner.
