Alexander Zhulin: “If I were a coach of a team that, like the US team, won gold medals in this way, I wouldn’t need such a victory. All of this smells bad.”
Translation of Alexander Zhulin’s comments on the disqualification of Kamila Valieva for doping.
original source: aif.ru
“Q: How much does trimetazidine help athletes?
Alexander Zhulin: It is prescribed to heart attack patients to support the heart muscle. It’s unlikely that Kamila had any problems with the heart muscle at the age of 15.
I saw how many run-througths she performs. She was in fantastic physical shape in Beijing. And if Eteri Georgievna (Tutberidze) knew that Kamila was under suspicion, she would have either put Trusova or Shcherbakova. And, by the way, the result would have been the same.
But this was specifically the process of punishing Russia. Kamila was mocked during the Olympics in Beijing for a week — she sat in those hearings until almost four in the morning. The girl was simply destroyed. I saw how lost she was. After that, I wrote a letter to Thomas Bach, which, of course, went unanswered.
What is happening today at the political level, in sports — it’s constant mockery. We were allowed to participate in the 2024 Olympics in Paris without a flag and anthem, and our athletes must also condemn the special military operation. Russia is being destroyed on all fronts. So, we need to wait for the end of special military operation. After our victory, maybe something will change.
Q: Have you personally faced a situation with doping?
Alexander Zhulin: I encountered it when working with Katya Bobrova. She was our first figure skater who was found with a microscopic dose of meldonium. She assured me that she had taken nothing the day before the tournament. Then it turned out that meldonium, which has no effect on anything, stays in a person’s blood for life. And because of this, we were deprived of the opportunity to participate in the World Championships in Boston.
By the way, trimetazidine and meldonium are classified in the most severe category of the doping registry — the fourth.
Q: What do you think of Western media, athletes, and fans reaction? Almost all of them are gloating and celebrating.
Alexander Zhulin: It didn’t surprise me, to be honest. But I liked the reaction of the American figure skater Nathan Chen, who said, ‘This decision is undoubtedly a victory for clean sport. However, the fact that it happened at all is not a victory for anyone.’
If I were an active athlete or the coach of a team that, like the US team, won gold medals in this way, I wouldn’t need such a victory. All of this smells bad,” Zhulin said.”
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