Russian curler Alexander Krushelnitsky, deprived of the Olympic bronze at the Pyeongchang Olympic Games, because Meldonium was found in his blood, announced that hearings on his case in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will be held only in the summer. He also said, that he was training individually. He expressed the opinion that Maria Komarova and Daniil Goryachev could win medals at the world championships among mixed couples, to be held these days in Östersund, Sweden.
– The deadline of the internal investigation on my case in Russia is April 26, Krushelnitsky noted. – A package of documents with conclusions will be presented to the International Curling Federation, which will ha ve 20 days to make its own conclusion. After that, CAS will set a court date. Thus, hearings should take place only in the summer. There is still much to be done.
– Do you keep training?
– I train in St. Petersburg, but individually. Besides being suspended from the competitions, I’m not allowed to train with anyone. When I’m on the ice, there shouldn’t be anyone around.
– A week ago your wife Anastasia Bryzgalova took the second place in the Sochi Championship of Russia with the women’s team Adamant (St. Petersburg). Was it difficult for her to switch after performing in pairs?
– Classic Curling, in my opinion, is much easier. I judge from my own experience. After the mixed doubles, both ideas, and tasks seem easier. I know that Nastya has the same point of view. Going to Sochi, she was sure, that she would become a medalist. The question was only which metal she will bring.
– Will you watch the world championship among mixed pairs?
– Certainly. There’s nothing left for me right now.
– You know the pair Maria Komarova/Daniel Goryachev perfectly well by the Adamant club. How do you assess their chances?
– We’ve trained with these guys for two years. They were our stand-ins before the Olympic Games. If something would have happened to us, they would have replaced us in Pyeongchang. Although there are always lots of contenders for high places in mixed double, Komarova and Goryachev have the right to claim the medals of the world championship, since many participants of the Olympic Games did not go to the world championship. So there will be many new names in Östersund. Maria and Daniil are young, they crave for victories. At the same time, they have a lot of experience. They have been engaged in mixed-double since it was included in the program of the Olympic Games in 2015, and competed, with the strongest rivals, just as we did.
– In 2016, 23-year-old Goryachev won the World Championship among mixed teams with you, Anastasia and Maria Duyunova. At the same time, Komarova, who will turn 20 on Tuesday, has never participated in tournaments of this level.
– But she has experience of two World Women’s Championships among juniors. In addition, she played in a strong women’s team Adamant with Alina Kovaleva, who played in a number of tournaments for the Russian national team (2015 European champion, silver and bronze medalist of the World Championships). Two years in mixed-doubles gave a lot to the guys. I think that thanks it, they added fifty percent in the skill.
