In the building of the National Olympic Committee on June 25, 2018. A press conference was held by four-time Olympic biathlon champion Daria Domracheva.
The athlete announced her retirement.
“I tried to find a compromise that would allow me to combine raising a child and a sports career. Unfortunately, I didn't find it. This decision was not easy,” Domracheva said.
When asked what the athlete’s plans are for the future, Domracheva replied that she doesn’t have any yet. The athlete wants to take a break from the frantic rhythm in which she has lived since the age of six. 31-year-old Daria Domracheva is the most titled biathlete on the planet. She has three Olympics and six Olympic medals behind her. As for the Belarusian women's biathlon, only one athlete from the main Olympic squad is currently participating in the training process - Irina Krivko. Dinara Alimbekova is undergoing rehabilitation after shoulder surgery. Nadezhda Skardino and Nadezhda Pisareva have completed their careers.
Choice between career and family: Daria Domracheva leaves sports
The Belarusian biathlon was beheaded. There is no other way to say it. The main Belarusian star of this sport, Daria Domracheva, announced her retirement.
Serious suspicions that this would happen crept in on Sunday. Then information appeared that on June 25 at 15:00 a press conference with the participation of the four-time Olympic champion would be held in the building of the National Olympic Committee. At the end of the season, Domracheva said that she had not yet made a final decision about leaving the big ski track. And if he accepts it, he will definitely announce it publicly. Therefore, there were actually few options for the topic of the press conference announced for Monday. Everyone understood everything.
Domracheva, without exaggeration, carried our biathlon almost single-handedly. The male variety, in fact, died in Belarus back in the late 2000s. Women showed much more optimistic results. Domracheva progressed with each new season, reaching her peak at the Sochi Olympics in February 2014. Daria took home three gold medals from the Black Sea coast (won in the pursuit, individual race and mass start). She also returned to her homeland not only in the unofficial status of a people’s favorite, but also in the official status of Hero of Belarus.
Domracheva could have another “sports” homeland. Born in Minsk, in 1990 Daria moved to Siberia with her parents. There, in the city of Nyagan, she took her first steps in biathlon. As a teenager, the future ski star competed for our eastern neighbors. But in 2004, the head of the Russian Biathlon Union ordered her to be expelled from the national team roster. What was the cause of the conflict is not entirely clear. However, something else is clear: at that moment, the leaders of Russian biathlon made a fatal mistake for their country. And they made a wonderful gift to the Belarusian biathlon. The coaches of our team invited Domracheva to join their banner. And she, remembering that she was born in Minsk and has Belarusian roots, agreed.
Progress in Daria's performances was noticeable with the naked eye. True, there were some funny cases too. Biathlon fans still have vivid memories of the moments when Domracheva confused prone with stand-up or started shooting at someone else’s target instead of her own. These episodes shocked Belarusian fans back then. Surely many were angry. But bewilderment and anger quickly disappeared. Having become more confident on the track (and especially during shooting), Domracheva churned out hits in the top ten one after another. Where there are ten, medals are just a stone's throw away. In 2011, the Siberian Minsk resident added two World Championship awards in Khanty-Mansiysk to her personal collection, and a year later in Ruhpolding, at similar competitions, she also won a couple of medals (one of which was gold). In the 2011/2012 season, Domracheva seriously competed for the Big Crystal Globe for the first time, but lost to the German Magdalena Neuner. In 2013 there was another gold medal at the planetary forum, and then the already mentioned triumphant Olympics in Sochi.
However, even being a three-time Olympic champion, Domracheva wanted to fill another gap in her career. At that time, she could not boast of the Large Crystal Globe. However, we didn’t have to wait long: the 2014/2015 season finally brought Daria victory in the overall World Cup standings. The main rival was Kaisa Makarainen from Finland. Sorry, Kaisa - not this time.
At the same time, Domracheva won on the personal front. The representative of the Belarusian team was unable to hide her romance with another biathlon star, Norwegian Ole Einar Bjorndalen, for a long time. In the end, the couple stopped hiding their relationship, which had long become an “open secret.” In the summer of 2016, the couple got married, and in the fall of the same year, Daria gave birth to a daughter, who was named Ksenia.
Of course, being seriously pregnant, the biathlete did not train on the ski track and, moreover, did not take part in competitions. However, the forced absence from big-time sports did not really affect her results. And less than a year and a half after giving birth, Daria entered her third Olympic start. We're talking about Pyeongchang 2018. And she didn’t let us down.
At the Korean Games, the Belarusian biathlon legend added two more awards to his rich collection - silver in the mass start and gold in the relay. Moreover, the last medal was a big surprise: our women’s four were not among the favorites, and usually even Domracheva’s efforts were not enough to pull her to the podium. But on the Korean snow the skis rolled as they should, the cartridges flew to the target - and the Belarusian girls gave Belarus joy. And Daria became the owner of a unique achievement: before her, not a single biathlete in the world managed to become a four-time Olympic champion.
After the Olympics, our women's biathlon team fell apart brick by brick. Nadezhda Pisareva and Nadezhda Skardino announced their retirement, Dinara Alimbekova received an injury, the consequences of which she will have to overcome for several more months. And now the foundation has collapsed. Or a load-bearing wall. You can pick up a lot of allegories, but the essence will not change - the Belarusian women's biathlon will have to be rebuilt. For now, all hopes are only for Irina Krivko. She spent the last season quite well, regularly finishing in the top 20 at the World Cup, and once even becoming second in the mass start in Annecy, France. Who knows, maybe after some time Krivko will delight us in the same way that Domracheva has been delighting us for the last 10 years.
“I spend a lot of time with Ksenia, I devote about two hours a day to training,” Daria Domracheva describes her new daily routine. Now there are no long training camps and pre-season preparations for the World Cup in her schedule. After completing her sports career, the multiple Olympic champion had more time for her family, traveling around Belarus and meeting fans and like-minded people.
GO.TUT.BY attended one of these meetings, namely the training of the “dream team” preparing for the Minsk Half Marathon. We asked Daria about everyday life without big sports and looked at how she motivates others to follow a healthy lifestyle.
The Falcon Club lobby is expectedly crowded. The invited guest of the DreamTeam training is the main sports star of Belarus, Daria Domracheva. Businessmen, officials and journalists, armed with smartphones, are waiting for the appearance of the Olympic champion.
Petite Daria pops into the sports complex without delay, greets runners and biathlon fans and tells what her days are filled with today.
“I no longer lead the lifestyle of a professional athlete. It would seem that she should have become more free, but no. Now I spend a lot of time with Ksenia, I devote about two hours a day to sports activities...
She needs them not so much to maintain an impressive shape, but for health, Domracheva notes.
“Sport fits harmoniously into my day and gives a good boost of endorphins and oxygen. I choose workouts depending on my mood: it could be jogging along the Svisloch, roller skating at a fast pace, or strength training in the gym. I combine aerobic and strength work - it is important to take care not only of the cardiovascular system, but also of the condition of the muscles,” explains the biathlete.
She admits that she hasn’t held a rifle in her hands for a long time. And he misses his favorite sport a little.
“But there are more opportunities to go out of town on weekends or stroll through the beautiful places of Minsk. My top favorite places in the capital? These are the bike path, Minsk parks, where Ksyusha and I often go, and the Upper Town, which has a unique aura and preserves historical values. This is where you can most often meet me,” Daria gives a hint to her fans.
Recently, on Instagram, Domracheva asked subscribers for advice: what interesting places to visit in Belarus. Now he and Ole Einar Bjoerndalen have time to “break through” new locations.
— Ole was impressed by the journalists’ advice. One of the videos mentioned places that even I didn’t know about. We plan to visit the Belarusian swamps in the Vitebsk region. In general, we are closer to extreme recreation options. But we don’t try to cover everything in a week, but stretch out the pleasure,” the athlete smiles.
Vadim Devyatovsky, Daria Domracheva and “Miss Belarus 2018” Maria Vasilevich with new medals of the Minsk Half Marathon. She is still in amazing physical shape. And she herself notes that the habit of staying in good shape and eating right will probably last forever.
— My diet has not changed. Over the years in big sports, I have developed a menu that allows the body to feel at ease. I choose healthy foods, but I don’t exclude pizza and desserts. It is important to pamper yourself - it improves your mood.
After talking with journalists, Daria invites all the runners to the warm-up room. The DreamTeam practice is sold out. Not only famous Belarusians came, but also members of Daria Domracheva’s fan club, who will start the Minsk Half Marathon as a single team.
“I’m pleased that more and more people are choosing an active lifestyle,” says Dasha. “Having tried their hand at sports training once, people understand that thanks to this the body breathes and the head is refreshed.
The biathlete announces a light warm-up “to warm up the body and work out the core muscles.”
— Long-distance running requires a strong back and abs. A powerful core promotes correct running technique and helps develop endurance,” the biathlete comments on the exercises.
20 minutes of “warm-up” turn into almost a full-fledged workout. Daria chooses step and mats. Starts with steps with elements of skiing technique. They are followed by swings, abdominal exercises - crunches and planks in different variations.
Some work with “weights”. For example, the chairman of the Belarusian Athletics Federation, Vadim Devyatovsky, disciplinedly pumps his abs while his son climbs on his father’s back.
“16 kilograms of additional cargo,” Vadim Anatolyevich smiles.
Next door, the Deputy Minister for Taxes and Duties is exercising, next to her is the rector of the Belarusian State University of Physical Culture, Sergei Repkin, and nearby is deputy Alexander Bogdanovich.
Nobody is lying. By the end of the warm-up, even Daria herself wipes the sweat from her forehead.
— It was good, even very good! - sports commentator Anna Lyubenkova exhales.
The warm-up is followed by an evening run. Daria Domracheva is traditionally preparing to lead the peloton. And before the start he admits:
— Unfortunately, on the day of the Minsk Half Marathon I will not be in Belarus. But on September 9th I will definitely run my kilometers as a sign of solidarity with my team of fans and the rest of the participants. After playing sports, work becomes easier, and the world around seems more beautiful.
For those wishing to join the Minsk Half Marathon, registration continues on the official website of the race. You can start at distances of 5, 10 and 21 km.
In the journalistic community, Daria Domracheva is called “Rocket”. Accurate shooting, high speed at a distance and nerves of steel brought the Belarusian athlete a scattering of awards of all merits, the title of Hero of the country and the first biathlete to win gold at different Olympics. Domracheva’s achievements are recognized among her colleagues: Dasha is the eighth representative of shooting skiers to be awarded the Holmenkollen medal. In 2018, the Council for Humanitarian Cooperation of the CIS Member States awarded the Belarusian the “Stars of the Commonwealth” award.
The biathlon star admits that “the crown has not grown from the titles” and there is no feeling of exclusivity. Perhaps he will appear when he shows medals and cups to his children and grandchildren.
Childhood and youth
Biathlon star Daria Vladimirovna Domracheva was born into a family of architects. Brother Nikita also inherited his parents’ profession. At the age of 4, Dasha and her family moved to Russia and settled in Siberia. Life in the North foreshadowed for architects endless opportunities for the implementation of professional skills.
Soon, the parents began to participate in the development of a new city - Nyagan, located in the Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug. Due to her productive activities, her mother was promoted to the position of chief architect of the city. Instead of the planned 5 years, the family lived in the North three times longer.
Living in Siberia, it was impossible not to visit the ski section, because the relief terrain and the corresponding climate greatly contributed to the development of skiing. In addition to ski racing, which her older brother initially became interested in, Daria Domracheva was involved in basketball and dancing. Dasha began to attend sports school much more actively than general education.
Domracheva first tried herself in biathlon in 1999. She received her secondary education in a gymnasium, in an economics and legal class, then entered the 2nd year of the University of Tyumen at the Faculty of Sports Management. Since 2003, the biography of Daria Domracheva has continued in her native Minsk. She transferred from Tyumen to BSEU, but the absence of a similar faculty had to be compensated for by the Department of Tourism Management. In 2009, the girl defended her diploma with the topic: “Advertising in the tourism industry.”
In 2010, the already world-famous biathlete Domracheva presented to the public the documentary film “Daria Domracheva. Representing Belarus." The episodes were filmed by myself and were initially presented in a video diary format. Domracheva’s company in the role of director and co-author was Maxim Subbotin, who was Dasha’s boyfriend.
Biathlon
At the beginning of her biathlon career, Daria Domracheva represented Russia. Numerous victories in junior competitions, prizes in European competitions, individual races at the World Championships - with such achievements, Domracheva became a desirable member of the team for Russia and Belarus. Although her first training and achievements were achieved thanks to Russian coaches, the girl dreamed of representing her native Belarus.
In 2004, Domracheva was invited by Belarusian coaches to join the ranks of the women's national biathlon team. The girl gladly accepted the offer and began to study in the vastness of her native country. However, the opportunity to play for Belarus presented itself only six months later. Russian mentors did not want to let the talented biathlete go and tried in every possible way to keep the girl in the ranks of the Russian team. But Belarusian nationality allowed Dasha to legally represent her homeland, which was confirmed by her birth certificate.
Daria started at international competitions for Belarus in 2005. Then she took 40th position in the individual race. The reason was a fallen off diopter: out of 5 possible misses when shooting, Dasha used all of them. Already in the sprint and pursuit, Domracheva quickly recovered and came first.
In 2006 she made her debut at the World Cup, where she achieved 16th place. The following year she participated in the junior world championship, where she came second twice. In the 2008-2009 competitions, Daria Domracheva regularly joins the top ten. One day a strange embarrassment occurred in Oberhof. In the mass start, Dasha led the race, but at the second shooting range, instead of lying down, she shot standing, and did not hit the target even once - this was the reason to leave the distance.
Such a curiosity did not prevent him from taking 3rd place in the personal race at the fifth stage of the World Cup. Then Domracheva took leading positions in several more competitions, after which she competed at the World Championships in 2009, setting a new record.
The competition in Oberhof was again accompanied by a ridiculous incident. This time the athlete was again in the lead in the mass start, but she mixed up the target and received penalties for shooting at someone else’s target. The biathlete corrected the mistake, but her chances of reaching the final were lost.
Dasha went to win the next World Cup in Kontiolahti, where she won the sprint and pursuit. At the second stage in Holmenkollen, she lost 1st place to the representative of Germany, Simone Hauswald. She took silver and bronze for the start and relay race, respectively, in Khanty-Mansiysk for the 2010/2011 season. According to the results of the overall seasonal standings, she received 6th place.
Daria Domracheva first competed with a worthy opponent in the 2011/2012 season, when the famous German biathlete herself became one of the competitors for the World Cup. Then the German announced the final stage of her sports career and finally decided to take awards in all disciplines. The intrigue dissipated only towards the end of the season, when it became clear that Domracheva had equalized the speed indicators of the world champion. Then Daria won gold in the pursuit category and became the world champion. At the end of the season, the newly minted biathlon star acquired two small crystal globes and was only 28 points behind her rival.
Domracheva’s subsequent career alternated with great starts and high-profile falls. Despite the speed, the shooting was not always great. She received her second gold for an excellent mass start in Nove Mesto; according to the overall results, Daria repeated the previous year’s figure.
The Sochi Olympics in 2014 was a real triumph for Domracheva. Despite the only miss in the second shooting range, Dasha won the 15 km individual race, earning her first gold medal at the Olympic Games in Sochi. 3 days later, on February 14, 2014, Domracheva again took the start in the individual race, leaving no chance for her rivals. This was the second gold in Sochi.
On February 17, Dasha Domracheva puts a beautiful end to the mass start. Having made only one mistake, the biathlete brought the third gold medal to the national team. It was a triumphant week in the girl’s sports career. 3 gold medals at one Olympics became a record in the history of Belarusian biathlon.
On the same day, the President congratulated Daria Domracheva and also awarded her the title “Hero of Belarus”.
Before the home Olympics, the Russian Biathlon Union invited Domracheva back to the national team. Daria confirmed that such a conversation actually took place, but ended in nothing. In addition, the champion refuted the words of the former head of the RBU that his parents called him before leaving for Minsk, and in particular the words that “they could only be kept with money.”
“The stories that are popping up about my intentions to move to Russia... all this is far-fetched. You shouldn't even pay attention to them. Even when I encountered difficulties in the first year (I had restrictions on performances), I in no way thought about moving to Russia.”
After this, Daria Domracheva took a break from her sports career. Due to illness, the girl decided to skip the 2015/2016 season. Then the biathlete’s personal life “prevented” her return to the sport. Due to pregnancy and childbirth, Daria Domracheva missed the first three stages of the 2016/2017 Biathlon World Cup.
Personal life
The personal life of Daria Domracheva worried many. Information about the relationship between Dasha and the multiple Olympic champion was repeatedly leaked to the press. The girl denied the rumors, claiming that the famous biathlete had nothing to do with her personal life. However, in 2012, Ole separated from his wife, which provoked another surge in sensational headlines.
Then Domracheva and Bjoerndalen did not consider it necessary to report to journalists. As the biathlon star herself stated, it will be possible to judge her personal life and spread rumors only after announcing her marriage. And after 4 years, the athletes actually told fans about the wedding.
In July 2016, the biathletes put an end to the controversy and rumors by publishing a photo from the wedding ceremony. Back in March 2016, Ole Einar admitted that he and Dasha were preparing to become parents.
October 1 Daria Domracheva. For the sake of the child, the young father, for the first time in many years, missed the training phase before the 2016/2017 season; all the thoughts of the great athlete were occupied with his family. Immediately after giving birth, Daria announced that she would return to big-time sports at the beginning of 2017.
The husband often becomes a hero "Instagram" Daria, but the biathlete does not share photos of her child with fans. The woman periodically posts everyday photos from her vacation, in which she is in a swimsuit, or from official meetings, but tries to stick to the theme specified in the account header: sports and active recreation.
Daria Domracheva now
On January 6, 2017, Daria Domracheva appeared at the World Cup stage in Oberhof, then at the stage in Hochfilzen, where she took a silver medal in the pursuit race.
On November 26, 2017, the athlete started at the first stage of the World Cup in Ostersund, Sweden. Daria Domracheva competed in the mixed relay. After the race, the biathlete gave an interview in which she admitted that she was satisfied with her own physical shape, and also warned fans and the press that she might miss one stage of the World Cup in order to prepare for the Olympics in Pyeongchang in 2018.
At this stage, the Belarusian biathlon team took 11th place. Sergei Bocharnikov and Vladimir Chepelin performed together with Daria. Domracheva made two mistakes, but recovered at the stages in Austria and Italy. From the slopes of Tyrol, Dasha brought two golds and two bronzes.
The Olympics in Pyeongchang, Korea added to Dasha’s collection the national Order “For Personal Courage”. This is how Belarus appreciated the biathlete’s contribution to the team’s first ever victory in the relay race and individual silver in the mass start.
In the last event of the program, another athlete, who was favorably affected by the change of citizenship, celebrated her victory - sister,. Nastya has been competing under the flag of Slovakia since 2008 and was the national standard-bearer at the Games in Sochi.
After the main games of the four-year anniversary, Domracheva returned to the World Cup tracks, where she clearly demonstrated her skills. From the Finnish stage, the athlete brought home a medal of the highest standard in the sprint race. In her husband's homeland of Norway, Daria won gold in the pursuit and silver in the sprint. Another 2 gold medals went to the Belarusian at the stage in Tyumen.
In the summer of 2018, the famous biathlete held a press conference at which she announced her retirement from her sports career. Dasha spent a long time choosing between sports and the life of a wife and mother, and settled on the latter. As a child, Domracheva was called Chertoletik, and little Ksenia has the same ebullient energy that needs to be directed. If earlier the athlete more often saw the child sleeping, then “now I am happy to see that my daughter does not lack my attention.”
As a farewell, Domracheva treated the crowd to a berry cake decorated with the image of the Belarusian flag and the inscription: “Thank you! Your Dasha! On Instagram, the woman announced that she and her husband were planning to travel around Norway and Belarus, thus marking a new page in her biography - without professional sports.
Daria Domracheva announced the end of her sports career As the media later wrote, Domracheva may have left biathlon, but biathlon has never left the champion’s heart. And they were not mistaken. Before the New Year 2019, an international couple participated in the Christmas race in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
However, according to a number of websites, the International Biathlon Union did not receive an official letter from Daria Domracheva about her retirement, so she left the Belarusian’s name in the testing pool for the 2018/2019 season.
Daria, who grew up in a creative environment, found herself passionate about fashion: the biathlete presented a line of sportswear for children and adults of her own design. You can purchase the models you like in the online store named after Domracheva. Dasha’s colleague on the national team, Nadezhda Skardino, wished her friend to get involved in outfitting the national team in the future.
The idea for the collection came back in 2015, at the “Race of Legends” biathlon festival. Daria views it as an opportunity to thank the fans for the warm support that she has felt throughout her career on the competition circuit.
In the absence of tournaments and long training camps, Domracheva took up the task of introducing her fellow countrymen to the sport. The Olympic champion became the coach of a kind of Dream Team that participated in the Minsk Half Marathon. The team included deputies, journalists, former athletes, and officials.
Awards
- Hero of Belarus
- Order "For Personal Courage"
- Order of the Fatherland, III degree
- 2007 – two gold medals at the European Championships
- 2011 – silver and bronze medals at the World Championships
- 2012 – gold and silver medals at the World Championships
- 2013 – world championship gold medal
- 2014 – three gold medals at the Sochi Olympics
- 2015 – World Cup winner
- 2017 – silver medal at the World Championships
- 2018 – gold medal at the Pyeongchang Olympics