Andrejs Rastorgujevs (35) of Latvia claimed a dramatic silver medal in the combined start of the World Cup in Nove Mesto. Not all of his competitors treat him like that.
On the final day of the World Championships, Rastorgujevs claimed his first ever World Championship medal and only the fourth podium finish of his career.
Swede Sebastian Samuelsson did not want to congratulate the silver medalist from Latvia. In 2021 he became Rastorgujevs Banned for 18 months After repeated violations Reporting obligation.Reporting obligation.Athletes subject to a reporting obligation must report their place of residence and training, gatherings and competitions. This also includes notification of the daily meeting point between 05.00 and 23.00, so that the athlete is available for unannounced tests. Source: Anti-Doping Norway.
“I belong to those who believe that there should be harsher penalties for doping,” Samuelsson explains. Swedish press After the joint start.
– It's his problem, not mine, says Rastorguevs about the Swede's refusal to congratulate him.
Prohibition also became a topic for Johannes Thingnes Bö later The gold of his twentieth toilet.
He pointed out to TV 2 that you never know what is right and what is wrong.
-Do you trust a musician with this history? VG Thingnes Bø asks.
– I think it's difficult to answer. I'm in the same boat myself that we have to report and if that's the case I'll end up with 2 or 1 warning and then rest assured you'll never get more. When you do it three times, and you know what kind of consequences it will have… Thingnes Bø tells VG and adds:
-If you have nothing to hide, it's a stupid way to stand like that.
– What do you mean?
-If you have nothing to hide and you forget to report three times, you will be banned for two years. It is best to engage in cross-country skiing for two years.
– He defends himself strongly and believes that he does not allow himself to be influenced. The fact that there is a reverse side to the medal. How much can it harm biathlon?
– It's hard to know why he got three warnings. He was never arrested for anything. It will be just speculation. This is stupid when you don't have anything fixed.
But Thingness Poe finds it difficult to give a clear answer to that.
– There will be a viewing. The best thing is for all athletes to maintain their commitment to reporting, so you don't end up in this situation, says the gold medalist.
Older brother Taraji Poe – number four in the shared beginning – focused mostly on the feat itself.
– That was great. It's his first time: imagine how big it is for him, says Tarjei Bø to VG about Latvia's silver medal.
– I wouldn't think much about banning it now, the reporting duty works so that you get punished if you don't do what you're supposed to – but this is something other than doping. Tarjei Bø points out that the two cannot be taken in the same place.
VG Andrejs asks Rastorgujevs what he feels this will be a topic of – on the day when Latvia gets its third medal in the context of the World Championships.
– Nothing affects me anymore, he tells VG.
-Everyone is talking about something. Everyone has a choice. Everyone can say what they want.
-Do you feel that it is being held against you?
– I do not think so. Once what really happened is revealed, the athletes will think differently.
Rastorguevs repeated several times in the press area that “it will come one day.”
– If the athletes knew exactly what happened, the story would be different.
The biathlon circus will enjoy a competition-free weekend before it moves on to Oslo and Holmenkollen.
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