Yelena Khrustaleva: "It’s easy to cheer for winners. Try standing by those who are giving their all for your country right now.

— Yelena, the team is getting a lot of criticism right now. Fans are unhappy with the results in Milan. You experienced this too. How does it feel for an athlete on the track? 

 You know, I remember my Olympics in Vancouver. Before I won that silver medal, I spent years finishing in 30th or 40th place. Back then, people also said: "Why is she even competing?". People only see 30 minutes of the TV broadcast. They don't see 4 years of hard work, living in the woods, at training camps, away from family. I want to tell the fans: don't leave your athletes when things are hard. There is only a little space on the podium, and the way to victory goes through these painful defeats.

— The main reason why people are angry is the 13 billion tenge spent on winter sports. Many people write: "For that money, they should be the first at the finish line." Where does this money actually go?

 When people hear "billions," they think about bags full of cash. But in reality, one professional rifle costs as much as a normal car. And you also need to buy ammunition, skis, poles, and other gear. Also, 13 billion is the money for all winter sports in our country. It pays not only for plane tickets but also for the service teams, training camps, doctors, and scientists. In the biathlon world, we are like a small new company trying to compete with giants like Norway or Germany, who have much more money than us.

— Many people believe that we are at the very bottom of the world rankings. What do the statistics say?

Let’s look at the facts. This season, athletes from 61 countries took part. It is a very big competition. Only 90 people from about 25 countries can qualify for the Olympics. We won a "2+2" quota, which means we have both a men's and a women's team at the Olympics. Look at the map of Asia. China, Japan, South Korea have a lot of resources. But none of them could win as many spots as we did. We are the only country in Asia that can send a team for the mixed relay in Milan.

— Fans are very angry about the women's performance. They say that "it was better in the past."

The women's team is now going through a normal change of generations. Our old leaders, who carried the team for years, left because they had babies. This is just life. Now we have young girls, and Milan is their very first Olympics. Can you imagine how a 20-year-old girl feels when the whole world is watching her, and people at home are writing "quit sports"? They don't need criticism right now; they need kind words and support. They are our future. If we destroy them now, we will have no women's biathlon in 4 years.  

— What would you say to the people who write angry comments?

If I had read comments about "wasting the budget" when I was in Vancouver, I would never have won my silver medal. Negative words from home make you miss targets during shooting. This bad psychological pressure hurts our athletes. Unfortunately, instead of looking deeply into the problem, journalists just criticize with emotion. But let’s be real: if we cut the budget, the results will not get better—the sport will just disappear. We see our mistakes, and we analyze every race. We still have sprints and pursuits ahead. Let’s give the team a chance. The Games are not over yet.