The coach of the national track cycling team Vladimir Bushansky shared with Olympic.kz plans for the Tokyo Olympics.

The track cycling schedule for the Tokyo Olympics has undergone minor changes. The schedule was shifted by almost a day. And after all the adjustments made, it was decided to give cycling on the track the period from 2 to 8 August. It is noteworthy that Madison returned to the program. A total of 12 sets of medals will be played. Basically all races will be organized three hours to seven, Tokyo time. Only on the final day will the starts begin in the morning and finish closer to one in the afternoon. Competitions will be held at the Izu Velodrome.

According to the results of the scoring period (nine stages of the World Cup, two world championships and world tournaments), the Kazakhstan track cycling team has three licenses (sprint, omnium and keirin). The country will be represented in Tokyo by two athletes in track competitions.

The license to compete in sprint events is historical for Kazakhstan - previously, Kazakh athletes have never been represented in this discipline at the Olympic Games.

During the period of long quarantine, the Kazakh team managed to organize training camps. During the relaxation of the regime, the athletes received permission to participate in TCB, and the main task was to return to shape and condition.

According to the head coach Vladimir Bushansky, the leaders of the squad were able to come to Nur-Sultan. And we managed to organize two training camps at once without a break. A certain level of preparedness has been achieved. However, the second wave of quarantine again made its own adjustments. The athletes went home and are now waiting for the right conditions.

“The situation developed in such a way that we were at home for a long time - almost four months, starting with the World Championship, which ended in late February and early March. We then dismissed the team to their homes, to rest, where the athletes stayed almost until July.

Of course, the team kept in shape. Literally only this remained possible. Fortunately, the roads were open. And we replaced our basic training with highway training.

It's bad that there was no practice on the cycle track itself. Those who competed at the World Championships did not go to the track for four months. Some team members had their last competition last year. So in June we were able to gather the guys. We gathered for the gathering.

On June 15, we were given the go-ahead, and we gathered at the cycle track in Nur-Sultan: six athletes in pace and seven athletes in sprint. By the way, not everyone could come in tempo events due to good reasons. Some athletes were injured while at home. Therefore, unfortunately, we could not come. However, the leaders, both in pace and in the sprint, were able to arrive at the location.

We started the collection with a smooth exit to a certain shape. We had the task of simply remembering the technical aspects, since the break was quite long. It should be noted that our first camp smoothly flowed into the second, so the training period turned out to be quite voluminous.

Gradually, the guys were getting in shape. Despite the fact that the first ten days everything was pretty sad. What was being prepared at home, on the highway, is one thing. When you go out on a track, everything goes in a completely different way. By the end of the second training camp, the guys more or less came to life. Naturally, we conducted control races, as a result of which it was possible to "shoot", take a closer look, who was in what form.

The team showed good seconds. Not ideal, but gradually they started to level up. Those four months affected. Plus, now our second quarantine will also affect. And now there is no specifics in the further situation. There is no certainty.

However, we hope that in the near future, in August, after the quarantine is lifted, everything will gradually resume again. And we will be able to gather the guys again, as well as hold championships. Trips outside Kazakhstan will be closed for now. However, if possible, we will try to leave. At least in the near abroad. For example, to Russia, where a series of various tournaments will take place. It was nice to perform, as international practice is needed. without it, the athlete greatly loses his skills, loses shape. After all, a lot is gained in competition.

Summing up, I will say that the team is fine. Everyone is alive and well. The quarantine was painless. Everyone is gradually gaining their athletic form. Of the plans for the near future - this is the expectation of the lifting of quarantine, the possibility of organizing the collection. And we will gradually prepare for the next season. And if the situation in the country, and in the world, normalizes, then by next year we will try to reach a high level.

And, of course, under good conditions and the situation, we will prepare for the Olympic Games, which is the primary task, ”said Bushansky.

In the next issues of the project, we will continue to publish explanations of the coaches of Kazakhstani teams, who will talk about the withdrawal from quarantine, the impact of adjustments in the OI-2020 schedule, as well as possible risks during qualifications. So there is a lot of work ahead, a lot of interesting sports confrontations and distribution of licenses. It will all boil down to the long-awaited meeting in 2021.

Source: www.cycling.kz