Sergey Richter: "There are few coaches here who can bring a medal" | Israel today

After six years of living in Russia in a suburb near Moscow, Sergei Richter, Israel's top Olympic shooter, packed his bags two weeks ago and boarded the plane back to Israel.

This time he did not do it alone but with his family, which includes his wife Nathalie and the 5-year-old twins Vera and Taya.

The 33-year-old Richter tried for the past year to continue to manage a sports routine, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February caused quite a few difficulties, such as going to competitions and flights that turned into a nightmare.

All this was done alone, when his coach Alexander Belinov - his wife's brother, the silver medalist in Athens 2004 and two-time world champion, who holds a Russian passport, had to stay behind after not getting visas for the host countries.

Richter, who represented Israel in the last three Olympic Games, is facing a crossroads.

He did not want to give up his career so quickly - all this when he is in the middle of the campaign for the Paris Games in two years.

Therefore, the decision to do the deed and return to Israel rewarded him.

"It's really not easy to pack up and move across the country again," Richter said in an interview with Israel Hayom.

"The last time I did it, it was only with my wife, when we went to get married. Now it's to spend my whole life and start everything from the beginning with the girls. It wasn't easy for my wife to disconnect from her family either."

Richter with the country's flag, photo: Getty Images

It is quite a procedure and bureaucracy to return.

"Since we landed, I started the absorption process as a returning resident. I am also busy these days arranging my wife's citizenship, finding an apartment, so that I can be close to training at my club Maccabi Ra'anana and Wingate, buying cars for my wife and me, finding a suitable kindergarten for the girls, a studio for my wife and more.

"My wife grew up in a sporty home. Her mother was a volleyball player, her father was a triathlete who later switched to volleyball, and her brother - my coach in recent years - was an Olympic champion. From the beginning of our joint journey, she supports me and always cheers me on. She grew up in an atmosphere of professional competitive sports, and that is part of it. from her DNA.

She knows Israel from past visits.

She wants to integrate here in every sense, and is already thinking about her integration as a beach volleyball coach for young women."

So why did you actually leave?

"The first reason is of course all the problems in the competitions, everything was difficult. You start the competition so early, because of all the flights, and you don't arrive fresh until after 2-3 flights, because there are no direct flights from Russia. I can't sit and wait for it to end This situation".

"In addition, it's no secret that the state of the shooting association was not good, but today there are many people who want the success of the industry and you can work with them. There is new spirit and new blood in the association, with wonderful people who know what is needed."

At the 2012 Olympic Games, photo: Getty Images

How were you in the last few months in Russia?

"The situation in the country is not as you see in the news, everything can be cut in half. Of course things have happened, there are European chains that have closed, but it is not that significant. There is a big economic problem expected in the future, but this is a huge country, with a strong economy, and in the end maybe everything will go back to normal ".

What is it like to be an athlete in Russia today?

"In all branches, the Russians are not allowed to compete. It seems to me that most of the sports world supports the athletes. They don't decide anything, they have no influence. An athlete's career is terribly short, and it hurts them. You also have to remember that it hurts the value of all the competitions they don't participate in. I In favor of the athletes and cannot say what is right or wrong politically, but they need to come back and compete."

Richter in action, photo: Getty Images

"I believe they will soon break in"

On a personal level, how much did this situation hurt you?

"I started a year ago with a new coach and I won't be able to continue with him. It really hurt me."

And did it hurt the family?

"Now we're here, we're back. But there's a problem with my wife because of the whole Law of Return - once I'm an Israeli citizen and I married a foreign citizen there, we have children and we've been married for six years - you have to go through the whole cumbersome and long process, it's quite ridiculous."

What do you think is missing in the shooting industry in Israel?

"First of all, like all branches, there are professional coaches. There are coaches, but those who can convey the information and do it, i.e. bring a medal, are very few. In shooting there is a severe lack of coaches, and also the failed management which did not really help. But there is support and sportsmanship young women, who believes that very soon they will break through."

When you compare to the conditions in Russia, how is it?

"You can't really compare, it's heaven and earth. It's like that in every industry, can you even compare us to Russia? We're not there yet. But the situation has improved. I can say this, because since 2011 I've seen how things are improving and moving forward. There is a huge potential to develop In all the Olympic disciplines, but here is a small country with a thousand and one problems, and sports are always on the margins."

In recent years, a stigma has stuck that people are successful in shooting in regular competitions, but not in the Olympics.

can i change it

"Only after we bring a medal, but look at how many sports come to the Olympics and don't come back with a medal. I wish I could change that. You have to remember when you get to the Olympics, there are the same amount of athletes as in the World Championships, with the same chances, and there are at least 30 athletes in the world's top. Only three winners in medals, and those who win are the superpowers, who invest a lot of money in this."

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