The legend of world biathlon Tikhonov broke his ski at the 1972 Olympics. The gold of the USSR was suddenly saved by a German

Victoria Dmitrieva A human deed by Dieter Speer from the GDR. Soviet biathlon in the 70s is about victories. Shooting skiers were especially cool in relay races. The winning streak at the Olympics lasted until 1988. One of the brightest races turned out to be the one that was in Sapporo at the Olympics in 1972. As part of the men’s four, they went to competitions in Japan Alexander TikhonovRinnat Safin, Ivan Byakov and Viktor Mamatov. Nothing happened in personal races, so the athletes had to correct themselves in the relay race. But even here everything almost ended in failure. All because of the bullying of the biathlon gods, who tested the Soviet team for strength.RIA Novosti The first stage almost became the last for the USSR national team. Tikhonov had to create a gap on it, which, after an ideal first line, began to turn into life. Even two penalty loops in the second did not prevent the biathlete from leading. He calmly went to the final lap, but suddenly his ski broke. For a kilometer he had to push along the track on one, because there was no one to wait for help. Biathlete from the GDR Dieter Speer at this time he was warming up in the forest, preparing for the third stage. It was he who saw that Tikhonov had a problem with inventory. The opponent did not hesitate, giving Alexander his ski. This helped the USSR to stay in the fight for Olympic medals. Tikhonov came to the corridor for the transfer of the baton only 9th, forcing everyone around to believe that now nothing shines for the favorites. Fortunately, teammates returned the leadership to the national team, ahead of the closest pursuers from Finland by almost 3 minutes. Athletes from the GDR took third place. “It was a matter of course for me to do so, although it was a big risk. After all, I was missing one marked ski. In this race, Alexander was my main competitor, but the friendship that binds us for many years made me make this decision,” said Speer.olympedia.org With the German biathlete Tikhonov really had a friendship. He shared his experience with Speer for many years and helped to improve shooting skills. At the 1971 World Championships, Speer won the individual with a rifle, which he received as a gift from Tikhonov. At the same time, the athlete got married, going on his honeymoon not just anywhere, but to Novosibirsk, to meet with a friend and other Soviet athletes.