Russia (bbabo.net), - From the Sheremetyevo airport, the athletes went by bus to the VTB Arena.

It was very touching - figure skater Anna Shcherbakova and skier Alexander Bolshunov raised the Russian tricolor. All this to the anthem of Russia, which was so lacking at the Games in Beijing.

Young Shcherbakova was very worried:

- The realization that I have become an Olympic champion is gradually coming. This is joy, pride. Now I am very worried and can not find the right words.

Bolshunov, who became a three-time Olympic champion at the Games, received a crown as a gift. Alexander was very surprised by this, but admitted that he still does not like the nickname "king of skis". The athlete believes that he does not need such high-profile regalia, as he simply does his job.

As a result, Bolshunov went to the microphone and thanked the fans for their support:

- I cannot but express my great gratitude to those people who helped us, who led us to victory at the Olympics. Many thanks to all our friendly Olympic team, which made an invaluable contribution. I want to thank all the fans of Russia. I did not expect such a quantity. You are not only here. Many of us were met at the airport. I'm very surprised. I want to say thank you! It is very cool!

Figure skater Kamila Valieva became another heroine of the Olympics.

The 15-year-old girl was the favorite of the Games, but due to the most powerful pressure, she could not win her medal. Nevertheless, Valieva became a real champion for the whole country.

She went on stage in front of the fans with a smile and looked absolutely happy. The figure skater, as well as Mark Kondratyuk, couples Victoria Sinitsina - Nikita Katsalapov and Anastasia Mishina - Alexander Gallyamov were presented by Russian jewelers with a gold necklace with hearts arranged by analogy with the Olympic rings.

One of the jewels is engraved with the inscription "Champion of our hearts". Do you understand who exactly got this necklace?

The gifts were presented to the athletes by Olympic champion figure skater Tatyana Navka, official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, four-time Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics Alexei Nemov and actress Yulia Peresild.

Many athletes were met not only by members of their families, but also by pets. Figure skater Alexandra Trusova was very happy with her two dogs.

Well, how can you forget about hockey?

The general manager of the Russian national hockey team, Ilya Kovalchuk, calmly assessed the team's result at the Olympics.

Recall that the Russian team defeated Switzerland and Denmark in the group stage, and also lost to the Czech Republic in overtime. On the way to the final, the team of Alexei Zhamnov again turned out to be stronger than Denmark and beat Sweden in shootouts. In the final match, our guys lost to the Finns - 1:2.

“Naturally, everyone is disappointed,” Kovalchuk told reporters, “we were given completely different goals. There is something to work on, we will draw conclusions from all this and move on. Comparing with 2018, when we prepared for the Games in Korea, we could see their families. Now the conditions are completely different, much harder. I repeat, many thanks to all the players. As for the coaching staff, they definitely remain ... The decision about me will come later. Now I don’t want to draw any conclusions. Many thanks all the guys did a great job in these conditions, it was not easy."

Direct speech

Oleg Matytsin, Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation:

- In terms of the number of medals, we have exceeded the figures of the previous Olympic Winter Games, and this cannot but rejoice. Our Beijing results indicate the right trajectory for the development of sports in the country. We see the fantastic success of our skiers - both girls and boys. It can be seen that the system is well-organized there. I am very pleased with the success in biathlon, again, I want "gold", victories, but we see what kind of competition exists. And, of course, we are very pleased with the victories in figure skating. I think that the preliminary assessments are very positive. All our Olympians have done a tremendous job.

Stanislav Pozdnyakov, head of the Russian Olympic Committee:

- First of all, we lacked our fans in Beijing. The hottest, most sincere and most reliable. As for the Russian anthem, we so dreamed about this moment and waited, but already at home.

Before the Games in Beijing, we assumed that we could compete for 30 medals, the forecast matched. The only thing I would like, of course, is for a number of silver medals to go into the category of gold next time, including the final match in hockey.

Objectively, somewhere our athletes were unlucky, especially in biathlon. But that's what sports are all about. Almost all athletes, with the exception of the ski team, have something to improve and strive for. Bolshunov will motivate our athletes with his personal example.

Well, that's in the past. And now it's great to be back home, great. Additional forces appear. We are glad that we returned as a big Olympic family. With a record number of medals.

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