You're reading: Once-powerful Russia far behind in gold medal race

LONDON — After a miserable first week in the gold medal stakes, traditional powerhouse Russia is showing signs of a revival — though not enough to avoid its lowest Olympic finish in 60 years.

While some of Russia’s
strongest events are still to come, the team is set to wind up outside
the top three in golds for the first time since the Soviet Union began
competing at the games in 1952.

It’s a worrying sign for a country
that will host the next Olympics, the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, and
follows Russia’s worst-ever performance at the 2010 Winter Olympics in
Vancouver.

“Sure, we would like to have more gold medals,” Deputy
Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov told the RIA Novosti news agency. “But
this is sports, and in many sport events we just lack a bit of luck and
good fortune.”

After lagging in 10th for total gold medals won in
London behind even North Korea and former Soviet republic Kazakhstan,
Russia started to come to life Monday, picking up three gold medals to
move into a tie for sixth place with Italy with seven.

China and the United States are 1-2 in golds with 31 and 29, respectively, and host Britain third with 18.

Despite
the shortage of gold, the Russians have been racking up other medals —
17 silver and 18 bronze for an overall count of 42. They have moved two
ahead of Britain into third place in total medals.

Russia’s recent decline has coincided with China’s rise as an Olympic superpower and continued dominance by the United States.

The
Russian daily Sports Express said in a front page commentary Monday
that Russian sports was “frozen” between the Chinese and American
systems. It blamed a shortage of state funding and lack of oversight and
control over national sports federations.

“It’s very far from
China, where the watchful Communist Party is eyeing the selection
process starting from the kindergarten stage, builds giant sports arenas
and finances powerful medical research — and harshly demands results,”
the paper said. “We must admit that we stand even further from the
American model, and the distance keeps growing. Because it would be
deadly if we end state involvement in sports as they did. Sports
industries that will feed themselves are simply absent in our country.”

There’s
room for Russia to bring home plenty more in the final days of the
games, which end Sunday. Russia has good medal chances in wrestling,
synchronized swimming, gymnastics and boxing, among others.

“Historically,
we win 80 percent of our gold medals in the last five days,” Mikhail
Kusnirovich, deputy head of the Russian team, said. “If we finish with
20 gold medals, it would be great.”

Barring an amazing set of
circumstances, Russia will not be able to catch Team GB in the gold
medal race. The hosts, who already have 11 more gold that Russia, have
strong contenders ahead in track cycling, boxing, equestrian, sailing
and track and field.

Russia finished third in both medal counts at
the past two summer Olympics and had been widely predicted to do the
same in London.

Before that, the Soviet Union or Russia had always been first or second going back to the 1952 Games in Helsinki.

Monday’s competition lifted Russia’s mood when gymnast Aliya Mustafina took gold in the uneven bars.

“Here
it is, the long-awaited gold in gymnastics! I congratulate Aliya, and
all the team and the gymnastics federation from the bottom of my heart!”
Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said, according to the ITAR-Tass agency.

Prime
Minister Dmitry Medvedev also sent congratulations, saying that her
“great achievement has brought a great joy to our fans and proven to the
world that Russia holds an honorable place among the leaders in
gymnastics.”

A few hours later, Alan Khugaev won a gold medal in
Greco-Roman wrestling and Yuliya Zaripova captured the women’s
3,000-meter steeplechase. Hopes for a fourth gold in one day evaporated
when Russian superstar Yelena Isinbayeva managed only 4.70 meters (15
feet, 7 inches) in the pole vault, with the gold going to Jennifer Suhr
of the United States.

Whatever happens the rest of the week, the
pressure will be even greater on Russian athletes to perform in Sochi.
The host nation wants no repeat of the debacle of Vancouver on its own
turf.

In Canada, Russia won only 15 medals and finished 11th in
the table. The disastrous results led to the ouster of four key
executives in the nation’s Olympic program.

“It’s better we lost
in Vancouver than in Sochi,” Kusnirovich said. “Vancouver gave us a
chance to improve and be much more successful in Sochi. Home games are
very important. We need to have the mentality of winners.”

Medals
in Sochi will be a matter of national pride for Russia and President
Vladimir Putin, who is directly involving in overseeing preparations for
the games.

The Russians are now working on their own version of
Canada’s “Own the Podium” program, a $117-million initiative that
resulted in 14 golds for the Canadians — more than any country at a
Winter Games. The Canadian project doled out funds — from the federal
government, corporate sponsors and elsewhere — to support medal
contenders with state-of-the-art coaching, training and psychological
help, as well as tips from a sports research program called Top Secret.

Russia’s strategy includes turning to foreign coaches.

“We
must attract foreigners whenever it’s possible, and there is no reason
to be ashamed of that,” Zhukov said. “If our own coaches are the best,
we must call them. If our coaches have moved to other countries and keep
on raising champions there, then we must spend maximum efforts to get
them back.”

Kusnirovich is also involved in bolstering Russia’s
sports programs ahead of 2014. As chairman of Bosco, a company which
supplies outfits for the Russian, Ukrainian and Spanish teams in London,
he will be investing in Russian winter sports federations to prepare
them for the games.

“I hope this will create the right atmosphere
in Russia,” he said. “Our athletes are not just machines that win
medals. Yes, we need a winners mentality. But if somebody loses, it’s
not the end of life.”