The Latvian bobsleigh team has been actively preparing for the new season since May, which will start in Sigulda in mid-November. It is not yet clear what the next season will be like, because the Covid-19 pandemic can change it at any time. Oskars Melbārdis, the most titled bobsleigh pilot in Finland, is not training with the Latvian national team at the moment, and he is preparing according to an individual plan. There is no doubt that he is ready to continue his career.
The Latvian bobsleigh team spent several physical training camps in the summer, usually exercising in Usma after a vacation. Currently, the team of 19 men is training in Sigulda, going to the ice on the starting platform every other day.
The bobsleigh team is preparing for the new seasonMārtiņš Kļavenieks00:00 / 05:02
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The head coach of the team Sandis Prūsis revealed that the full-fledged work as a team is currently prevented from performing injuries of several athletes. Among the 19 rankings, there are also three newcomers found in the selections held in Murjāņi. For now, it is difficult to judge the young man’s ability. The levels of physical and special training for athletes differ, because the three new participants on the ice are only learning their first skills, Prūsis said. The coach is hopeful, but admits that it is too early to judge whether all three debutants will be in the start of the competition season.
Prussia was cautious about planning the work for the whole season, because last spring, due to the pandemic, Plan C, which was not considered the best scenario, would now be very good, if implemented.
The coach admits that the upcoming season could also reach “D and E options”.
One of the newcomers to the national team training is from judo, as usual, basketball players and athletes are also recognized as suitable for bobsleigh. The selections took place at Murjāņi Sports Gymnasium, the last of which was already in the order of the new world, distancing itself and observing other security measures.
Bobsleigh debutant Dāvis Dūda had previously started judo, but he told Latvijas Radio that he had probably reached the ceiling in the current sport and would not be able to attend the next Olympic Games. He considers himself more explosive than suitable for endurance sports.
Latvia’s most titled bobsleigh pilot Oskars Melbārdis again unsuccessfully injured his back during a training at home. This led him to undergo a more thorough health assessment to rectify any deficiencies.
At the moment, Melbārdis is still training individually, but he will return to the team next week.
Thoughts were different in the summer, but the Great Oscar still decided that he did not want to put an end to his excellent career in this way, so he would continue to start. Melbārdis admitted that in the early autumn it is difficult to predict how bobsleigh plans could be affected by the pandemic, but he hopes that the competition will take place.
“I hope I succeed and I’ll drive again,” said Melbārdis. “It has to be given on top if there will be opportunities to ride. So it has to be given on top so that people can watch sports.”
The new season of the World Cup in bobsleigh and skeleton in Sigulda will start with two stages, scheduled for November 16-29.
The 2021 World Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Championships will take place in the German city of Altenberg. Only bobsleigh doubles will compete in Sigulda, but in the following stages only four fours will have to be held to regain the rhythm of the calendar.
The European Bobsleigh Cup in Winterberg will start in early December, but then stages in December and January are planned in Sigulda, Altenberg and Innsbruck, while in mid-February the final stage of the season is expected in Königsze. Along with the first starts in the World Cup men’s competition on the Sigulda track, women’s monobobs will also be visible.
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