Russian archers thank Belarus for great CIS Games

"For many years we have maintained very warm relations with Team Belarus. We faced them in the gold finals more than once," said Svetlana Gomboeva, a Russian archer, silver medalist of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and bronze medalist of the 2nd CIS Games. “Today we won, which I am very happy about. I thank my teammates for the close-knit team. It is difficult to analyze why we won. This is up to the coaching staff. We are athletes and we do what we are told.”

Svetlana Gomboeva called the CIS Games a kind and warm sports festival. "It's very cool here, the atmosphere is friendly, everyone around is joyful and welcoming. So there was not much tension at the competitions," she said. “Of course, it was difficult to shoot to the shouts of Belarusian fans who were rooting for their team. We were glad to see Russian flags in the stands. We thank the fans who cheered for the teams of Russia and Belarus. They really created a unique atmosphere of the competition."

The Russian team made a special emphasis on the opportunity to compete under the flag of their country. "I am happy that we not only competed under our flag, but also won. Our girls are a very good, close-knit team. These competitions are very cool. The scale is impressive. The Russians are warmly welcomed. All participants are friendly, we are on good terms with all teams. The stands are packed. It's great!" Nurinisso Makhmudova said.

The emotions were running high today, Galina Shadrina, the coach of the Russian women's national archery team, said. “Of course, everyone wanted to see a close fight, but the girls from the Belarusian team were a little nervous,” she stressed. “I will say one thing: it is always difficult to perform on home turf, notwithstanding the home crowd's support. Despite the strong friendship between Russians and Belarusians, we are rivals here. The CIS Games are a wonderful well-organized event. Many thanks to Belarus for such a sporting festival.”

Russia secured champion titles in the men's, women's and mixed team events at the 2nd CIS Games. Russia also collected gold medals in both men's and women's individual events. Belarusian archers won three silver medals in the team tournament.