Athlete Pavel Karelin was called the pride of the country. The Russian ski jumper was a world-class master of sports. Ahead the promising skier had a lot.
Nizhny Novgorod Pavel Alekseevich Karelin burst into the sports world rapidly. He became one of the most professional world skiers. Athlete's career quickly went up. He won many competitions, was not going to rest on his laurels.
Road to the sporting heights
Pavel was born on April 27 in Gorky in 1990. From an early age the grandson was brought up by the grandmother. Maria Viktorovna brought her child to a local sports school. This was a turning point in the biography of the future champion.
Paul first climbed the springboard out of curiosity at nine. The young athlete was struck by both height and speed. He realized that it was his fate. Grandmother rejoiced at the success of the boy and supported him with all her might.
From childhood, Paul was stubborn. He showed high results. Talent was quickly discerned by specialists. The skier joined the junior team in 2003, and from 2007 into the adult hopping team.
An important role in professional development was played by his stepfather, engaged in speed skating. Karelin perceived his departure from life as a huge loss.
Since September 2007, a seventeen-year-old guy began participating in world Cups. At one stage of the competition, he became the ninth. A place in the top ten allowed Paul to provide leadership in the country's hopping team.
He did not stop moving until what was achieved. Soon the skier already won prizes at international competitions and was increasingly mentioned in the world press.
In 2008-2010, Pavel entered the top ten best skiers among juniors in world championships. The February World Cup in the team standings brought the athlete in 2009 second place. At the games in Vancouver in 2010, the team became the tenth. Personally, Paul took a place at the beginning of the third dozen.
Ups and downs
Since the beginning of 2011 in the “Four Jumps Tour” Karelin confidently became the second, leaving the title only to world champion Simon Amman. In the 2010-2011 season, the overall skier was twenty-third.
Once again, he took silver in the summer international competitions. After that, Pavel finished sixth six times. Karelin was called the contender for the “gold” of the Sochi Olympics.
The guy did not give in to difficulties, he was ready to train without interruptions. During the jumps, the athlete was incredibly calm and concentrated. In no circumstances did he lose his temper. The springboard seemed to attract him.
Alexander Svyatov, the trainer of the skier, stopped the pupil more than once, persuading him to rest. At home, Paul managed to be infrequent.
He constantly lingered on foreign competitions or was in training. When he was in Nizhny Novgorod, Pavel always visited his grandmother and beloved coach, who turned into a real family member for the athlete.
Karelin and his chosen one Nadezhda were looking forward to the arrival. Paul made the girl an offer. Officially, young people planned to become husband and wife in 2012. The girl was sympathetic to the long absence of the groom. She watched the progress of his competitions in all championships.
Interrupted Jump
Unexpectedly for everyone, the beginning of autumn 2011 was the time of dismissal of the national team coach Svyatov. The devoted pupil was desperate. He refused to change his mentor. It was decided to prepare for the championship only under the leadership of Svyatov.
As a result, Karelin was removed from the competition. The council of the Federation of Jumping planned to make a decision at the end of October 2011. Pavel did not live to reach a verdict. He crashed a couple of weeks before the scheduled gathering.
The accident occurred on October 9th. Pavel was driving along the Nizhny Novgorod-Kazan highway. In the cabin of his car were the elder brother of the bride and a friend of the athlete. A car wheel burst. The vehicle flew into the oncoming lane and crashed into a truck.
The airbag did not work. The athlete died on the spot. Passengers were in the hospital. Both survived. The death of Karelin caused a real shock. He was considered the country's strongest skier, predicted high awards.
The skiers mentors categorically did not agree with the causes of the accident named by experts. The main reason for the tragedy was called experiences after disagreements with the Federation Council.
According to fans, the athlete could not calmly wait for the removal from the competition. Sport is his life.
