"We must be able to lose": how Russia reacted to Sorina's suspicions of doping

Tatiana Sorina became one of the main newsmakers of the World Cup in cross-country skiing in Ruka.

The athlete finished fourth in the interval race in the classic style, after which she took silver in the pursuit, losing only to Olympic champion Teresa Johaug.

Not everyone was able to come to terms with the success of the Russian woman.

So, the Swedish press suggested that Sorina's high results in competitions in Finland could be due to the use of prohibited drugs.

Expressen journalist Ludwig Holmberg shared a similar opinion.

He expressed the opinion that in a pandemic, anti-doping agencies are experiencing serious difficulties and cannot regularly test athletes.

At the same time, he claims that the greatest difficulties in this regard were allegedly encountered in Russia.

“This year sports are especially vulnerable.

The pandemic has made it harder for doping officers to get home to athletes to get the tests they need - and in many places, testing has stopped altogether.

One of these places is Russia.

From late March to early May RUSADA (Russian Anti-Doping Agency. -

) did not conduct a single test.

And against this background, many were skeptical when Tatyana Sorina suddenly took the lead on the track in Ruka and took second place, ”Holmberg's article says.

It is not difficult to understand the journalist's frustration, because in the pursuit race Sorina outstripped two representatives of Tre Kronur.

Five athletes claimed silver, but if the Norwegian Helena Maria Fossesholm and the American Rosie Brennan lost their chances for second place, then the Swedes Ebba Anderson and Frida Karlsson fought on equal terms with Sorina almost to the finish line.

True, they didn't have enough strength for the ending.

Before the final turn, the Russian woman rushed forward and in the last meters had a solid advantage over her opponents.

“Is she doping?

I hope no.

I hope that the coach of the Russian national team Markus Kramer is right when he says that Tatiana Sorina has shown such progress thanks to a new approach to training.

But I understand all athletes and cross-country skiing enthusiasts who are suspicious of this, ”wrote Holmberg.

Over the past years, Sorina's training process has really undergone major changes.

The skier missed the last season due to pregnancy, and in March gave birth to a daughter, after which she resumed training under the guidance of her husband Yegor Sorin.

As Tatyana admitted, it was not easy at first, because she had to combine sports and maternal responsibilities.

“At first, the most difficult thing was lack of sleep.

I fed my daughter at night, and in the morning I had to get up for training.

It took me a while to learn to go out to morning workouts with the team.

At first, I gave the child to my mother, slept for another hour in the morning and then went to train.

It was also difficult that I was constantly attached to feeding.

If, for example, a long training session lasts three hours, then in two hours I need to return to my daughter, feed her and then return to training.

As a result, the whole team is already going to lunch, and I’m finishing the whole workout, ”Sport-Express quotes Sorina.

At the same time, her coach and husband expressed the opinion that even before returning to the sport, Sorina was confident in her ability to demonstrate high results.

He also noted that the key to her success in the Hand is excellent physical fitness and psychology.

“Having a baby helped her psychologically relax, now she enjoys every workout.

She really missed cross-country skiing after the break.

Her belief in her ability to fight for the best results also helped.

It was difficult for anyone, including me, even in their dreams to imagine that the return would be so successful.

But she believed ... I hope that this is not the limit and this state can be kept for the whole season.

In the off-season, a lot of work was done, the foundation was laid.

I even had to stop her - Tanya did more work than I planned and demanded.

The correct strategy should help to maintain such a result as long as possible, "- quotes Sorin TASS.

Nevertheless, such statements by the athlete and her coach did not affect the opinion of Holmberg, who continued to speculate about the possible reasons for Sorina's triumph.

“As you know, Russian cross-country skiing has had big problems with doping in recent years.

And remembering what the anti-doping system looks like right now, it's hard to trust results that seem too good to be true.

Of course, this is tragic.

For everyone involved in this.

The doping controller followed Tatyana Sorina as she left the stadium in Ruka on Sunday.

But what does a negative doping test really mean? "

- concluded the journalist.

In Russia, as expected, such hints were taken extremely negatively.

The head of the Russian Cross-Country Skiing Federation (FLGR) Elena Vyalbe refused to comment on the journalist's assumptions.

And the coach of the Russian national skiing team, Yuri Borodavko, advised Holmberg to pay attention to skiers from Sweden.

“I would recommend a Swedish journalist to write about my athletes.

To work with their therapeutic exceptions, for example.

And not to climb into someone else's garden, "- said Wartko" Championship ".

Maxim Vylegzhanin, three-time Olympic silver medalist in cross-country skiing, urged Sorina to focus on sports.

“Of course, such statements cannot be pleasant to an athlete.

Tatiana showed an excellent result and was rushed to immediately accuse her of doping.

In skiing, testing is carried out after the start.

If you run well, then be sure to check before starting the next stage.

Sorina needs to be proved by the result.

Run also quickly and demonstrate that success in Ruka was not an accident, "Vylegzhanin told RT.

The well-known Russian commentator Dmitry Guberniev stressed that Sorina had to endure serious tests on the way to return to the sport.

“The Swedish journalist is a complete idiot, you have to be able to lose.

Sorina became a mother, returned, withstood the hardest loads and naturally burst into the elite of world skiing.

The logic of other representatives of the press, especially when we grab them by the ass with our victories, cannot be explained, "Guberniev told RT.

At the same time, the success of the Russian woman was also appreciated by the main triumphant of the competition in the Hand, Teresa Johaug.

The Norwegian admired Sorina's performance and recalled that at one time motherhood had the same effect on her compatriot Marit Bjørgen.

“Sorina surprised me a lot.

Crazy progress.

It is curious to see new faces in leaders.

Maybe Tatiana took off thanks to motherhood, like Bjørgen did?

- Quoted by Johaug Dagbladet.

- I know that before that she quickly passed the race in Muoni, beating Nepryaeva ... I don't think this is a temporary surge.

I have to watch out for Sorina in the future.

Many girls got a boost after pregnancy.

I don't know if this can be called a part of her success and progress, but it is obvious that she has become stronger.

We need to follow her. "