"It was impossible to lose today": how Russian skiers for the first time in 16 years won silver in the relay at the World Cup

"We have big problems with descents in our team."

At the first stage of the women's relay, the Russian national team was represented by Yana Kirpichenko.

In the skiathlon, she ran the classic part of the distance with an excellent sixth time, so her participation in the team race was beyond doubt.

Tatyana Sorina was even faster then, but after the fifth place in the 10 km freestyle race, the coaches put her in the third stage to fight the unsurpassed Norwegian Teresa Johaug.

Yulia Stupak and Natalya Nepryaeva received the second and fourth numbers, respectively.

Kirpichenko also had a personal rival who needed to be closely monitored.

Sweden's Jonna Sundling has already won two gold medals in Oberstdorf, running in two different styles.

However, the Scandinavian won both victories in the sprint, and she was completely unprepared for the five-kilometer distance.

By the end of the first stage, Sundling seriously lagged behind the leadership group and eventually finished the stage in sixth place, 11 seconds behind the Russian.

Kirpichenko, on the other hand, performed her part of the relay perfectly.

The Russian woman did not turn off the fight for a second and accelerated the peloton together with the Norwegian Tiril Veng.

As a result, they managed to create a five-second gap before passing the relay.

Only the Czech Katerina Razimova was able to catch up with the two skiers.

After the finish, Kirpichenko admitted that she did not do very well with the slopes, but she nevertheless completed the main task at her stage.

“The task was to come in a group with the leaders, if you have the strength, somehow try to come out ahead.

Yes, I tried to do it several times.

Were the descents anxious?

This is just my walkthrough.

Our team has big problems with them, a lot of injuries, so we reinsure ourselves against falls.

Before the race, we discussed with the girls who have what tasks, who how they will go through their stage.

Of course, this is exciting.

Each one was worried, because it is responsibility not only for themselves, but also for the whole team, ”Kirpichenko said on Match TV.

"I thought I was going to die, but I will try to keep up"

At the second stage, Stupak's fellow travelers were Heidi Veng and Petra Novakova.

The Czech women could not claim medals in the relay, and soon their skier stopped interfering with the favorites to fight for gold.

By the end of the first round, it became clear that gold and silver, most likely, would be played by the teams of Russia and Norway.

Stupak decided to take the initiative into her own hands and began to work at a distance alone, without waiting for help from Veng.

The Norwegian kept her opponent behind for a long time - until the last rise before entering the stadium.

Then she nevertheless accelerated and tried to leave the Russian woman behind her.

Stupak could not hold on to Veng, but she did not lag behind too much - during the transfer of the relay, they were separated by only 2.6 seconds.

The skier noted that from the very beginning she was going to run her stage without looking back at her opponent.

“I was planning to jump into the race from the first meters.

Initially, there was such a tactic, I adhered to it.

Sitting behind the backs is not an option, because I know that the third and fourth stages for girls are very difficult.

I had to work as much as possible and not sit out.

When Veng pulled ahead, I hung a little.

I thought I was going to die, but I will try to keep up.

On the last climb, she began to sprint.

But it's okay.

There were no thoughts to let her go, because I was not guided by her.

I passed out and tried to work at my own pace.

I didn't think about my opponent at all, ”Stupak said.

The efforts of the Russian woman were still not in vain - at her stage, she broke away almost half a minute from the main pursuers from Germany, the USA and Finland, not to mention Sweden, which was predicted at least a medal.

This was already enough to focus on the fight against Norway in the next stages.

"You need to go out and, angry at everyone, work out to the fullest."

Sorina had an almost impossible mission - to catch up with Johaug, who won two gold medals in Oberstdorf, and run after her all five kilometers, counting on the fact that at such a short distance the Norwegian would not rush far.

But when the Russian woman caught up with her, she immediately began to attack and build up the gap.

At the mark of 12.5 kilometers, they were separated by more than eight seconds, and after another 1400 meters - already 14.7.

After the race, the athlete admitted that she wanted too much to hold on to Johaug and unnecessary emotions prevented her.

“The task was not to rush to the second circle more or less at your own pace.

But emotions overwhelmed me!

I wanted to win back the gap right away, to work in the back.

I thought it would be easier, but it was not easier on the rise.

I had to switch to my own pace.

Johaug already from the first lap began to win over me by five seconds on the cut-off.

I thought that at the end I would be able to keep within ten seconds of a loss, but it turned out twice as much ... I went to the start and thought that today I need to work in full, angry at everyone.

It was impossible to lose today, ”said the athlete.

At the end of the third stage, the Russian national team lost almost 20 seconds to Norway.

However, taking into account who Sorina had to run with, this could even be considered a success - the theoretical chances for gold were still preserved, and the gap from the closest pursuers was already approaching one minute.

The Swedish national team, for example, had already lost more than two minutes to the Norwegians by that time.

"I was not bored of walking alone"

The Norwegian team's finisher was Helena Vossesholm, a 19-year-old gifted athlete combining a career in cross-country skiing with mountain biking, where she won the bronze in the Junior World Championships.

In the skiathlon, Fossesholm showed the second result among Norwegians and entered the top six, and therefore it was difficult for Nepryaeva to count on the fact that she would be able to overtake her young rival, especially given the recent break.

A miracle still did not happen - the Norwegian ran half the stage with the same pressure as Johaug.

After that, she still slowed down, but the Russian woman by that time could no longer overcome the climbs with the same ease and only lagged behind for a few more seconds.

Nepryaeva should rather think about not letting American Jesse Diggins and Finnish Christa Pärmyakoski close to her - in their dispute for bronze, they significantly reduced the gap with the leaders.

After the finish, the Russian woman noted that the main thing for her was to run into her own strength, and not embark on a risky pursuit.

“I was not bored of walking alone.

I tried to run my race.

The most important thing, of course, was not to let those who were behind.

I was still guided by Fossesholm and tried to keep the distance more or less.

In no case was it possible to rush, the task was to go exactly both circles.

All the coaches on the track said that we had to go straight and not give in to emotions, ”Nepryaeva commented on her performance.

As a result, the Russian national team finished second after Norway and showed the best result in the women's relay since 2005 - all this time the girls managed to win bronze at best, but most often they were left without medals at all.

The final gap from the winners was 26.6 seconds.

Finnish skiers eventually got bronze thanks to the finishing spurt of Pärmäkoski.

Among them, the medal was won by 42-year-old Riita-Liisa Roponen, who ran in the third stage.

She won her first award at the world championships in the same year, when the Russians for the last time finished second in the relay.