"The World Cup ended on a good note"
The Ski World Cup ended with women's and men's pursuit races for 30 and 50 km.
Russian Yulia Stupak, who had become the winner of the mass start the day before, went up to the podium again, winning bronze.
This allowed her to stay on the second line of the overall standings.
“The season is very cool, I still don’t even understand that it’s over, I like the state of health, I haven’t run into it yet, I have been waiting for so long when I’ll be released to the competition - and now everything is almost over, the Russian championship is ahead.
But I am glad that the World Cup ended on such a good note that I managed to maintain the second position in the overall standings, this is the first time for me and is a big step forward, "Stupak said on Match TV.
At the same time, the athlete admitted that it was not easy for her to graze because of the difficult weather conditions.
The right tactics and teamwork helped to achieve success.
“It was difficult enough to drag everyone in front, and we changed well.
Thanks to the other girls for that.
At the end there was already a tactical struggle.
Jessica wanted me to go ahead, but no.
In principle, she wanted us to work for her the entire distance.
But I understood that I would still be stronger at the finish, ”Stupak added.
The coach of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug national team Sergey Kryanin suggested that Stupak might not have had enough strength to compete for first place.
At the same time, he stressed that any race is of great importance, given the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing.
“But this season for our girls, despite all the injuries and illnesses, can be considered successful.
Yes, there were ups and downs, but still we need to congratulate the athletes and their coaches.
It's great that there are several leaders - Stupak, Nepryaeva, Sorina, who changed during the season.
There is healthy competition in the team, without which growth is impossible, "TASS quotes Kryanin.
According to the Vancouver 2010 medalist Alexander Panzhinsky, next season Stupak should also expect high places and struggle in almost every race.
He expressed confidence that in the offseason she will work on the mistakes and improve the existing skills.
“Undoubtedly, Yulia Stupak is a heroine.
A remarkable result in such a tough race, not quite a profile one for her.
She managed to climb the podium and beat Jessica Diggins, the overall winner of the World Cup.
Julia pleased herself and us with such a beautiful end to the season.
We all expect that Stupak will fight for the podium in almost every race, but it is not clear what will happen in seven to eight months, at the beginning of next season.
A lot may happen, new talents may appear, but, probably, this season bodes well, including for Yulia, ”Panzhinsky told Sport24.
The four-time Olympic champion in biathlon Alexander Tikhonov was also impressed by Stupak's performance.
He noted the progress of Russian skiers and complained that, unlike them, the biathlon team cannot yet please with good results.
“Any success becomes an impetus, because there are those who want to engage in cross-country skiing from a young age.
This is the main factor.
There are not many people in cross-country skiing - there are 27 people at the championship of the Novosibirsk region, and before there were 200. Result Stupak is a great success!
We must break the hegemony of the Norwegians.
I'm delighted! "
- quotes the words of Tikhonov "Sport-Espress".
"For two years in a row, the cup cannot accidentally leave for Russia"
In the men's pursuit race, the best among the Russians was Alexander Bolshunov, who took sixth place.
Commenting on the result, he noted the poor performance of the skis, which made it difficult for him to count on a prize.
At the same time, this allowed him to slow down rivals and thus help Alexei Chervotkin, who walked first on a part of the distance.
“Of course, slip problems played a role.
The finishing part goes under the descent.
When I rolled out, the skis just stopped, and it was even pointless to fight.
I tried, but nothing came of it today.
The start of the race was calm, as there was a great distance ahead.
I am moving in the right direction, it turns out to be added every year, to climb one step higher.
Next year I would like to take a step at least half a step, but confident.
You need to train a lot to run well in winter, ”Bolshunov said.
After the finish of the pursuit, the ceremony of awarding the "Big Crystal Globe", which Bolshunov has won for the second year in a row, took place.
He admitted that the trophy was not easy for him, and also responded to the words of his main rival Johannes Klebo, who, after the 2019/20 season, said that the cup had left for Russia “by mistake”.
“For two years in a row, the Cup cannot accidentally leave for Russia.
This is a difficult trophy, to achieve it, you need to be at the top of the table throughout the season, to win different races.
What would I wish biathletes?
Competitions are a holiday when they are, you need to rejoice and be relaxed, perform with positive emotions, "Bolshunov added.
The senior coach of the Russian national team, Yuri Borodavko, said that accumulated fatigue and lack of motivation could have affected the athlete's result.
At the same time, Kryanin urged not to get upset because of the sixth place.
“Bolshunov was in the leading group, but it was very energy-consuming to drag the peloton with him.
Our guys gave themselves completely, tried to show results, but the Norwegians, unfortunately, turned out to be more resilient.
This is an experience, nothing terrible happened.
We have already solved all the problems before the final race ", - quotes Kryanin" Championship ".
In addition, he noted the importance of the award ceremony both for Bolshunov himself and for all Russian fans.
“It's great that in the end everyone worked perfectly well, and the FIS arranged an award ceremony with the flag and anthem of Russia.
It was even to goosebumps during the presentation of the "Big Crystal Globe" from the fact that through thorns to the stars our guy received this prize.
The whole country should be happy for Alexander.
I think Sasha was also pleased, ”added Kryanin.
The 2015 world champion Maxim Vylegzhanin noted that the second consecutive victory in the overall World Cup proves that Alexander is currently the strongest skier on the planet.
“It's great that Yulia Stupak won bronze today, and Sasha Bolshunov won the cup.
Bolshunov showed that he is very strong.
It is clear that you cannot win all the starts ... At the World Championships it was clear that only Klebo could compete with him, ”Vylegzhanin said.
However, some experts pointed out the disadvantages in the performance of the Russian national team.
1999 World Champion Mikhail Botvinov complained about the lack of teamwork.
“It's hard to analyze something.
From the outside it seems that it was hard for Bolshunov, the batteries are empty.
The Norwegians at the finish line occupy different places, but until the last kilometers they rode as a team.
Where is our team - the question.
Regardless of which group you train in, there is still one team - Russian, ”Botvinov quotes Metaratings.
In the overall standings of the Nations Cup, Russia took first place, ahead of Norway by 2960 points.
Summing up the results of the season, Wartko noted the successes of both the men's and women's teams.
“The season ended positively.
We must draw the right conclusions.
To outline the prospects for work in the future, places of the gathering, preparation for the Olympic Games, ”said Borodavko.
In turn, Panzhinsky recalled that the national team is strong not only for Bolshunov.
In his opinion, the World Championship was indicative, where in total the Russian national team won five medals, which indicates its potential.
“Of course, Bolshunov was our main weapon at key starts, but Yakimushkin's second place in the standings speaks of a good and stable performance.
Artyom Maltsev, Alexey Chervotkin, Denis Spitsov, Gleb Retivykh and all the others performed excellently.
The girls did great too.
We have medals at the junior and youth level.
All this suggests that a strong generation is coming.
This is a huge merit of Elena Vyalbe and other coaches of the national team, they have built this system together.
We are entering the Olympic season on a positive note! "
- Panzhinsky is sure.