One for all: Ustyugov won the second medal at the World Cup in cross-country skiing in Davos

On Sunday in Davos, skiers had to compete in individual races free style.

To them, as well as to the entire third stage of the World Cup, special attention is riveted.

The track in Switzerland is located in the mountains, and these are the conditions for the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Before the start of the men's “cut-up”, the main question for the Russian fans was the participation of the leader of the Russian national team, Alexander Bolshunov, who missed the sprint due to poor health. The athlete decided to run the race and began his performance quite confidently, at the first time cut off only six seconds behind the Norwegian Hans Holland, who was one of the first in the strongest group to finish the race. However, the quick start played a cruel joke on the Russian. Already on the second lap, the gap from the leaders began to grow rapidly, and Bolshunov could not get involved at the finish line. In the final protocol, he was on the 12th line. As the senior coach of the Russian men's national team, Yuri Borodavko, later said, Alexander this time did not work at his maximum capacity. This start was seen more as a speed workout.

“I didn't want him to run. This decision was made by him himself before the race. Bolshunov had a slight runny nose, a sore throat, but decided that he had to perform anyway. Alexander did not pursue the result, did not give everything two hundred percent. I did a high-speed workout, because I realized that there is no super state today, so I did not work to the fullest, "- quotes the words of the expert" Championship ".

Another tactic, with a slow start, was chosen by Sergei Ustyugov. In the course of the first round, he lost to Holland, who had been a reference point for athletes for a long time, fifteen seconds, but then this gap began to gradually decrease. On the last lap Ustyugov was already the leader, ahead of even Johannes Klebo. Like Sergei, the Norwegian slowly began the distance, but in the very ending he showed phenomenal speed and nevertheless bypassed the Russian in the final protocol.

However, the three-time world champion did not manage to sit on the throne of the winner of the competition for long.

He was followed by the winner of the last individual race in Lillehammer Simon Kruger.

He seized the lead after three kilometers of distance and then only increased the advantage.

At the finish line, he overtook Klebo by almost half a minute, so he could afford to quit running, enjoying the support of the fans.

The last one who tried to move Ustyugov off the podium was another Norwegian - Harald Amundsen.

The first eight kilometers he walked at the same speed as the Russian.

However, on the last lap, the treachery of the circuit in Davos affected.

The athlete lost five seconds to Sergei.  

After the race, Ustyugov admitted that the last meters were especially difficult for him: he was stabbed in the side.

But despite the pain, he retained his third place on the podium.

As the assistant to the senior coach of the national team Sergey Turyshev noted, it is clear that the Russian is gradually gaining shape. 

“At every stage, he shows more successful results.

Intensive preparation is underway now.

The closer to the Olympic Games, the better the form, ”the specialist said. 

This is also confirmed by the results.

The athlete this season three times climbed to the second step of the podium: in the individual race in the "classic", in the relay and the day before in the sprint - and now he also has a bronze in the "cut". 

The rest of the Russian athletes also had good results: seven representatives of the national team were included in the top twenty at once.

However, so far only Ustyugov has been able to compete with the Norwegians.

In the first six, in addition to the Russian, there are five Scandinavians at once.

Alexander Maltsev, who also walked well along the distance, was only seventh.

As the athlete sadly admitted after the performance, the situation of the last year is repeated again - only the Norwegians are ahead, and only then the Russians.

“I had a bad experience when I started quickly in Davos.

Today he decomposed evenly, he walked with Ryte.

Seventh place is pretty good.

But again the Norwegians are ahead, and then the Russians, ”Maltsev said on the air of Match TV. 

The women's national team is not doing as well in distance racing as the men's.

So far, they managed to be on the podium only in the relay.

It didn't work out in Davos either.

Tatiana Sorina started the “cut” well, however, as the men's race showed, a quick start may not do a very good job.

And so it happened.

And if in the first cutoff the Russian woman walked at the same time as Teresa Johaug, then her gap began to grow sharply and to the finish line was 46 seconds.  

Natalya Nepryaeva ran quite smoothly, but the speed of one of the leaders of the national team is still not the same.

As a result, she remained only 17th. 

The best result among Russian women was shown by Veronica Stepanova. She, like Ustyugov, did not give all her best from the very beginning, the gap from the leaders in the first cut-off was twenty seconds and then gradually grew, but the athlete, who impressed everyone in the relay, was able to catch on to the top ten. 

As expected, Teresa Johaug and Frida Karlsson fought for victory in the race.

The Swede has already won two "cuttings" this season.

This naturally did not suit the three-time winner of the "Big Crystal Globe".

In Davos, the Norwegian went the distance after her main rival and did not postpone the matter indefinitely.

From the very first cut-off, she stepped forward and did not even let anyone close to the first place.

Things didn't turn out so well for Karlsson.

She did not spend the last lap in the best way and let Jessica Diggins go ahead.

The American, on the contrary, gave an excellent ending and for the first time this season climbed to the podium in distance racing.