A question of popularity: why did Bolshunov and Ovechkin lose to Valieva in the poll about the best athlete of the year

Olympic champion in the team Kamila Valieva was recognized as the best athlete of 2022 according to Russian fans.

According to VTsIOM, 7% of respondents voted for the figure skater.

In second place is skier Alexander Bolshunov (5%), in third place is captain of the Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin (4%).

Also, 2% each gave preference to Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova.

The study involved 1.6 thousand people at least 18 years old.

These results were ambiguously perceived in the sports world.

Three-time Olympic champion Irina Rodnina, for example, gave preference to Bolshunov, who has the same number of gold medals of the Games.

“I don’t quite agree with such a trio, I have my own idea, for me the best athlete of the year is the one who showed the highest result, did not just participate with his presence on the screen.

For me, Alexander Bolshunov is definitely the best, but it is very difficult to sum up the results of 2022, where we have very few competitions.

The brightest event was the Olympics, then everything was in a truncated state.

The results were and are, but they are not of the level that the athletes are counting on, because they did not get to the tournaments, ”Metaratings quotes Rodnina.

The head of the FLGR, Elena Vyalbe, does not agree with the results of the vote.

The specialist was surprised by the absence of the Olympic champion and the owner of the Big Crystal Globe Natalya Nepryaeva in the list.

“I think that this is undeserved, because she was much cooler.

I didn’t see Ovechkin at the Olympics.

I am happy for Sasha, of course, too, but I think that Bolshunov is a more worthy person today, ”RIA Novosti quoted Vyalbe as saying.

However, since there are many sports in Russia, there can be no consensus on this issue.

And the appearance of certain athletes in such popular votes rather speaks of the popularity of the discipline as a whole.

The results of the VTsIOM survey once again confirm that figure skating is still in first place in the hearts of Russians.

And it's not just the results of domestic athletes who won six medals in Beijing: two golds, three silvers and bronze.

From year to year, competitions in this type are broadcast on the main federal channel, which even the players who appear on the First Channel only if the national team is playing cannot boast of.

Valieva not only became the main newsmaker of the Olympics, albeit with a minus sign, but also did not disappear after Beijing.

Unlike Anna Shcherbakova, who paused in performances after the operation, Kamila continued to perform and began to stir up interest in herself, including with an ambiguous free program.

In addition, she returned after the summer much more successfully than Alexandra Trusova, who was unable to compete at the Russian Championships, while Camila won silver.

But the people's love for biathlon, judging by the survey, is gradually cooling down and moving on to cross-country skiing.

Of course, here with lighting everything is a little more complicated.

Even with Match TV there are problems.

However, thanks to the incredible successes and uncompromising nature of the Bolshunov, they are always well known.

And in this case, he wins the competition from Nepryaeva, who after the Olympics went a little into the shadows.

The appearance of Alexander Ovechkin on this list is quite natural.

Yes, he didn't play in Beijing, but his run on the NHL's top scorer list of all time transcends the league.

She is followed all over the world.

In addition, the hockey player does not lose touch with his homeland.

He came to Moscow in the summer, pleased the fans with participation in a football match and other events, which were also actively covered in the media.

It may seem strange that there are no players on the list of VTsIOM.

But here, in fact, there is nothing surprising.

Still, the Russian team could not go to the World Cup in Qatar, albeit not of their own free will.

And friendly matches were held by the experimental team.

The audience is no longer surprised even by the main “showman” of the RPL Artyom Dzyuba with the topic of finding a new club, and another such personality, similar in achievements and scandalousness, has not yet appeared in the national championship.

So, on the one hand, the results of VTsIOM do not reflect the real situation in the sports world.

But on the other hand, they show emerging trends in the preferences of Russian fans.