“Strongly reminds Chepalova”: Lopukhov about Stepanova’s “hobby”, Terentyev’s disaster and Bolshunov’s meticulousness

— How do you like the starting races in the women’s program of the Strongest Spartakiad? 

— It was very pleasant to watch, high competition: everyone ran tactically competently, and technically too. I like it.

— In your opinion, is Veronica Stepanova a typical skier or an atypical one?

- She is very gifted. I noticed her back in juniors and even thought that this girl strongly resembled Yulia Chepalova. After all, she was also distinguished by her extraordinary talent in skating: she ran “skating” in classic boots and beat everyone. Larisa Lazutina or Lyuba Egorova were “artificial” in this regard - their ability to skate came from a lot of work, there was no great natural talent in this regard. Julia just flew along the ski track. Veronica is running exactly the same way now.

— Can you explain in more detail what talent in skating means in your understanding?

— This is a whole complex of components: the work of the pelvis, the transfer of body weight from one leg to the other, like good dancers: you look at a person and understand that it is not difficult for him to move like that. Movements flow from one to another in a continuous stream. So it is here. Skating requires impeccable coordination, plus you need to ski a lot as a child in order to work just as smoothly and naturally on the slopes.

— Do you, as a professional, see how much effort a skier expends on a distance? In other words, will he have enough strength for the remaining races?

— When an athlete reaches peak form, and Stepanova is now in a very good functional condition, he recovers quickly. Veronica works in races very economically, without spending extra effort, but at high efficiency. Therefore, I think she will perform well in all her disciplines. The main thing is to properly set yourself up for a long distance - 50 km.

- In what sense is it correct?

— Every athlete has favorite and least favorite races. During the season, Stepanova did not always make it to the start line and missed some. It seems to me that she doesn’t like 50 km, although in some interview she said that she wants to run all the distances in Tyumen. She is quite capable of doing this.

“I think I’m not the only one wondering now: will Natalya Terentyeva, who is still on pause, be able to return to such a high level?”

— It greatly depends on what the pause is connected with. I, for one, cannot understand this. Generally speaking, Natalya is a very strong athlete. But again: over the past years, we have become accustomed to the fact that she is there, and Stepanova periodically tries to provide competition. Now there is a whole group of athletes capable of fighting for medals. If earlier I myself was critical of the women's team, now I have changed my mind. I see that a lot has changed, the girls have improved significantly.

— Whose work is more interesting for you to watch - Yuri Borodavko or Yegor Sorin?

- Why oppose? Both work interestingly, and both have strong leaders.

— Yes, but I would say that in Borodavko’s brigade there is Alexander Bolshunov, who stands apart, and there are others. How difficult is it for a coach to focus on more than just the leader? Is there a danger of missing out on other athletes?

— From what I see from the outside, the very nature of work in teams has now changed a lot.

If in the past we approached the training process in an authoritarian manner, now the work is to a greater extent built individually, taking into account the character of each athlete and his capabilities. The same Bolshunov has his own concept of training and there is no such thing that this concept is imposed on others according to the principle: “Do the same!”

I believe the same is true in Sorin's group. Stepanova, like Bolshunov, is a very thoughtful athlete, she knows what she wants and goes for it.

— At one time, your outstanding colleague Alexander Grushin characterized the authoritarian leadership style with the phrase: “The forest is cut down, the chips fly.” Bearing in mind that a large number of athletes simply cannot withstand the pressures of the national team.

- Well, yes, many dropped out. Now coaches have the opportunity to receive any information. Watch how their colleagues in other countries work, what methods they use. The same Bolshunov, I know, works a lot with the mirror and does other special exercises. This didn't happen before. We, of course, tried to observe how the foreigners worked, but we had to figure out a lot of things with our own minds.

At the same time, I see very well that not all athletes use the opportunities that they now have.

- For example?

— For example, Alexander Terentyev. He is incredibly talented as a sprinter, but if you look at how technically he goes along the distance, it’s time to doubt whether he is an athlete of the Russian national team. When a skier extends his arms in a stepless move, it is important that the pelvis does not go back. Terentyev's pelvis is always in the back. For an athlete of this class this is a disaster. And it's a shame. According to his data, Terentyev could work unusually brightly in the sprint. But technically and tactically he works out his races with a C grade.

- So maybe this is due to the fact that the coach is more focused on another ward?

- It's more likely something else. Not every athlete is able to accept the coach’s comments. After all, Bolshunov became the way we see him now, not because they work with him more. He is a very meticulous and intelligent athlete who does not miss a single detail in his own preparation. The coach's role is to give the athlete an idea. But a person must work himself.

— If we return to Stepanova, do you see any weaknesses in her preparation?

“I see, first of all, that Veronica greatly added to the classics, and this makes her a real leader. In general, I would say that Yegor Sorin’s team works very competently. As for qualities that can be improved, everyone has them.

- But still?

— It’s difficult for me to give a substantive answer. I saw Stepanova during summer training in Raubichi, I saw how she worked on the treadmill. I caught myself thinking that I wanted to suggest some things, but I didn’t do it. And then I read from Veronica: “Petrovich came in, said nothing and left.”

- So maybe it was worth giving a hint?

— In order to give advice, you need to constantly work with the athlete, otherwise it is simply incorrect.

— How can you beat such an athlete as Stepanova? How to build tactics against it?

- There’s no need to build anything. It is much more important that every athlete understands how to structure their training. You need to not only remove all your own disadvantages and maximize your performance, but also learn to make the most of the best that has been developed in world skiing.

— Did you manage to watch the men’s sprint?

- Undoubtedly. I was rooting for everyone, each of them was interesting to me in their own way. What I regretted was that Savely Korostelev did not make it to the finals. Well, it’s a pity, of course, that Sergei Ustyugov has not yet reached his best condition. Although he was just a little short in skiathlon, he could have ended up on the podium.

— Do you remember any skiers who were able to beat all opponents throughout the season the way Bolshunov does?

— Such parallels are not entirely correct. In Soviet times, there were plenty of outstanding racers, and I would say that the competition was much higher than today. That's why they won one by one, then one, then the other. Now, let’s not lie, Bolshunov stands out from the general background not because of his own genius, but because his opponents in domestic competitions are of a noticeably lower level. I would say that the main reason for this difference is precisely the fact that Alexander is constantly polishing himself professionally. Is Ustyugov capable of fighting him? Yes. Just like Korostelev. They both just need a little more time.