I’m sure everyone has seen Maya Guseinova’s film about the strength training of our skiers, led by Alksandr Legkov. It's not new. There are two parts. The work is intense, the guys are plowing.
But what’s interesting is that there are several views on such strength training. Yes, it seems to us amateurs that these are the most advanced ideas, you need to boldly copy them and you will be stronger than ever. But there are comments from experts. They are not nearly as welcoming. Read below two comments on what we saw.
Here are Vasily Parnyakov’s comments to this video:
The second part of the strength training of the distance group of the Russian cross-country skiing team takes place in the classic jim (immediately after training in the gym). But for wide sections of the Russian sports environment it is completely revolutionary.
All the exercises themselves are common and familiar - bench press, overhead rows, pull-ups while lying on your stomach, squats with a barbell and dips. All exercises are done - attention (!) - with MAXIMUM weights.
Next - and this is where the revolution is buried - after each exercise with weights, athletes do exercises for the same muscle group without weights and at MAXIMUM speed (or, in the case of jumping, with maximum explosion). This has a deep physiological meaning - an instant conversion of force into speed. Pay special attention to the exercise with the ball. It is extremely important to throw the ball quickly and with emphasis. Quickly pick it up and “drive” it into the floor again. Rhythm and speed.
My favorite moment was jumping up the stairs. Probably because I jumped a lot when I ran middle distances. Here, without a doubt, the best is Ilya Chernousov - such an explosion that long jumpers will be jealous!
The video clearly shows a crowded gym, which I talked about in my comments to the first part of the skier strength training video. In such conditions, it is difficult to strictly follow the time schedule and the correct sequence of exercises. But the guys are making the most of what is possible, and Oleg Perevozchikov and Isabelle Knaute are trying to separate the flow of athletes as competently as possible. So hopefully everything is under control.
Everything is beautiful, the guys worked hard. HOWEVER! Here are the comments of Sergei Strukov (physical rehabilitation specialist, expert at the FPA Association of Fitness Professionals, author of the book “Fundamentals of Fitness Training”):
I watched the video and was upset. Although I’m not a ski expert, you can’t build strength training like that.
Ideally, strength training should be unidirectional, that is, between one type and another, you need to take at least a 4-hour break. When combining explosive movements and actual power movements with low angular velocities in the joints, it is better to perform explosive ones first.
But this does not exclude the formation of classes in so-called blocks, which, with the simplest approach, give 4 options for combining the load:
1) Explosive to the top - power to the top
2) Explosive to the bottom - power to the bottom
3) Power to the bottom - explosive to the top (against the background of some general fatigue)
4) Power to the top - explosive to the bottom (against the background of some general fatigue)
Please note that these are examples of the simplest combination, although it is advisable to save time and effort, as well as to increase the effectiveness of the training process, to plan loads individually in more complex combinations, using a series of exercises as “blocks” from which classes are built. For example:
1) Series of jumps
2) Plyometric push-up series
3) Squat series
4) Series of rods
Supersets for these types of strength work are not justified. They are usually used in muscle hypertrophy exercises and are mainly suitable for training relatively small muscles in simple movements.
It is a serious mistake to use half-squats as the main strength movement. This type of squats poorly develops the leg muscles, creates muscle imbalances and, most importantly, unnecessarily overloads the spine. I believe that skiers can train without doing half-squats altogether. Regarding the execution technique: you can’t look at these workouts without tears. The guys are plowing - well done! But they win not because of, but in spite of, their training.
I would like to add on my own behalf. Have you noticed that all our skiers look pumped up? Look, everyone has relief, their arms are like legs. And look at the Norgs or the Swedes. They don’t have such terrain, but they ski just as well.
Maybe we're doing extra work in the gym?
The composition of the Russian cross-country skiing team for centralized preparation for the Olympic season has been determined
Today, April 19, the coaching council of the Russian Ski Racing Federation (RFSR) was held in Moscow, at which the composition of the Russian national team was formed for centralized preparation for the 2017/2018 Olympic season. In the groups of Oleg Pervozchikov, Markus Kramer, Danila Akimov, Yuri Borodavko and Yuri Kaminsky, 25 men and 14 women will work, and three women will train according to an individual program. The names of the participants of the Russian cross-country skiing team are reported by the All Sport Agency.
Ski race. Composition of the Russian national team for the 2017/2018 season
Group of senior coach Oleg Perevozchikov (8 men). Alexander Bessmertnykh, Maxim Vylegzhanin, Andrey Larkov, Andrey Melnichenko, Alexey Vitsenko, Ilya Semikov, Dmitry Yaparov, Ivan Yakimushkin.
Group of senior coach Danil Akimov (6 women). Polina Kalsina, Anastasia Dotsenko, Alisa Zhambalova, Elena Soboleva, Olga Tsareva, Yana Kirpichenko.
Coach Markus Kramer's group (7 men and 4 women). Sergey Ustyugov, Alexander Legkov, Petr Sedov, Sergey Turyshev, Evgeny Belov, Alexey Petukhov, Alexander Panzhinsky; Yulia Belorukova, Natalya Matveeva, Anastasia Sedova, Yulia Chekaleva.
Group of coach Yuri Borodavko (8 men and 4 women). Alexander Bolshunov, Ivan Kirillov, Dmitry Rostovtsev, Andrey Sobakarev, Denis Spitsov, Alexey Chervotkin, Vladislav Vechkanov, Egor Kazarinov; Natalya Nepryaeva, Lidiya Durkina, Anna Zherebyatyeva, Maria Istomina.
Sprint group of senior coach Yuri Kaminsky (2 men and a youth team). Nikita Kryukov, Gleb Retivykh.
Self-training (3 women). Maria Gushchina, Anna Nechaevskaya, Evgenia Shapovalova.
The coaching council recognized the work of the Russian ski cross team as satisfactory
By the decision of the coaching council, the work of the Russian national ski cross team was recognized as satisfactory, according to the website of the Russian Freestyle Federation (RFF). During the 2016/17 season, ten Russian athletes took part in the World Cup stages. In addition, Maya Averyanova, Ekaterina Maltseva, Kirill Merenkov and Maxim Vikhrov took part in the home stage of the World Cup in Miass. The best result among Russians this season was shown by Igor Omelin, who became third at the World Cup in Hydra (Sweden). As part of winning licenses to compete at the 2018 Olympic Games in Korea (to obtain a license it was necessary to enter the top 32), the athletes of the Russian national team took the following places: Igor Omelin - 23rd, Sergei Ridzik - 28th, Semyon Denshchikov - 29th, Egor Korotkov - 46th, Anastasia Chirtsova - 14th, Victoria Zavadovskaya - 25th. In addition, at the coaching council, which was held on Wednesday in Miass, the chairman of the council, Konstantin Kireev, proposed using regional funds to form a European Cup team due to the fact that the FRF does not have the ability to finance athletes’ trips to the European Cup stages.
Skiers of the Russian Federation will hold the final training camp before the Olympics in Sakhalin - Akimov
The Russian women's cross-country skiing team plans to hold a final training camp in preparation for the 2018 Olympic Games in Sakhalin, said senior coach of the national team Danil Akimov. The 2018 Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. “We begin preparations for the season in May in Kislovodsk, on the 19th. Before leaving, we will undergo an examination. As for the final training camp before the Olympic Games, it will be held in Sakhalin,” Akimov said at a meeting of the coaching council, which was held on Wednesday in Moscow . The distance group led by Oleg Perevozchikov will conduct the final stage of preparation for the Games near Sochi - on the Khmelevsky Lakes. “The first training camp is from May 15 in Izhevsk. The emphasis will be on work in the pool. The training camp will last until May 26. Then we move to Moscow, where we will undergo a medical examination. The final stage of preparation for the Olympic Games will be held at the Khmelevsky Lakes,” Perevozchikov said.
16 alpine skiers included in the Russian national team for centralized preparation for the Olympic season
The coaching staff of the Russian alpine skiing team included 16 athletes in centralized preparation for the Olympic season. Of the 16 people, eight are men and eight are women. The most titled in the team is the winner of the World Cup stage and overall medalist of the World Cup in slalom Alexander Khoroshilov. The composition of the Russian national team was reported to the All Sport Agency by the press service of the Russian Alpine Skiing and Snowboard Federation.
Skiing. Composition of the Russian national team for centralized preparation for the Olympic season
Men. Alexander Khoroshilov, Pavel Trikhichev, Alexander Andrienko, Evgeniy Pyasik, Semyon Efimov, Nikita Alekhin, Ivan Kuznetsov, Artem Borodaykin.
Women. Alexandra Prokopyeva, Anastasia Romanova, Kristina Kryukova, Anastasia Silantyeva, Yulia Pleshkova, Ksenia Alopina, Ekaterina Tkachenko, Rinata Abdulkayumova.
FIS appointed McLaren as a witness in the case of suspended Russian skiers - Vyalbe
The International Ski Federation (FIS) has appointed the head of the independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Richard McLaren, as a witness in the case of temporarily suspended Russian skiers; his presence at the hearings at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is possible, the president of the Ski Federation told the R-Sport agency racing of Russia (FLGR) Elena Vyalbe. On December 23, following the results of McLaren’s report, the FIS suspended Russian skiers Alexander Legkov, Evgeny Belov, Alexey Petukhov, Maxim Vylegzhanin, Evgenia Shapovalova and Yulia Ivanova from competitions at the Olympic Games in Sochi. The athletes challenged this decision at CAS. On February 21, CAS rejected a request by five of them (except Ivanova, who appealed later) to temporarily suspend their suspensions so they could compete in the World Ski Championships, which took place in late February and early March in Lahti, Finland. “FIS has appointed McLaren as a witness in the case of Russian skiers. So, perhaps he will be present at the upcoming hearings at CAS. We insist on the date of May 15, but we do not yet have official confirmation on this date,” Vyalbe said. The cases of Legkov and Belov were scheduled to be considered on March 31, but then CAS postponed the consideration to a later date.
Coaches Kramer, Perevozchikov, Akimov and Kaminsky will continue to work with Russian skiers
The coaching council of the Russian Ski Racing Federation (FLGR) recommended that the Russian national team coaches Markus Kramer, Oleg Perevozchikov, Danil Akimov and Yuri Kaminsky, who worked with the team last season, remain in their posts. The FLGR coaching council takes place on Wednesday in Moscow. “All coaches continue to work as part of the national team. Sergei Turyshev will be a “playing” coach in Markus Kramer’s group,” said FLGR President Elena Vyalbe at a meeting of the coaching council. It was decided that Turyshev would work with the female part of Kramer’s group and at the same time have the opportunity to perform at the World Cup stages.
Ten skiers, including Sergei Ustyugov and Alexander Legkov, were recommended by the coaching council of the Russian Ski Racing Federation (RFSR) for inclusion in Markus Kramer's training group for the next season, and Alexey Petukhov was also included in the group. The coaching council of the Russian Ski Racing Federation takes place on Wednesday in Moscow. In the 2017/18 season, Evgeniy Belov, Legkov, Alexander Panzhinsky, Petukhov, Pyotr Sedov, Ustyugov, Yulia Belorukova, Natalya Matveeva, Anastasia Sedova and Yulia Chekaleva will train as part of Kramer’s group. “I understand that everyone is inspired by the successes of the skiers from Kramer’s group. But do not forget that this is an Olympic year, and the composition is mixed. Let’s not complicate Marcus’s work with the number of athletes. There are huge questions about Chekaleva, but we give her a huge carte blanche,” - said FLGR President Elena Vyalbe at a meeting of the coaching council. It was also decided that Sergei Turyshev would act as a “playing coach” and work with the female part of the group. In this case, the skier will have the opportunity to compete at the World Cup stages.
Skiers Kryukov and Retivykh will train together with the Russian youth team
Russian skiers Nikita Kryukov and Gleb Retivykh will continue to train under the leadership of Yuri Kaminsky, but starting next season they will conduct training camps together with the youth team. The coaching council of the Russian Ski Racing Federation (RFSR) recommended the lists of the national team at a meeting taking place on Wednesday in Moscow. “Kryukov and Retivykh, under the leadership of Yuri Mikhailovich Kaminsky, will hold training camps together with the youth team. The only thing is that they will hold about two training camps on their own,” Vyalbe said at a meeting of the coaching council.
The main news of skiing in Russia and the world today, April 19: Skiers Bessmertnykh and Vylegzhanin are recommended to the Perevozchikov group for the 17/18 season
The coaching council of the Russian Ski Racing Federation (FLGR) recommended including eight people for training in the distance group under the leadership of Oleg Perevozchikov, nine skiers will be included in the women's team. The FLGR coaching council takes place on Wednesday in Moscow. Alexander Bessmertnykh, Maxim Vylegzhanin, Ilya Semikov, Andrey Larkov, Andrey Melnichenko, Ivan Yakimushkin, Dmitry Yaparov and Alexey Vitsenko were recommended for the remote group. Anastasia Dotsenko, Alisa Zhambalova, Polina Kalsina, Yana Kirpichenko, Elena Soboleva and Olga Tsareva are recommended for the women's team led by Danil Akimov. Maria Gushchina, Evgenia Shapovalova and Anna Nechaevskaya will be self-training. The youth team led by Yuri Borodavko included Alexander Bolshunov, Vladislav Vechkanov, Egor Kazarinov, Ivan Kirillov, Dmitry Rostovtsev, Andrey Sobakarev, Denis Spitsov, Alexey Chervotkin, Lydia Durkina, Anna Zherebyatyeva, Maria Istomina and Natalya Nepryaeva.
The Russian Ski Racing Federation (FLGR) has published the composition of the Russian team for the 2016/2017 season. The men's and women's teams are divided into several groups, which will be trained under different coaches. Earlier, on April 19, the FLGR coaching council was held, as a result of which it was decided not to change the senior coaches of the Russian national teams and coaches heading individual groups, and also recommended the lists of the Russian national teams for the 2016/17 season for approval by the FLGR presidium.
COMPOSITION OF THE RUSSIAN TEAM SKI RACING FOR THE 2016/2017 SEASON
MEN:
Senior coach - Perevozchikov Oleg Orestovich
1. Alexander Bessmertnykh (Moscow region/Kemerovo region)
2. Vylegzhanin Maxim (Udmurt Republic)
3. Larkov Andrey (Republic of Tatarstan)
4. Melnichenko Andrey (Krasnoyarsk region)
5. Semikov Ilya (Komi Republic)
6. Yaparov Dmitry (Udmurt Republic)
Trainer - Burgermeister Reto
1. Belov Evgeniy (Tyumen region)
2. Vokuev Ermil (Komi Republic)
3. Stanislav Volzhentsev (Komi Republic)
4. Gafarov Anton (KhMAO-Yugra)
5. Ustyugov Sergey (KhMAO-Yugra)
Coach - Kramer Markus
1. Legkov Alexander (KhMAO-Yugra)
2. Sedov Petr (Moscow region/Nizhny Novgorod region)
3. Turyshev Sergey (KhMAO-Yugra)
4. Chernousov Ilya (Novosibirsk region/Ryazan region)
Coach - Borodavko Yuri Viktorovich
1. Bolshunov Alexander (Bryansk region)
2. Kirillov Ivan (Moscow)
3. Rostovtsev Dmitry (Moscow)
4. Sobakarev Andrey (Novosibirsk region)
5. Spitsov Denis (Tyumen region)
6. Alexey Chervotkin (Moscow)
7. Tanygina Alevtina (Moscow)
Senior coach - Kaminsky Yuri Mikhailovich
1. Nikita Kryukov (Moscow/Republic of Sakha (Yakutia))
2. Panzhinsky Alexander (Moscow/Republic of Mordovia)
3. Parfyonov Andrey (Tyumen region)
4. Alexey Petukhov (Moscow/Republic of Mordovia)
5. Zealous Gleb (Tyumen region)
WOMEN:
Senior coach - Akimov Danil Borisovich
1. Vedenina Daria (Tyumen region)
2. Gushchina Maria (KhMAO-Yugra)
3. Dotsenko Anastasia (Republic of Tatarstan)
4. Zhambalova Alisa (Republic of Buryatia)
5. Kovaleva Polina (Moscow/Krasnoyarsk region)
6. Elena Soboleva (Novosibirsk region/Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug)
7. Daria Storozhilova (Kaluga region)
8. Olga Tsareva (Komi Republic)
Coach - Kramer Markus
1. Belorukova Yulia (Komi Republic)
2. Natalya Zhukova (Republic of Tatarstan)
3. Kalsina Polina (KhMAO-Yugra)
4. Natalya Matveeva (Moscow/Ryazan region)
5. Natalya Nepryaeva (Moscow region/Tver region)
6. Sedova Anastasia (Nizhny Novgorod region/Republic of Mordovia)
7. Chekaleva Yulia (Vologda region)
JUNIOR STRUCTURE:
Coach - Kravchenko Alexander Alexandrovich
1. Vechkanov Vladislav (Chelyabinsk region)
2. Egor Kazarinov (Perm region)
3. Kilivnyuk Kirill (Krasnoyarsk region)
4. Andrey Nekrasov (Komi Republic)
5. Ponomarev Valery (Perm region)
6. Rybochkin Yaroslav (Moscow)
Coach - Artemy Vladimirovich Gelmanov
1. Durkina Lydia (St. Petersburg)
2. Zherebyatyeva Anna (Orenburg region)
3. Istomina Maria (Perm region)
4. Kirpichenko Yana (Altai Territory)
5. Olga Kucheruk (Samara region)
6. Polina Nekrasova (St. Petersburg)
PYEONGCHANG, February 25 - RIA Novosti, Sergey Smyshlyaev. The Russian cross-country skiing team did not win gold at the event, but leaves Pyeongchang with eight medals.
Before the start of the Olympic tournament in Pyeongchang, hardly anyone could even dream of such a result. Considering the fact that, by decision of the IOC, a number of national team leaders did not come to South Korea, including Sergei Ustyugov, Maxim Vylegzhanin, Alexander Legkov, Natalya Matveeva and Yulia Chekaleva, it was difficult to expect a scattering of medals from the national team.
Even the president admitted that one bronze medal would be an excellent result. “The plan was made four years ago, there should have been one gold, one or two silver, one or two bronze,” said Vyalbe. “On January 22, I said that if we take one medal from all samples, it will be great. And on January 23 January already said: “If there is at least one bronze, I will be happy!”
The first pleasant calls
The first start at the Olympics was the women's skiathlon, but the Russians in this type of program remained far from the podium. At the same time, she took eighth place, became 12th, - 18th, - 21st. The first gold of the 2018 Games went to Swede Charlotte Kalle. This race also stood out because the Norwegian skier, having taken silver, took “pure” first place in the number of medals won at the Winter Olympics among women, beating Raisa Smetanina.
“I thought that I could compete for higher places, because I was moving closer, but there is something to work on. I felt quite good. But everything was somehow jerky: some parts were too heavy for me, and some... sometimes it was easier, in some places it seemed to me that my rivals were quieter," Nepryaeva told reporters. “At some parts of the distance I ran easier, others were harder. I am not disappointed with the eighth place, this is a satisfactory result. But I think that I can be higher."
The men's skiathlon did not start in the most pleasant way for the Russians: already in the first meters of the distance, together with the Norwegian Simen Hegstad Kruger, they fell into the rubble. And if the latter was unable to return to the fight, Spitsov showed real fighting qualities. At the same time, he stopped one step away from the podium, which was occupied by the Norwegians: Kruger and Hans Christer Holund.
“To be honest, I didn’t understand (what happened at the start). Kruger fell, Andrei Larkov followed him, we followed each other, and I didn’t have time to react. Of course, it had an impact, we had to play so much, we were the last to leave the start, but It’s good that the pace was average. It’s good that we managed to close this gap. It wasn’t so hard psychologically. On the third lap I lost contact, saw that the group was moving away, and thought that the outcome of the race was decided, but I still fought until the last,” Spitsov told reporters.
Bronze double
Based on the results of the skiathlon, it was clear that Belorukova, to put it mildly, was dissatisfied with her result, and this sportive anger greatly helped her in the subsequent sprint in the classical style. The Russian, in the company of her compatriot Nepryaeva, reached the final, where she lost only to the Swede and Norwegian Maiken Kaspersen Falle. Thus, Belorukova, having recovered from serious health problems, began the medal run of Russian skiers in Pyeongchang.
"There is a feeling of absolute happiness. There is no and cannot be any regret that the medal could have been different. I went through a lot for this medal. I don’t want to say it again. Today I knew that there would be a medal. There were feelings. That year (at the World Championships) in Lahti, I also knew from the very morning that there would be a medal,” Belorukova told reporters.
In the men's sprint, her endeavors were supported by Alexander Bolshunov, whose participation in this race was not initially planned due to a recent illness. But in the end, the future hero of the Games changed his tickets and flew to South Korea ahead of schedule, starting the sprint and winning bronze.
“The temperature was almost forty, bed rest for ten days, a week in the hospital,” Bolshunov said after the final in Pyeongchang. “I lost a lot of weight, lost three or four kilograms. It really sucked. The decision (to go to Pyeongchang) was made in four days "before the sprint. I watched skiathlon in Seefeld, in Austria. And my coach and I decided at dinner that there are no medals lying around on the road. And either I go and fight, start with the sprint, or I don’t go to these competitions at all."
Spitsov's breakthrough
In the women's 10 km freestyle race, three Russian skiers finished in the top twenty: Anastasia Sedova showed the 8th result and became 10th, and Alisa Zhambalova finished 17th. In the men's 15 km race, Spitsov took revenge for the disappointing fourth place in skiathlon, taking bronze in a discipline that has never been considered a crown jewel for Russians.
“I dedicated my fourth place to my father. But fourth place is not a medal, and now I can dedicate this bronze medal to him. Thank him for bringing him into skiing, for instilling a love for skiing. I thank him for this very grateful. I think it would be fair to dedicate this medal to my father. The secret of the success of skiers? It was not for nothing that Seryoga () said: “They beat us, but we fly!” The more difficult the conditions, the better we perform,” Spitsov told reporters.
Next on the Olympic program were relay races, and in both of them skiers from Russia reached the podium. First, the women's team took another bronze, behind the Norwegians and Swedes, and then the men won silver, losing only to the Norwegian team.
“Of course, there is a feeling of satisfaction, because each of us was tuning in for this medal today,” said Nepryaeva. “And we understood that everything is real, that we can fight on equal terms with everyone. I am incredibly happy, this is my first award at the world "in the adult arena, and I hope that this is just the beginning. If they had told me that year that I would have an Olympic medal, I would not have believed it (smiles)."
The men's team, in fact, could have fought for gold, but the team member, who had joined the team two days earlier, did not conduct his stage in the most successful way. Like Bolshunov, he was in the hospital in January, but, unlike his teammate, he did not have time to fully recover.
“Still, there is an aftertaste,” Chervotkin told reporters after presenting the medal. “This race will most likely gnaw at me for a very long time, I’ll remember it for a long time anyway. Illness is not an excuse, whether you were sick or not, many people have such situations. That "Aleksandr () practically emerged victorious. It’s nice to receive a medal, it lasts a lifetime, and no one can take it away."
Not stopping there
On February 21, medals were played in the team sprint in Pyeongchang. Nepryaeva and Belorukova were unable to realize their potential this time, finishing only ninth, but Bolshunov and Spitsov did not plan to stop there, adding another silver to the team’s treasury. Unfortunately, the lack of experience did not allow us to fight for first place, which once again went to the Norwegian team.
“To be honest, everything was enough for gold, but a small tactical mistake by Denis - and several seconds were lost. When he stood behind the Frenchman (Maurice) Manifika, who stopped him, there was a gap that I tried to close, but Johannes () of this gap was enough to take gold,” Bolshunov told reporters.
But in the 50 km marathon in the classical style, the Russian himself made a childish mistake, which deprived him of the title of Olympic champion, which went to Finn Iivo Niskanen. Larkov closed the top three.
“I feel a sense of joy for a silver medal, for a wonderful race, but I’m also upset about the childhood mistake that Alexander made,” said Bolshunov’s coach Yuri Borodavko over the phone. “And it cost him a gold medal. We talked with him yesterday and decided that we definitely need to change skis before the last lap. Mandatory, because it's muddy. The skis were prepared for him, but for some reason he decided to make a break and leave. Although we said that it would be very difficult to leave, because fresh skis work much better."
The women's marathon ended with a fairly predictable victory for Bjørgen, who became an eight-time Olympic champion. Sedova became 11th, Zhambalova - 15th, and Nepryaeva - 24th.
Summing up the results of the Games in Pyeongchang, Vyalbe emphasized: “For me, the entire Olympics is a feeling of pride for my athletes, for our team. Despite the fact that Sanya had one foot on the gold podium today. But we saw that he apparently has "The liver was seized, but he showed that he is a fighter. They should have a great and good sports future. Congratulations to them and all of Russia."
Alexander Sedov 26.02.2018, 08:27
Alexander Bolshunov (left) and Andrey Larkov (right) received medals for the ski marathon at the closing ceremony of the Games
ReutersThe Russian ski team became one of the brightest impressions at the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. A record eight awards, a strong team, a strong federation president and a sea of positive emotions - this is a brief summary of the performance of Russian skiers at this Olympics.
Bleeding team
The Russian cross-country skiing team found itself in an extremely difficult situation before the start of the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.
Many leading sportsmen and sportswomen were not invited by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to compete. Moreover, among them was our main Olympic hope in skiing, world champion, winner of last year’s Tour de Ski, Sergei Ustyugov.
Immediately before the Games, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) lifted the temporary suspensions and lifetime bans from participation in the Olympics from eight Russian cross-country skiers.
Alexander Legkov, Evgeny Belov, Maxim Vylegzhanin, Alexey Petukhov, Nikita Kryukov, Alexander Bessmertnykh, Evgenia Shapovalova and Natalya Matveeva were allowed to participate in international tournaments.
Their Olympic results at the Sochi Games in 2014 were also returned, which allowed the Russian team to return several medals, including Legkov’s gold.
But the IOC still did not invite the acquitted athletes to the Olympics in Pyeongchang, and their appeal to CAS yielded nothing, since the Court of Arbitration for Sport recognized the right of the International Olympic Committee to be guided by its own criteria for invitations to the main competition of the four years, to which the Olympic Committee signed in December Russia (OCR).
Talented generation
As a result, a bloodless young team flew to the Olympic Games in South Korea, from which no one in Russia expected any feats.
On the one hand, without leaders, which, of course, are Ustyugov, Kryukov, Legkov, Gleb Retivykh and other non-invited athletes, our team has really lost a lot in class.
But on the other hand, the young generation of Russian skiers is indeed very talented, and they have confirmed this already in the current season in the World Cup.
For example, Alexander Bolshunov came to the Games, being in fifth place in the overall World Cup standings and second in the junior standings after the enchanting Johannes Kläbo.
Alexey Chervotkin and Denis Spitsov take third and fourth place in the junior World Cup standings, respectively, and have already proven themselves in races at the stages of the fight for the Crystal Globe.
For women, Natalya Nepryaeva, Anastasia Sedova and Yulia Belorukova occupy the first three places in the overall standings in the junior standings. So Russia still had someone to count on at the Olympics.
Bright team
But the main thing is that the ski team flew to Pyeongchang, united by one goal, and was there as one fist, as an example for all our teams and the envy of our ill-wishers.
There are a huge number of different training groups in the Russian team, but this does not prevent the guys from truly being one team at competitions. With a capital letter.
Moreover, the athletes not invited by the International Olympic Committee constantly supported their teammates from Russia - through communication on social networks and by phone, and they fought for themselves and “those guys” (and girls).
All these are not empty words, but the reality of the Russian Olympic ski team.
And, of course, none of this would have happened without the personality of the President of the Russian Ski Racing Federation (FLGR) Elena Vyalbe.
Three-time Olympic champion and five-time World Cup winner, and now a sports functionary, in two Olympic weeks became, perhaps, the main person in Russian sports.
But Vyalbe carried out the work for a very long time. She ran for the post of president of the federation back in 2004, and won the vote only in 2010.
And since then she has been systematically working to create a well-functioning system and a combat-ready team in the Russian national team.
As a result, the situation has come to the point that in place of one suspended star skier, the Russian team always has almost a couple of talents who can potentially reach the same high level and are able to show quite decent results now.
Vyalbe did not receive an invitation to travel to Pyeongchang from the IOC as an official of the Russian delegation, which did not prevent her from being with the team. She simply bought tickets to the competition and supported her players from the stands from the front row.
Perhaps, if the Minister of Sports in Russia were elected by popular vote and Vyalbe put forward her candidacy, right now she would not have a single competitor.
Record Olympics
As a result, the Russian cross-country skiing team held a unique Olympics, setting its own record at the Games in history!
Never before have Russian skiers won eight medals at one Olympic Games.
It’s just a bit of a pity that there wasn’t a single gold one among them. Our team won three silver awards and five bronze ones. But several times we were really close to gold, especially in the men's marathon.
However, the current Olympic Games have been extremely successful for our ski team. Think about it: the ski team won almost half of the 17 medals of the entire Russian Olympic team in Pyeongchang!
Chronicle of success
The cross-country skiing program in Pyeongchang 2018 included twelve disciplines. The first of these was the women's skiathlon, in which three Russian athletes were in the top 20, and Natalya Nepryaeva finished eighth.
The next day, the star of the previously little-known 21-year-old Denis Spitsov lit up the men's skiathlon, finishing fourth behind the Norwegian trio, 12 seconds behind the winner.
As it turned out, this was just the beginning. After a day of rest from cross-country skiing, sprint competitions for men and women took place in Pyeongchang. Both there and there the Russian team won bronze medals. First, Yulia Belorukova won the medal, and then Alexander Bolshunov took third place. And it was Nepryaeva who remained in the most offensive fourth position.
On the seventh day of the Games, Anastasia Sedova (8th) and Anna Nechaevskaya (10th) finished in the top ten in the women's 10-kilometer race, and the next day Spitsov won bronze in the men's 15-kilometer race.
The women's team consisting of Nepryaeva, Belorukova, Sedova and Nechaevskaya won bronze, losing only to the Norwegians and Swedes.
Well, the men’s four were completely “lucky” during their relay by 40 seconds to the formidable Norwegians, but Alexey Chervotkin, who had suffered from bronchitis before the Olympics, was unable to maintain the advantage. However, silver for him, Andrey Larkov, Bolshunov and Spitsov is actually an excellent result. The appetite just came while eating.
After that, Spitsov and Bolshunov won silver in the men's team sprint, avenging their defeat in the final to Belorukova and Nepryaeva, who were tired and remained only eighth.
Well, a beautiful conclusion to the Olympics for men was the grandmaster 50-kilometer marathon, in which Bolshunov’s silver, given his condition and the course of the race, was no longer perceived as a victory, but as a defeat.
Yes, the Russian, who overtook everyone along the course, missed the experienced and persistent Finn Iivo Niskanen in the last kilometer, who changed his skis in time. Bolshunov himself was very upset, but it is unlikely that before the Olympics he would have assessed his results with sadness if he had been told that he would take four medals in South Korea!
However, there is no point in being sad for the fans either, because bronze went to another Russian. Larkov snatched this medal by winning the fight against two Norwegians led by Martin Jonsrud Sundby and Canadian Alex Harvey.
On the last day of the Olympics in the women's marathon, the best of ours, Anastasia Sedova, became only 11th, but there was practically no chance of a medal there initially.
As a result, only one team managed to win more awards in cross-country skiing in South Korea than the Russian team. Norway has 13 medals. The Swedes won five medals, and all other teams in total scraped together the same eight medals that the Russians won!
You can find other news and materials on the page in Pyeongchang, as well as in the groups of the sports department on social networks
