Bolshunov lost the sprint for the second time: “You can give a shit”

19-year-old Saveliy Korostelev again left behind the Olympic champion

Freestyle sprint races opened the program of the second stage of the Russian Cup in cross-country skiing, which takes place in the same place as the first – in the village of Vershina Tyoi in Khakassia.

And again Savely Korostelev won gold in Khakassia. The skier celebrated his 19th birthday with a victory. (At the first stage there was a classic sprint, at the second – a free style.) Silver – Denis Filimonov, bronze – Alexander Bolshunov (who at the first stage turned out to be sixth due to a broken stick). Next – Artem Maltsev, Alexander Terentiev, Ivan Yakimushkin.

Savely Korostelev, it seems, will make a lot of talk about himself this season. And this is not an accident, it is quite expected. Last year, Saveliy made some noise on the track – both at the Junior World Championships, which took place immediately after the Olympic Games in Beijing, and at the starts of the Olympians of Russia, where he really wanted one thing – to run on the track with the base team.

The guy’s genes are better not to come up with: grandparents, Alevtina and Sergey Morilov, cross-country skiing coaches, whom everyone in the Perm Territory knows. Mom – Natalia Korosteleva, Olympic medalist in Vancouver, uncle – Nikolai Morilov, also Olympic medalist in Vancouver. And everyone who follows cross-country skiing knows them too.

What to expect from the child whom the mother gave birth to, literally, getting off the track? Natalya Korosteleva told about the birth of Savely in this way: she trained until the last day, went for a ride on Friday, and went to the maternity hospital on Saturday. A month later, she already began to train, while she was running, the baby was sleeping in a stroller by the ski track.

So Savely grew up. Moreover, thanks to his grandfather’s efforts, he grew up as a universal skier: he runs both a marathon and a sprint in any style.

Last spring, Korostelev won two golds and a silver at the World Championships in Norway among youth and juniors. He knows what it is, the anthem and the flag of Russia at the international start. Then he went to the start of the Russian Olympians cross-country skiing competition. Of course, I watched Bolshunov. Having seen enough, he admitted: San Sanych is a different world. “It’s too early for me to climb to this level. At least for the next few years, Alexander will be my guide.” This year they are already performing on the same track.

Bolshunov, as you know, was delayed with the entrance to the current season, only gaining momentum. According to preliminary plans, Alexander wanted to skip the second stage at all, but there was an adjustment, he intends to participate in all the races of the second stage.

Interestingly, Saveliy made it to the final as a lucky loser. In the second semi-final, Terentyev and Filimonov were ahead of Korostelev, but he was saved by a fast run time. In the final, the struggle for first place went to the last meters, with a finishing spurt, Savely nevertheless snatched it from Filimonov and Bolshunov.

“The result is normal. Gradually I come to my senses, and, in principle, everything goes according to plan, as it should go. The previous sprint was also good, it was just classic, but here it was skating. A little different work, but everything is fine, it will work,” said Alexander Bolshunov to the Skiing project.

And the winner Savely Korostelev, it turns out, did not count on getting into the top three of the sprint of the second stage. How did you manage to win? He says he saw Bolshunov nearby, stood up behind him, and managed to keep none of his opponents ahead. And then – even easier. “I roll out (at the finish line) from behind, work with my feet, look: the speed is higher. I think: you can give a shit!”.