Bolshunova and Ustyugova will not be penalized for a collision during the race at the championship of Russia

In the freestyle sprint semi-finals at the fifth stage of the Russian Cup in cross-country skiing, which takes place in Krasnogorsk near Moscow, three-time Olympic champion Alexander Bolshunov and Olympic champion of the 2022 Games in Beijing Sergey Ustyugov collided with each other on a turn. As a result, they were left without the final of the competition, and Bolshunov smashed his face as a result of the fall. He told reporters that Sergei Ustyugov provoked the clash. The jury of the Russian Ski Racing Federation stated that the skiers would not be punished as a result of the collision, since they were not to blame for what happened.

“I understand that he did it on purpose. Of course, I felt a hook and a push, but I didn’t fall myself. He was not injured, but lost consciousness for a while, trying to recover. I didn’t understand where I was. We haven’t seen Sergey yet after the race,” Alexander Bolshunov commented on the incident. “I didn’t do it on purpose, everything happened quickly. I have no conflict with Bolshunov. If I’m wrong, I’ll come up and apologize, ”Sergey Ustyugov told reporters in turn and added that he wanted to try a tougher contact fight (quote from RIA Novosti).

“The jury believes that this is a mutual incident flight that does not carry sanctions against the two skiers. There is no fault of the athletes in the fall, ”a jury representative told reporters. Athletes as a result of the collision did not receive serious injuries.

The stage in Krasnogorsk will end on December 28.

Maria Fedotova