How Bolshunov decided to take an adventure, and Ustyugov “got a little crazy”

What should I do, boss?

Yes, this sounds both threatening and delicious: Alexander has not lost a personal race since last March. Then Bolshunov became third in the marathon at the Russian Championship. Therefore: it seems like it’s no longer a question of how he does it? The question is: what should other skiers do?

We were told that three-time Olympic champion Alexander Bolshunov was ill before the Russian Championships in Malinovka, which began with the Saturday skate sprint. We were warned: either he will perform or he will not perform. And they informed me: I started training a few days before the start. We listened, read, experienced. Whether someone likes or doesn’t like the fact that Bolshunov wins all the personal races, pure sports excitement has already kicked in: will the leader beat him or not?

By the way, looking ahead, Veronica Stepanova, for example, after Bolshunov’s victory in the sprint, expressed the idea that Yuri Viktorovich Borodavko “prepared a feather bed for Bolshunov.” If he supposedly lost in the sprint, then this is the reason: he was sick, and so on. But Bolshunov, the skier believes, doesn’t need to prepare excuses at all, because “he’s the king of skiing, and everyone knows it.” And if he loses, “it’s okay, the ground won’t leave under your feet.” As for the “featherbed”, you can probably argue, you need to have 100% information, and everyone has the right to be sick, but you have to agree with the second part: the ground will not go away from under your feet, especially Bolshunov’s.

But on Sunday, the second day of the Russian Championship in Malinovka, Bolshunov’s performance was already as follows: he took all the races at the Russian Cup and the Spartakiad, and took on the championship. No, Ivan Gorbunov could have won the Malinovka sprint, but lost by 0.11 seconds. Sergei Ustyugov, hungry for medals, could have done it, but he lost 0.96 seconds to the leader. Saveliy Korostelev, who has been running forward tirelessly all season, could have done it too, but he lost a second by a tiny tail. And Sergei Ardashev, for example, could have done it, but he dropped out in the semi-finals. Alexey Chervotkin or Artem Maltsev or Denis Spitsov could have done it, but they also dropped out – in the quarter finals. And Alexander Terentyev and Ivan Yakimushkin did not qualify at all…

The final of the sprint turned out to be spectacular and will be discussed more than once. Bolshunov, who was leading on the final climb, almost stopped, and when his opponents lost their momentum, he rushed forward. On the descent, no one had a chance to catch up with him; only Gorbunov was able to hold on and impose a fight on him. Ivan was close to defeating Bolshunov, like probably no one else this season. You could even say that Alexander was close to “failure.” But still Gorbunov gave in for a moment.

Did the winner interfere with Ivan at the finish by changing the corridor? You can argue. But the judges, after the protest filed by Tatarstan, having discussed the episode, even issued an oral warning to Bolshunov, and the jury did not change the result of the race. What about the judges? They don’t argue.

What does he say, Alexander Bolshunov, who has won again? You can believe the words, you can laugh and throw up your hands, but the essence does not change: the gold glitters again on his neck. A couple of days ago, it turns out, Sasha still thought, he thought that he would miss the first three starts. But on the day of the sprint in the morning I asked my wife Anya whether to run or not? My wife said simply: I want you to run.

But the skier decided to back up her words with even more authoritative ones, because he only “got 50%.” I asked my daughter: “Eva, what should I do, should I run or not?” The child responded with his hands, showing that he was running. And that’s when Bolshunov realized: “there are no options today, because the girls said it’s necessary, so it’s necessary.”

But in general, if it’s not about advice, but about the skier’s condition itself, then Alexander admitted on Match TV: “The feeling is average, because I haven’t fully recovered yet.” And at the same time he tried to justify his colleagues: in the final, everyone could count on winning, but they had to adapt to the track, to the loose snow, because the poles would fail. “Whoever was able to adapt today won.”

However, the colleagues themselves do not justify themselves. Even those who remained in the sprint with medals, for example, Sergei Ustyugov. He did not compete at the Russian Cup stages until February, preparing for two main events on the ski track – at the Spartakiad and the Russian Championship. At the first I was left without awards, although my strength was visible. At the Russian Championship he broke through to the podium in the first race, winning bronze.

Sergei Ustyugov says simply: he prepared purposefully, because for him Malinovka is the main start of the season, but even with his best health, he loses to Alexander’s “average condition,” and this is “a little sad.” No, Ustyugov, of course (like all of us), is glad that “he has a medal.” Even before the start, he joked with the guys: they all have medals, but he and Andryukha Melnichenko don’t, “maybe you can give them as a gift somehow”? But since everyone “was somehow against it, I had to work.” And the track, of course, is really difficult, everyone’s poles failed, including Bolshunov’s. But “when I added, he supported – and I thought: what to do, what to do?”

And our skiers will continue to think about this. The championship has just started. And many can shoot at distances, including those who seem to be completely behind in the sprint. Here, for example, is what coach Yuri Borodavko said about the unsuccessful start of the competition in Malinovka for Olympic bronze medalist Alexander Terentyev (54th place in the sprint qualification of the Russian Championship). Sasha was sick, after recovery there was a training camp, there were failures in training and refusal to start. All this did not allow him to get into optimal shape. And what it shows so far are the consequences of the disease; the muscles are not ready. “But he is one of the strongest sprinters, he still has to – and will – show good results.”

Took the throne, gave up the throne

Veronica Stepanova won the women’s sprint. And she said that if you don’t know how to go downhill, then there’s nothing to “catch” on this route in Malinovka. And the words were not random, everything was very nervous. First, the season leader in the sprint, Anastasia Faleeva, was already in the prologue in 32nd place, and yet she won five out of seven sprint races this season. Then everyone was shocked by the falls of two skiers: Victoria Nevyantseva and Polina Antipina ended up in the hospital after a treacherous descent of the slope (fortunately, in the end there were no serious consequences).

Each race, including the semi-finals, was full of intrigue and surprises. In the final, a lot was decided just on the difficult descent. Veronika Stepanova used it one hundred percent: being fifth at the beginning, she ended up bottom first. Elizaveta Pantrina finished in second place, Tatyana Sorina in third.

Elizaveta Pantrina admitted that she was a little afraid while going through the last descent. Perhaps this influenced her second place. “And so, if I hadn’t gotten up and opened up, I could have fought for victory.” But she said the most important thing: “you can defeat everyone, you just have to do it competently, with your head.” And she added optimistically: everything is still ahead.

There was a change of leaders in the 20 km skiathlon. Anastasia Kuleshova won, Alina Pekletsova finished the race in second place (+12.7) seconds, Lidiya Gorbunova (+1.07.5) finished third. The winner was determined a kilometer before the finish. Kuleshova, who was following Pekletsova, came forward, Alina was no longer able to oppose anything. Anastasia Kuleshova said that when she followed Pekletsova, she managed to analyze where her opponent’s skis worked worse, where she “sagged.” And I used all these observations just on the last lap.

Alina herself was very pleased with both the race and the result. “This is generally the maximum that I expected at the Russian Championship and specifically in this race.” She said that she knew that Kuleshova would have more strength at the finish line, so she didn’t count on victory. And she completed the main task herself – she had to run away with Kuleshova and make a sufficient gap from third place in order to confidently reach the finish line. That’s what happened: the junior beat everyone except the champion.

Veronika Stepanova lost the race big time. She took 18th place, 4 minutes behind the leader. “We have a small rule in our team – let’s give the throne, today I gave it to Anastasia Kuleshova.” She also said that she understood everything about herself at this distance already on the second climb, but she was interested in working on how she felt when she was out of shape. “It was a test for me, I’m glad I made it.” And she was happy for Alina Pekletsova, who, according to the Olympic champion, broke into the elite of cross-country skiing.

Champion Kuleshova said the words that probably every true leader can say: you don’t need to prepare to win.

Boiling water in the bath

And Bolshunov knows these words, one hundred percent. He also won the skiathlon at the Russian championship in Malinovka. Again or again – as you wish. Alexey Chervotkin finished the race in second place, 0.3 seconds behind. Sergey Ardashev finished in third place (+2.10). Sergei Ustyugov finished the distance eleventh this time (+33.7).

Alexey Chervotkin, as many have done this season, verbally threatened Bolshunov: “As practice shows yesterday and today, it is possible to fight Bolshunov, I was not at all in ideal health, but everything is real.”

Sergei Ustyugov admitted after the finish that he did not enjoy the distance at all: the track is soft, when the skiers start to turn on, try to “unwind themselves, then the poles fall through, especially on the ridge part.” According to him, he “got a little crazy.”

And Bolshunov… What is Bolshunov? He said that the weather and the race were quite difficult, especially in the classic part. From the start the skis didn’t go at all, in the first laps I “ate a lot”, I didn’t understand why this was so. And he also went nuts at this distance from skiing. But on the ridge part everything fell into place for him.

Yes, he also told me about the miracle bath. Lives with his family in a house where there is no bath. When I got sick, my wife ordered an inflatable one. And she sent not only her daughter, but then her husband, so that “the body could relax.” It took an hour and a half to collect water, boiling kettle after kettle. Alexander ended up lying in it for about 30 minutes, then sweating under the blanket. “I’ve never done this before, it was a gamble. This method was used for the first time because the disease was incomprehensible.” And he also added: it was a risk, but those who do not take risks do not win.

Some special, unexpected and adventurous world of Alexander Bolshunov. Everything about him is different from others.