The Russian ski cross team will train on Sakhalin

Two members of the Russian national freestyle team arrived in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to prepare for the next season. For two weeks, athletes will train on the slopes of the “Mountain Air” and in the hall of the training center “Vostok”, the press service of the Ministry of Sports of the Sakhalin Region reported.

As Konstantin Kireev, head coach of the freestyle ski cross team, said, a delegation of 28 people arrived in the island region – these are members of the main and junior teams of the national team, as well as sports personnel. In the current line-up, the team is training on Sakhalin for the first time. Before that, the team came here in 2018 for the final stage of preparation before the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. As a result, Russian Sergey Ridzik won the bronze medal.

“This time we chose Sakhalin and Gorny Vozdukh for several reasons. First, we are always looking for new places and opportunities for training. Secondly, the saturation of the local slopes and their relief will allow athletes to improve their level and improve their technique. We arrived on the island on April 4 and will stay here until April 20. All competitions in the country have already ended, so now we are preparing for the next season. We train almost every day in giant slalom. We are planning another super giant if the weather allows, but at the moment it has not really interfered with our plans. Everything is organized at the highest level – thanks to the Mountain Air, the sports training center and the entire region, which is aimed at the development of sports, for this, ”said Konstantin Kireev.

Igor Omelin, champion of Russia, winner of the European Cup, bronze medalist of the World Cup and World Universiades, participant of two Olympics, visited the Sakhalin Region as part of the national team.

“This is the third time I have been training on Sakhalin at the Mountain Air. Every time I see that the resort is developing, it pleases. New slopes appear, infrastructure is improved. In general, sports, industry, the region are developing, – the athlete said. – We train on the northern slope, I’m here for the first time. This is now one of the best slopes in Russia where athletes can train. The trails are high quality and well prepared. I am very glad. Most of the training in the year we take place in the Urals – “Solnechnaya Dolina” in Miass, in Chusovoy. Sometimes we go to Krasnoyarsk, Kemerovo. If we compare Sakhalin and the Urals, we can find advantages both there and there. I consider Gorny Vozdukh one of the best ski resorts in Russia,” said Igor Omelin.

Natalya Sherina has been ski-crossing not so long ago, but she already has a World Cup bronze medal in the team standings, prizes at Russian championships and Cups, and second place at the Eurasia Cup.

“Before that, I was engaged in alpine skiing, there are also many prizes. This is not my first time on Sakhalin. I like it here – always sunny, clear, beautiful resort, organization, slopes. The main feature is that it is already April, and we are still on skis! There are a lot of slopes in the Far East where you can ride. They can be compared with European ones,” said Natalya Sherina.

Freestylers practice not only on the slopes, but also in the hall of the Vostok training center. In addition, they visited the Aqua City sports complex.