Ustyugov and Bolshunov sort things out: ammonia, zaruba

… And Alexander Bolshunov said so: “We have an interesting battle here now with Sergei Ustyugov.” He said what everyone saw and what everyone wanted since the beginning of the season. The skiing geniuses themselves mercilessly stirred up interest in rivalry: they figured out who was more “bag”, fell to the point of blood, threw all sorts of words, and called in their address, like those darts that until they hit the target, “stop” will not sound … But the main thing is that they showed results. And they were preparing for the Russian Championship, the main start of the season.

There are always enough sports intrigues in skiing. Any race can suddenly turn the leader’s track unexpectedly. And the diseases that the season is so full of, athletes are not only not spared, but guarded at every corner. “Did you get in good shape? Well, well, get a temperature, you can with a stuffy nose and a sore throat. And then – catch up with the departed form as best you can.

Before the championship of Russia in Tyumen in men’s races, the question of how many medals Alexander Bolshunov and Sergey Ustyugov will have on their well-deserved necks has become one of the discussed ones. Two geniuses, two characters. Two idols.

Alexander Bolshunov at Champions Heights, although he fell ill before the start at the training camp in Sochi, won five medals – four gold and one bronze. Before the Russian Championship, health again swung in the wrong direction, coach Yuri Borodavko even said that San Sanych’s participation in the races would be decided according to his well-being.

And Sergey Ustyugov still thought in the fall: the task of this season is to win four medals at the Russian Championship. I ran, showed power, and at the Champions Heights I decided to adjust the number of awards down: they say, two – it will also do, I will be glad. And… how he rushed in the very first discipline in Tyumen – the sprint – that he didn’t give anyone a chance to compete in the final. Zalikhvatsky won in such a way: neither Bolshunov nor Alexander Terentyev was allowed to think about gold. No duel, pure victory.

And then he jokingly stated: the minimum task has been completed, there is one gold of the Russian championship, you can no longer go to the start. At the same time, I remembered that since January, for the sake of the goal of preparing specifically for the championship, I did not deviate from the plans of coach Markus Kramer not a single step. The classic “go to the target.” And now, even if nothing happens in other races, he will be satisfied. Cunning, of course.

By the way, after the race, he tried to call Marcus, but the coach did not answer. “Either busy, or sitting in shock, does not understand what is happening.” Ustyugov likes to joke, and he gives interviews on any topic, smiling. But he doesn’t hide what many remain inside: before the start of the Russian championship, he was not himself, he had jitters, he felt that he was coming out as if sleepy. I had to sniff ammonia before the start, he said: and he did not wake me up.

Can you understand how it works for them, athletes? Where is their power button? After an enchanting sprint, Ustyugov rushed off the bat in the skiathlon. And already after the first kilometer he led the race with a margin of almost ten seconds. But Bolshunov, who lost the day before, was preparing a “response”. After 15 km of the classic, by the time the skis were changed, the trio set the tone: Ustyugov, Evgeny Belov and Alexander Bolshunov. The change of shoes sent Bolshunov first to the ski track, Ustyugov nevertheless caught up with him. And Belov was in a powerful group of pursuers, but with a margin of two dozen seconds already: there were Alexei Chervotkin, and Ivan Yakimushkin, and Denis Spitsov with Anton Timashov …

It was time to place bets quickly. Two giants of the track were walking, replacing each other, playing with the pursuers, either letting them in or running away. Expectations from the dream finish – in the best world traditions, when the target chooses the strongest of the unique ones – were already tangible. But … the fate of Ustyugov dropped. 2 km to finish.

A turn, a fall, which absolutely coincided in timing with Bolshunov’s planned dash to the finish line precisely in this segment. An enchanting finish did not happen, but the race was from a series of “breaking”. And San Sanych did not lose control of Ustyugov from behind until the last thirty meters. Nevertheless, Yakimushkin snatched bronze from Chervotkin, they were separated by 0.1 seconds.

“He was thinking how to beat me, and I was thinking how to beat him. There were many different plans, but according to the latest plan, I turned on at 100% after the turn and drove off a little, ”this was Bolshunov’s vision of the situation. He said that neither he nor Ustyugov were interested in those who were behind, both understood that there was a struggle between the two, played gold. “We did not agree when they replaced each other. When athletes respect each other, they understand that they need to work together. We did just that. Who was stronger, he won. Yesterday he was stronger, today I am.”

This was the conclusion: I’m glad that I managed to win even after a not very good week before the championship, when I fell ill. “Now I can impose a fight for the victory on the guys.”

And this is recognition: it was necessary to work out during the sprint, you can and should improve your well-being through starts, Elena Valerievna said that you don’t have to run sprint and skiathlon, but he can’t do that. “Even when I feel bad, I still go out.”

And Sergei Ustyugov admitted: his legs could not hold, he was very tired, he slipped and fell at the turn. “I raise my head – and Sanya has already run. He probably didn’t even notice that I fell.” And most importantly: “The winner is the one who crosses the finish line first. He turned out to be stronger, I turned out to be weaker, my legs could not hold me.

And, already having two medals, which, according to his former words, was the maximum plan, he looked into the future of the Russian championship: I still have a distance of 15 km with a skate. “Yesterday I looked into the plan – there are a relay race and a fifty kopeck piece, I was a little upset, because I thought I would run only individual races.” He promised to call Markus Kramer, listen to what the coach has to say about this.

Unable to resist, he nevertheless trolled Bolshunov, talking about what he noticed on the track. “There was such a moment of support: they chased me all over the track: “Serge, come on!”. I didn’t hear anyone shouting: “Sanya, come on!”. I think that Sanya was a little beaten up – such support in my direction.

This, of course, is unlikely. Such tricks with Bolshunov are unlikely to work. They definitely cannot stop it, but to give even more acceleration – yes. And such rivalry for him is happiness. As well as for Ustyugov. And their work in pairs is simply intoxicating.

Both felt at the beginning of the season that there were not enough international starts. But they say that when the Cup of Russia began, such thoughts left. Each skier runs at the limit of his abilities at indoor starts, showing maximum results. “Running here now and not watching the World Cup, because we have interesting cuts here.”

… The intrigues of the Russian championship are not yet completed, as well as the battles. Will thirty-year-old Sergei Ustyugov leave with the end of the season? Today, even posing such a question seems absurd. Bolshunov thinks not. Say he can do anything. But “we know that Ustyugov will run. He says every year that he is going to finish, you can even ignore his words.

I convinced San Sanych, we will not pay attention. Yes, according to Elena Vyalbe, no one needs to be persuaded to stay, they don’t become great from under pressure. But the great ones themselves are aware of their power. And – yes, in the language of the unique athlete Natalya Nepryaeva, such skiers are able to answer any question in the race: “If you doubt it – bite it!”.