Bolshunov was defeated again. And the winner forced the coach to turn into a dinosaur – video
Andrey Shitikhin April 2, 2024, 18:20 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Sergey Ardashev was proclaimed speed champion in Kirovsk. His mentor Yegor Sorin had to fulfill his promise.
The final of the Alfa-Bank Russian Cup for cross-country skiing began in Kirovsk with skating sprints. The men’s victory was won by Sergei Ardashev, who forced the coach to perform an unusual act, and Alexander Bolshunov suffered his second defeat of the season, without even reaching the final. For women, Veronica Stepanova is out of the running.
The men’s sprint was already surprised in the prologue by the fact that Saveliy Korostelev did not go further. No fall or force majeure occurred to him. He just couldn’t stand it. Unfortunately, everyone has already gotten used to the fact that Alexander Terentyev did not make it to the qualifying races this season. It seems that there was a flash at the Russian Championship, but it went out again. And also because Dmitry Puzanov, a junior from the Khabarovsk Territory, showed a high fifth time. An 18-year-old kid who isn’t even on the junior team.
Bolshunov’s winning streak was interrupted by a skier from the region:
The great Bolshunov series is over! He was sensationally defeated by a skier from the regional team
A sensation occurred in the semifinals, when Alexander Bolshunov took only third place in his career, but there was still hope that he would become a lucky loser. I did not do it. The second race, in which Sergei Ustyugov led, turned out to be faster. It is interesting that after the end of the race, Ustyugov approached his competitors and told them that everyone was doing great. Perhaps precisely because they accelerated the race so much that they eliminated the undisputed favorite of the competition.
“That’s how I feel. I ran the Russian Championships with an illness, but now it’s affecting me. Apparently I overloaded my body a little, so even in the prologue at 600 meters I was probably in 60th place (smiles) , although I was running with all my strength. I couldn’t do anything, but it seemed to pass. Then it was a little better, but the state of health is not something with which you can fight for victory. We’ll see, maybe it will be a little better “That would be good. Today’s result, the way I feel, is normal,” Bolshunov commented on his performance.
Sergei Ardashev (in the center)
Photo: FLGR
In the final, Ustyugov failed to make it and finished only fifth. The first was Sergey Ardashev, who was ahead of Ivan Gorbunov and… Dmitry Puzanov. Ardashev took his first victory of the season in individual races. The remaining personal races were won by Alexander Bolshunov and one by Ermil Vokuev. Gorbunov, taking into account the result of the prologue, took the lead in the mini-tour, in the format of which the final of the Russian Cup is held.
Ardashev’s victory meant that the head coach of the Russian team, Yegor Sorin, would have to keep his promise: he promised to go to the awards ceremony dressed as a dinosaur if an athlete from his group won the individual race this season. . Sorin joked that if athletes can’t do it themselves, the coach has to motivate them somehow. The coach kept his promise.
For women, a sensation occurred in the semifinals, when the favorites Anastasia Faleeva and Alena Baranova left the fight. They ended up in the same series and finished third and fourth. But the lucky losers were of a different breed.
In the final there was no equal to Verónica Stepanova, who won with a large advantage. Tatiana Sorina came second, and in the race for third place Daria Nepryaeva was luckier than Elizaveta Pantrina. According to the results of the sprint, Stepanova took the lead in the mini-tour and will start first in the pursuit race.
