Visual shaft: what helped Terentyeva and Bolshunov to take medals in Izhevsk

The strongest skiers of the country gathered in Izhevsk for the first time to compete for medals of the Cup of Russia. The stage was only two days long, but almost all the athletes were very impressed with the competition. The reason for this was the fans, who not only filled the stands to capacity, but also organized noisy lively corridors on the track. The participants admitted that all the stages should learn from Izhevsk. Three-time Olympic champion Alexander Bolshunov, who finally opened his gold medal bank for the season, said that the spectators were the motivation for his success. World Cup winner Natalya Terentyeva also had a perfect weekend in the capital of Udmurtia, winning two races out of two.

Terentyeva's excellence

A little over five months have passed since the birth of a daughter in the Terentyeva family, and it already seems that Natalia will have no competitors this season. She started with the seventh place in the five-kilometer classic sectional at the stage in Kirovo-Chepetsk, which took place at the end of December. In the new year Terentyeva has not fallen below second place.

First, in Kazan, she won the 10km speed skating sprint and silver in the classic sprint, and in Izhevsk she marked a golden double by beating everyone in the speed skating sprint and 10km classic (Alena Baranova was second - +0.42, Anastasia Faleyeva was third - +0.55). If Natalya is just accelerating after her maternity leave, her rivals will not have much of a chance this winter. Moreover, the skier herself says that she is not ready for international starts yet.

"Right now I have nothing to do there," Terentyeva told Match. - I'm not ready, I'm not capable. What happens next is what will happen. Here and now I am where I should be."

In the closing stage in Izhevsk, Natalia's main competitor was another Olympic champion and two-time mom - Tatiana Sorina. Terentyeva had an earlier start number, which allowed Sorina to focus on her result. At half the distance, Tatyana was losing 4.9 seconds to her competitor. However, the final control section of 7.9 km was 3 seconds faster.

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Taking into account Sorina's starting position, there was a feeling that she would be able to hold on for the victory. But she did not have enough strength for the final stretch. As a result, Sorina finished second, with Arina Kalicheva rounding out the top 3.

Due to the fact that Terentyeva missed almost all the starts in December, there is no question of fighting for the final victory in the Cup of Russia. Her gap from the leading three is too big. Moreover, there are only two Cup stages left in the calendar - a short one in Syktyvkar and a long one in Kirovsk. But at the Russian Championships in March she is capable of taking maximum medals.

Bolshunov's revival

In men, the richest medal haul in Izhevsk went to Alexander Bolshunov. In the final of the speed skating sprint he beat Alexander Terentyev by 0.18 seconds and snatched the long-awaited gold. However, Bolshunov could not repeat the achievement of Natalya Terentyeva.

Alexander was the leader in the classic sectional, but he was followed by Sergei Ardashev, the owner of the yellow leader's jersey, and Savely Korostelev, the green one worn by the strongest under-23 skier. Both of them had to accumulate more strength, because in the sprint they fell out in the semifinals when Bolshunov was fighting for victory in the final.

As a result, it was Korostelev who moved Alexander at the control marks. Savely passed all of them with the best time. For most of the distance he kept a 4-5 second advantage over the three-time Olympic champion, and the key was the section from 11.4 km to 12.9 km. Korostelev was 10 seconds faster than his main competitor, which was enough for him to win.

Finishing, Saveliy shouted loudly: "E-e-e-e-e!", and afterwards sat down with a smile on the throne occupied by the intermediate leaders of the race. Such a tradition has long existed in separate races at the World Cup, but in Russia such a thing is rare. Korostelev, and everyone around him, realized that his leadership in the race was not intermediate, but permanent. He picked up his phone and recorded a video greeting to one of the strongest biathletes in the country. "Danya Serokhvostov, do you have one of these things?" - the skier asked, showing his throne.

It turns out that the day before in a common Telegram-channel, Serokhvostov bragged to other athletes about his gold medal won in the sprint at the stage of the Cup of Russia in Demino. So Savely decided to respond to the biathlete.

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Silver medalist Bolshunov was also in high spirits. He noted the support of the fans and said that he was gradually returning to his usual form.

- It's clear that Bolshunov's condition is somewhat agitated," Yuri Borodavko, the mentor of the three-time Olympic champion, told Izvestia. - The problems that have been constantly haunting him this year do not add to his calm. All these illnesses prevent normal training to reach a higher level. There are worries. But I see that he is starting to get in shape. This will allow him to be more confident in himself, which will improve his morale.

Now the skiers have a one-month competition break. Now the athletes will get some rest, and then they will go to the training camp to prepare for the main start of the season - the Russian Championship. It will be held in Kazan from March 1 to 9.