Borodavko appreciated Korostelev's performance at the World Cup

Yuri Borodavko, the senior coach of the Russian national ski racing team, said on December 14 that Savely Korostelev's result at the World Cup makes it possible to judge the readiness of the entire team, despite the impact of suspension from international competitions.

"There are too many factors influencing the result, so we will not draw clear conclusions about the entire national team. However, the fact that one of the leaders of the national team shows such a level allows us to judge the readiness of the whole team to some extent," Borodavko told RIA Novosti.

Borodavko noted that the results were influenced by the suspension of Russian skiers from international competitions, as the speeds at the World Cup stages are higher than at domestic starts. At the same time, he expressed the hope that the adaptation would take place and the athletes would start to improve.

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On the same day, it was reported that Korostelev took 25th place in the 10 km freestyle race at the World Cup in Davos, more than a minute behind the winner. The 22-year-old showed a result of 24 minutes and 1 second, losing to Norwegian Einar Hedegaart 1 minute and 20.3 seconds. The second and third places were also taken by Norwegians Harald Amundsen and Mattis Stenshagen.

On Saturday, Korostelev and skier Daria Nepryaeva won a quota for participation in the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy in the sprint race during the third stage of the World Cup in Davos, Switzerland. Nepryaeva took 39th place in qualifying for the sprint race, Korostelev — 52nd place. The Davos competition is their first start at the World Cup stages since 2022.

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