"I was ready for not getting admission to the World Cup"

The Russian ski season resumes this week. After an almost three-week pause, the first official launches in 2026 await them. On January 15-18, the sixth stage of the Cup of Russia will be held in the village of Mirny near Kazan. Among the participants is the Olympic champion of 2022 in the relay, Tatiana Sorina. On January 3-4, she, like most of our other stars, performed in Ryazan at the Technonicol exhibition competition for skiers and biathletes. The Race of Champions".

In an interview with Izvestia, Sorina assessed her form, spoke about the prospects of skiers Daria Nepryaeva and Savely Korostelev who were allowed to start international competitions, and also shared her plans for the next four-year cycle and explained why it was too early for her to talk about her readiness to return to the World Cup, even in the event of an early withdrawal.

"If I had run on January 1, nothing would have changed"

— How much do you rate your form after the New Year holidays? Is it hard to maintain it when the season is interrupted in early January?

— It depends on how much to celebrate. I don't stop training. Therefore, I was already preparing for January 1. If I had run at the Race of Champions on the 1st, instead of the 3rd and 4th, nothing would have changed.

— What was it like for you to compete in the Race of Champions in Ryazan?

— good. It was great to run on the track and get practice before the season resumes, the next stage of which will be in mid-January. Moreover, the track in Kazan has become better than a year ago. We made the circle bigger and added a lift. There is a place to warm up and gain momentum.

— Are you following the performances of Daria Nepryaeva and Savely Korostelev at the Tour de Ski and other stages of the World Cup? Do you believe that by February, by the Olympics, they will reach a high level?

— You need to ask the coaches about this, but I think that over time they will get fit and show everything they are capable of. Of course, I follow their performances and worry about them. And I really hope that everything will be fine with them.

— In December, when Daria, Savelia and several of our representatives in other winter sports were granted neutral status, did you believe that you could also be allowed to participate in international competitions?

— I had a little faith, but most of all I thought that this would be the case. That I and most of our other skiers will not be allowed to participate in international competitions. I'm hurt by this injustice, but I was ready for it.

"In Izhevsk, I thanked Bolshunov for the fight, he reciprocated"

Russian skier Alexander Bakurov — about the scandal with a push in the back from the three-time Olympic champion, the New Year's race in Ryazan and the prospects of our athletes at the World Cup stages

"There is no progress"

— Do you believe that at least by next season there will be a shift in this direction and the rest of our skiers, including you, will start competing at the World Cup stages by the end of the year?

"Let's hope so. But so far, as we can see, there is no progress. It's good that Daria and Savely allowed it, but we can see what's going on with the rest of our boys and girls.

— Is it hard to force yourself to go to domestic competitions for the fourth season of the ban, knowing that the prospect of returning to the international arena is not close yet?

— There is motivation. I'm not the best in Russia yet. Even if we are allowed to participate in international competitions, in order to go there, we need to be the best in domestic competitions.

— How do you like their level in four years? Do the same stages of the Russian Cup solve the problem of giving our skiers the opportunity to quickly return to the fight for medals on the international stage, when will you be returned there?

— The level of women in Russia has definitely increased. The competition is growing, so you can't relax.

"If my health permits, I will run for the next four years"

— When you look at who Daria Nepryaeva is competing against in the Tour de Ski, do you try on the level of the race for yourself? Are you comparing how difficult it would be for you to compete with them in the first starts after the breakup, if it took place now?

— No, I'm not trying it on yet. There is no security clearance, so there is no point in talking about it now.

— Are you already making plans for the next four-year Olympic cycle?

— Of course, I would like to enter the international arena in the next Olympic cycle. If my health permits, I will definitely run for the next four years. But at the moment, my form is unsuitable for the World Cup. We need to get to the best conditions first, and then we can talk.

— What are these difficulties related to?

— I had some minor health problems. Plus, after the second birth (in June 2023. — Ed.) I haven't fully recovered. There were injuries because of this. So we must first put ourselves in order to be ready to return to the international arena.