"There are only Russophobes in the FIS, they will come up with any excuse for our non-admission"

On January 15, the first official starts in Russian ski racing in 2026 will be held. The sixth stage of the Cup of the country will begin in the village of Mirny near Kazan. Among the participants is Alexander Terentyev, a two—time bronze medalist at the 2022 Olympic Games in the individual freestyle sprint and the classic team sprint. In early January, he started the exhibition "Race of Champions" in Ryazan with the participation of many ski and biathlon stars. In an interview with Izvestia, the 26-year-old athlete spoke about his motivation to compete in domestic competitions, assessed the prospects of Daria Nepryaeva and Savely Korostelev, who were admitted to international competitions, and harshly criticized FIS officials.

"It would be great to force us to shoot, and biathletes to run classics"

— How would you rate your performance at the Race of Champions?

— Yes, it's fine in principle. Fourth place in the race on the first day is not so bad with such strong rivals.

— Have you enjoyed competing for two days in early January in Ryazan for years?

— It's a show race, but like a regular race, you still set yourself up to go out and show your best. And somewhere in Ryazan it's even more interesting, because we run with biathletes, that is, you see new faces nearby. You've usually been running with the same guys for four years, and there are new athletes around. Biathletes and I see each other very rarely, we have few common starts. But it's really cool to come here, talk with them, and share some experiences.

— A year ago, some participants put forward the idea, for the sake of additional entertainment, to include in the race regulations so that skiers would also approach the firing line.

— I tried shooting once, but it was more like a joke than a professional activity. But in general, it would be cool if we were forced to ride and shoot with rifles — even two lines on the rack, and the biathletes would be told to run a circle with classics (smiles).

— How many times did you hit the target when you fired?

— Two out of five.

"Without preparation?"

— No, the experts explained everything to me — where and how to shoot, what position to take.

"I believe that Nepryaeva and Korostelev will compete for Olympic medals"

— How did you like the performance of Daria Nepryaeva and Savely Korostelev at the December World Cup in Davos and the Tour de Ski?

"They're great. It can be seen that they are getting stronger with each stage. I hope that they will continue to improve. Especially in the sprint, where they will be able to go through the prologue and compete in the races, because when they compete in the races, they feel someone else's speed, which is higher, it will be easier for them to go through the prologues.

— As a sprint specialist, what do you see their prospects for the upcoming World Cup stages?

— It can be seen from the results that they add to each race. They just need to adjust to fast snow now, to fast and powerful movements, rather than how we run in Russia. And we don't run as hard as they do there.

- why?

— Their distances are different, the track is different, and they have almost no fresh snow at all — everything is artificial. And artificial snow is ice, it's a tough race, a tough track. And there it is your absolute strength that decides a lot.

— It turns out that due to the lack of artificial snow in the country, it was not easy for Russian skiers to adapt to international trails even before their suspension?

— Yes, we don't have a large supply of artificial snow in many regions, which is very bad. And where there is a reserve, we run once a season, or we don't come and run, like in Khanty-Mansiysk, for example. We don't compete there at all.

— When you are dismissed, how long will it take you to start competing for serious places at the World Cup stages?

— To be honest, this is such a difficult question. Even if we arrive there, it may be a little easier for those who have already run there, since we have more experience participating on such tracks. But at the same time, four years have passed, and perhaps we are no longer in the same condition as we were before we were suspended, when we ran at the World Cup and fought for first place.

— Is it even more difficult for Nepryaeva and Korostelev now, considering that they only ran in junior competitions on the international stage until 2022?

— I'll say this: they are young, and they are one of the strongest in Russia. Savely is the strongest man right now. And Dasha accelerates more by the end of the season. I'm sure she'll be even better at running by the end of the season. They are the best skiers right now at this age (Nepryaeva is 23, Korostelev is 22. — Ed.) — there is no one stronger than them. When I went to the World Cup at their age, I was also rebuilding after I ran around Russia. And the fact that they went to the World Cup now — even when I was driving at their age, I was also rebuilding. I had to adapt to their snow for a year and a half. But I had a big advantage in that I went there to train. But Nepryaeva and Korostelev do not have such an opportunity.

— You said that Daria is adding towards the end of the season. That is, it should be able to gain momentum by February, when the Olympics will be held?

— Well, yes, I think so. Last year, she shone very well at the Russian Championship, which was held in early March. She won medals in all five races, and gold in two of them. And she fought for the first place in every race. I think she will be in very good shape for the Olympic Games.

— Do you believe that Nepryaeva and Korostelev will compete for medals at the Olympics?

— Actually, of course, I do. There is a miracle in skiing — I became proof of this in 2022, when I took third place in the freestyle sprint at the Beijing Olympics, although I could not even go there at all. That's why I believe in them and wish them only good luck.

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

Olympic champion in cross—country skiing Tatiana Sorina - about the continuation of the ban, her current form and the level of Russian competitions

"Artificial snow and long trails are what kills sprinters"

— During the December stage of the Russian Cup in Izhevsk, you spoke harshly on Match TV about the drop in the sprint level in the country in four years. What is the reason for this?

— Artificial snow and long trails are what kills sprinters. We don't have many clean sprinters left in Russia. In order to sprint in Russia, I had to stretch my distance very hard. I'm just sad that it happened that way.

— When our skiers return to international competitions, can clean sprinters reappear?

— I think that yes, they may arise. We have strong young people who are already fighting very hard in sprints. I hope they will have the opportunity to return. When you come to the World Cup, you have two or three starts there and you go back, it's very small. That is, you still need to give the opportunity to start, especially for sprinters. When you can't complete the prologue, it doesn't mean that you can't compete with someone else later. It happens that a person runs the prologue in the area of the 29th place, but then he can compete in the races and win.

— Can you imagine what you could be fighting for at international competitions in your current form?

— I haven't watched a lot of World Cup sprints in recent years. Because we have our own races running in parallel with him all the time. Very often they overlap by the day. And after my starts, I don't really want to watch other competitions. That's why it's hard to say where I would be. No one knows that. Maybe it would be good to run away, maybe not. It's all a matter of attitude and well-being.

"There is a problem not even with motivation, but with attitude"

— When the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) allowed Nepryaeva and Korostelev to participate in its competitions in December, did you hope that you would also be given neutral status?

— No, I didn't even submit any documents. I didn't believe that I would get there. I don't qualify for a neutral status on all fronts. And it was my fundamental decision that there should have been no such restrictions. I understand Dashka and Savely, who submitted the documents, — this is their chance to go there, they did not have such an opportunity anymore. I had it until 2022. Therefore, from my bell tower, I reasoned that this should not be the case when the FIS decides in this way who can go to the World Cup and who cannot.

— Considering that the 2026 Olympics have already been closed for you, are you making plans for the next four-year cycle to get to the 2030 Olympics?

— I haven't made any plans for a long time. Right now, the main task is to compete in Russia and show good results. We are currently in this standby mode, energy saving mode. We're running, giving it our all. The main thing is to maintain your level somehow. It is at the Russian start that we maintain our level, so that later, when we are allowed in, it will be easier to return. Well, in order to qualify and return, and then when there will be universal admission, then you also need to get into the first six people.

— Taking into account the pace that has been going since the end of 2024 in terms of the number of Russian athletes and how our athletes started competing in winter sports in December 2025, do you believe that by the end of 2026 you will be running at the World Cup?

— I don't believe at all that we will have any admission next season. FIS is doing everything possible to ensure that we are not there. There are only Russophobes sitting there who want us to be gone. They'll come up with any excuse, choose any article at all, to keep us out. Even now, only Dasha and Savely were allowed in, and no one else. Although we have a lot of people who fit the neutral status. This gives reason to think that Nepryaeva and Korostelev were allowed in simply in order to formally comply with the decision of the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne. — Ed.). CAS said to admit Russians — FIS allowed one skier each among women and men. And everything. For the rest, they believe that no one should be allowed in.

— How do you motivate yourself to continue performing in this regard?

— It's hard. There is a problem with motivation. It's not even about motivation, but about attitude. I'm motivated to run, but sometimes there's no mood for the start, there's no burning, like before, that you're fighting for every inch. Gorenkov, the head of the department, Gorenje, the head of the Department, the head of the Department, the head of the Department, the head of the department, the head of the department, the head of the department, the You're already fighting for every meter. It's not that I've given up. But there are such small doubts in my head.