"When I won the medal, I thought that other athletes would be jealous"

In February, Nikita Filippov won silver in ski mountaineering, a new Olympic sport, at the Games in Italy. This medal was the first and only one for Russian neutrals at the 2026 Olympics. And after completing the main starts of the fourth year, Nikita managed to win the national championship and the European Championship. Izvestia and Sport-Express talked to Filippov about his Olympic legacy and his passion for Spartak.

"They'll forget about me in the summer"

— It's been a long time since the Olympics in Milan. Do you feel that you have become the main guide of ski mountaineering in Russia?

— Basically, life hasn't changed much. On the street, they sometimes began to approach and take pictures. However, sometimes they get confused.

"With whom?"

— With anyone (laughs), they just don't really recognize the face yet. As it is, there is more attention, mentions, and marks on social networks. But in general, everything is the same: I communicate with my friends, the attitude in the team is the same.

— Have foreigners started to tune in to you in a special way?

— At the European Championships in Baku, I noticed that the Swiss were trying to organize a tactical team fight against me. It wasn't hard, but there were moments. Athletes from other countries began to greet and congratulate more often. They began to find out too. At the European Championships, it felt like I was the favorite, they said: "Come on, win. Not a dark horse anymore."

— You are the only neutral winter athlete with a medal. How does it feel?

— I am very proud that I was able to bring a medal to my country. And I am glad that many people support the performance under a neutral flag. Everyone understands what kind of country we come from. I was born in Kamchatka, and now many people have found out where it is. Ski mountaineering friends from other countries are now aware: "Is this where volcanoes, beautiful landscapes and the ocean are?"

I am proud, but not because I went alone: we had access to all the leaders in the best sports — skiers, figure skaters. It's just that others didn't manage to take medals. Honestly, when I won the award, I thought that other athletes would be jealous, not to mention neutral ones. Among, for example, others who did not go to the Games. I haven't noticed that yet. People from other species support me, congratulate me and rejoice with me.

— When you won the medal, did you feel that you had become the main person in Russia on this day?

— No, there was no such thing. I think they watch football more than they pay attention to us.

— That day, all the football experts wrote about ski mountaineering. Is it touching?

— Of course, I am glad that I have attracted such attention to our sport. I hope it will continue. Of course, it's already fading away. They'll probably forget about me in the summer. But it's already great that after the Olympics, the interest is higher than it was before.

— Will you stay in your form or will you switch to biathlon?

— While in ski mountaineering. Everything is fine, I like everything. I didn't want to give up anyway, I wanted to combine ski mountaineering with biathlon. Maybe I'll go roller skiing in the summer.

Rise to the prize-winners: how Filippov won the first silver medal for Russia at the 2026 Games

Ski mountaineering made its vivid debut in the Winter Olympics program

"I showed the medal, and they poured it for me for free"

— They promised you a lot for the victory. Did you get everything?

— The iPhone 17 Pro was given to my father. They also provided private service at one of the banks, and they should send a gold bar. And the most unusual thing is that they promised a turkey refrigerator. I haven't seen it yet, but I hope they will. It would be very useful, I love turkey.

— Even before the Olympics, you said that you would "move on fermented compote and honey."

— I've loved honey since I was a kid. Grandpa has his own apiary, he transmits — natural, delicious. I put it in my tea, and I just eat it, and I put it on in the bath. It's healthier than sugar anyway. I also eat rice with honey, and a lot of other things. We even have honey disputes. Recently, I was arguing: if two juniors get into the top three in the same competition, then I shave off my beard and leave a mustache.

And fermented compote is a joke. I don't drink at all. After the Olympics, I tried alcohol well — I raised the degree, lowered it. I didn't get it at all! The effect was zero: no intoxication, no hangover, not even a headache. I realized that I'm just as funny when I'm sober. I won't drink anymore — why waste money? I thought alcohol was delicious, but it's also tasteless! I decided for myself: I will move on sober.

Now I won't spend money. Although I didn't spend a penny anyway, I just showed the medal and they poured it for free. There was a party in Bormio, and we had fun there with other ski climbers.

— Did you eat tiramisu, as you dreamed?

— Of course, several times. Different, in different cafes. And I ate ice cream, even though it was minus two or three. We were walking, I saw a kiosk and couldn't resist. It's cold, but I've eaten it, and I've closed my gestalt.

— After the Olympics, did you also say, "I'm giving up buckwheat in favor of pizza and burgers"?

— For a few days after the Olympics, yes. But I came to the Russian championship, I had to return to the mode. Rice, buckwheat, lentils, chicken. The usual healthy diet. I didn't relax at the European Championships in Azerbaijan either: a simple diet, a healthy diet.

"I like Captain Roman Zobnin the most from Spartak."

— Where does the love for Spartak come from?

— My father and uncle supported the red and white. So I didn't have an option to root for another team.

— Did Spartak invite you to the team's matches?

— Yes, the management contacted us, they invited us to the matches. But it's a busy season, and it's not going to work out right now. I hope I'll go to Moscow in the summer.

— Do you follow the latest team news?

— I like Captain Roman Zobnin the most from Spartak, I keep an eye on him. It's a shame, of course, that we lost 2-5 to Dynamo in the Cup. I hope they will perform well in the Russian championship.

— Did you catch the 2017 championship?

— Then I was 15. I had just arrived at Rosa Khutor, and at some competitions I ran uphill in a Denis Glushakov T-shirt from the time of that Spartak! And he won. In 2022, when we won the Russian Cup, I was also happy, but 2017 was more emotionally memorable.

— Would you like to meet Glushakov? Maybe in the bathroom.

— With pleasure. That T-shirt is probably still at home somewhere. I'll definitely find her. I wonder if she'll fit on top of me now.

— The most vivid impression of Spartak?

— I remember my first time at a football match. My father and I flew from the Russian Championship in Magnitogorsk to Moscow, went to the game in the evening, and he flew to Kamchatka the next day. I returned to Magnitogorsk. The emotions of a crowded stadium are unforgettable.

— Did you load the chants?

— The most common one: Spartak is the champion!" It was the most powerful one.

— Which of the Spartacists would be challenged in ski mountaineering?

— Probably to Zobnin. He's tough, I think he can handle it.

Silver Repetition: how to evaluate the performance of Russians at the 2026 Olympics

Nikita Filippov saved us from disappointment, but the conclusions from our athletes' trip to Milan are much deeper.

"I didn't goad a friend — the day was spent in vain"

— Gymnast Nikita Nagorny was in Kamchatka and admired that you and your friends can walk through three or four volcanoes in a day.

— Yes, in the spring we went around three volcanoes in 12 hours. We went up and down. It's cool that Nagorny is with Litvin (blogger. — Ed.) we came and rode on the boards. I am glad that famous people are coming to us.

— Do you invent memes on social networks yourself?

— Yes, I think athletes are generally funny. Especially in football and hockey. They say in our team: "I didn't goad my friend — the day was spent in vain."

— Do you play football yourself?

— I still play in Kamchatka. We had our own team, we played mini-football. There are fewer people playing now, but we're going anyway. I like to be a striker, but before the season I play carefully so as not to get injured. I often stand at the gate: the reaction is good, I have gloves since childhood. Sometimes it's impossible for me to score at all! We play with the men on the green.

— I saw your photos in Kamchatka without clothes. How's that?

— It's warm in spring, the sun reflects off the snow. If there is no wind, it is generally comfortable. We close it after the season: we rent a house, roast kebabs, and in the morning we go on a ski tour in our underpants, with an open torso. Then we dig out something like a cave in the snow so that the walls are made of snow, and we get a wild solarium. Lying down, sunbathing.

— What needs to be done to keep the interest in ski mountaineering alive?

— Try to go to any hill or hill yourself — you will feel what it feels like to move uphill on foot in order to understand how we feel. And it's worth watching, because it's dynamic. There were long pauses between races at the Olympics, but at the World Cup, at the Russian and European championships there were 10-15 minutes between races. High density, competition, everything can change in a second. I proved it at the European Championships.