“He even holds back.” Bolshunov won the tenth consecutive race in the Russian Cup

“He even holds back.” Bolshunov won the tenth consecutive race in the Russian Cup

Andrey Shitikhin December 21, 2023, 15:35 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.

The three-time Olympic champion won on the toughest track in speed skating.

Alexander Bolshunov is doing fantastic things this ski season. Within the framework of the Alfa-Bank Russian Cup – 2023/2024, 10 races were held, and the three-time Olympic champion won in all of them. In the previous stage it seemed like he was incredibly tired and was about to be overtaken by him, but no. He seemed.

It’s even funny to say some things about how Bolshunov approaches distance. He simply runs, relying solely on his inner feelings. In the 15 kilometer speed skating test, San Sanych was simply unstoppable. He started last according to the current classification of the Russian Cup and from the first cut he began to run away from the rest.

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Bolshunov quickly caught up with Savely Korostelev, who was starting in front of him, tried to hold on, and if he had held on, he probably would have won the silver. But the pace of the champion surpassed the forces of the 20-year-old skier, who ultimately fell behind and did not even reach the top 6. Perhaps the decision to stick with Bolshunov turned out to be fatal for Korostelev: the “locomotive” threw out the “passenger”.

“Sasha is not the kind of person who complains, even if something hurts. She talks about problems when she can’t move her arm or leg. Once again I don’t want to touch on this topic. Feeling sorry for an athlete is not entirely correct, as some people take advantage of it. But it’s definitely not about Sasha. The way Bolshunov trains and acts now, he even restricts himself a little, since in each race he can win more,” FLGR president Elena Vyalbe said during the broadcast.

This time Bolshunov’s advantage was simply enormous.

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The only one who lost to the champion in less than a minute was Alexey Shemyakin, a representative of the Arkhangelsk region, who trains independently in his region. Shemyakin completed the last lap very calmly, maintaining the speed he had set for himself. Third place went to Sergei Ardashev, who literally snatched the bronze from the hands of three-time junior world champion Alexander Ivshin.

Skate cut for women.

Photo: RIA Novosti

In the women’s race, Olympic champion Veronika Stepanova took an equally convincing victory. She, like Bolshunov, started last, caught up with Anastasia Kuleshova, and this tandem worked to the end, changing each other to maintain speed. Stepanova strengthened her lead in the overall standings of the Russian Cup. In general, she spent the pre-New Year part of the season more than convincingly – a real leader of women’s cross-country skiing in Russia.

Kuleshova defended second place in the correspondence fight with junior Alina Pekletsova, who started before her main competitors and who did not have the opportunity to work with someone in pairs. Maybe then the situation would have been a little different, but third place for an 18-year-old skier is an excellent result.

The stage of the Russian Cup in Kirovo-Chepetsk will continue after the weekend with sprints and skiathlons.

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