Attention to the start: skiers will check their readiness for the World Cup in Tyumen
On Thursday, December 4, Russian skiers and biathletes will continue the domestic season. The first ones will gather in Tyumen for what may be the last significant stage of the Russian Cup season. The second team remains in Khanty-Mansiysk, where they are fighting with Belarusians for the Commonwealth Cup. For more information, see the Izvestia article.
Demonstration of the possibilities
The decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, in which the suspension of Russian skiers from international competitions was challenged, dramatically changed the attitude towards the Cup of the country. Prior to this decision, the athletes claimed to be fighting for the overall standings of the tournament, wearing yellow and red jerseys. But now most of the leaders' priorities have clearly changed, as a chance to compete at the World Cup and an attempt to qualify for the Olympics are on the horizon.
It is still unknown who will go to Europe and who will stay in Russia. The lists for neutral status have been submitted. Now it's up to the FIS to decide who to grant this status to. There is active talk that three-time Olympic champion Alexander Bolshunov will not be allowed to the World Cup and that he is not on the list at all. However, coach Yuri Borodavko has a different opinion.
"The lists have been submitted," the coach said in a conversation with Izvestia. — The most important thing is which of the athletes will send the questionnaire. This should be decided by the leadership of the federation and the coaching staff. No absolute decision has been made yet. None of the athletes have filled out any questionnaires yet. So far, everything is premature. The requirements that the IOC puts forward are the absence of involvement in law enforcement agencies: the Armed Forces, Rosgvardiya, Dynamo, FSB. We have more than 90% of all athletes in these structures, not just Bolshunov. There will be a certain commission in both the FIS and the IOC, which will determine the admission and possible participation of athletes in international competitions.
There is no understanding of when the FIS will approve the neutral statuses. There are no clear deadlines in this matter. Savely Korostelev believes that next week he will already go to the World Cup stage in Davos, Switzerland. If this happens, then the third stage of the Cup of Russia, which will be held in Chusov from December 10 to December 14, will lose several strong skiers. It seems that the main attention of the audience will switch from Chusovoy to Davos.
But almost all the strongest should be in Tyumen this week. Athletes now need to defend their right to participate in international competitions. The fight is expected to be interesting, especially since the stage program includes two contact races for men and women: classic mass starts and sprints.
There is a chance to see Alexander Bolshunov in Tyumen. Recall that after finishing the sprint at the stage in Kirovsk, the three-time Olympic champion pushed Alexander Bakurov, injuring him. The FLGR Presidium reviewed the episode and decided that Bolshunov could not compete until Bakurov recovered. Initially, it was assumed that San Sanych would miss the stage in Tyumen, but the coach of the national team Egor Sorin said that the injured skier could already start on Sunday, and with him Bolshunov.
"We are trying to get Alexander Bakurov back to the ski track as soon as possible," Egor Sorin told Izvestia. — He definitely won't run on Thursday, and even more so the sprint on Saturday. There is a discussion going on, there is a possibility that he will start on Sunday. It is not the coach who makes the decision, but first of all the medical staff together with the athlete. Therefore, I can only broadcast the thoughts of the doctor and the athlete himself here. But it's probably better to ask directly.
A month in Khanty
In biathlon, the goals and objectives are different this week. Shooting skiers were the only representatives of winter individual sports who were not allowed to qualify for the Olympics. The athletes themselves assumed that they would be the last without international competitions. They cite the presence of weapons in their sport as the main reason.
For the third weekend in a row, biathletes have been competing in Khanty-Mansiysk. First, the MLKB Cup was held in Ugra, last week the Russian Cup, and now the Commonwealth Cup will be held.
The strongest athletes from Russia and Belarus take part in this tournament. So far, our neighbors are looking better at the start of the season. At the last stage of the National Cup in Khanty, Belarusians took almost all the gold: three in four races. The winners were Anna Sola, Dinara and Anton Smolsky.
The Yugra stage of the Commonwealth Cup is already the second in the calendar. The first one took place in Sochi in the summer on roller skis. After him, Smolsky took the lead in the overall men's standings, but the rest of the top 10 places are occupied by Russian biathletes. Nikita Porshnev is only one point behind Anton, Kirill Bazhin is five points behind.
Among women, two Belarusians are in the top ten, but not at the very top: Sola — 8th place, Smolskaya — 10th. Natalia Shevchenko took the first place in the overall standings after the stage in Sochi, followed by Anastasia Khalili in 12 points.
The prize money at the Commonwealth Cup is higher than at the Russian Cup. In total, the six strongest are awarded in each race, where 300 thousand rubles are given for victory in personal discipline. There is a mixed relay race in the schedule of the stage in Khanty-Mansiysk, in which the best four will receive 600 thousand rubles.
There are a total of six Commonwealth Cup stages on the calendar. Demino (January 12-19), Raubichi (January 19-26), Sochi (February 9-16) and Murmansk (March 30 – April 6) will also host the competition. The winners of the overall standings for men and women will receive a check for 750 thousand rubles at the end of the season.
Schedule of the second stage of the Russian Cup in cross-country skiing
Thursday, December 4th
8:00 a.m. — women, 10 km, split start, free style
11:00 a.m. — men, 15 km, split start, free style
Saturday, December 6th
8:00 a.m. — women and men, sprint, classic style, qualification
10:00 a.m. — women and men, sprint, classic style, finals
Sunday, December 7th
10:00 a.m. — women, 20 km, mass start, classic style
12:00 p.m. — men, 20 km, mass start, classic style
Schedule of the second stage of the Commonwealth Biathlon Cup
Thursday, December 4th
13:00 — women's sprint
15:30 — men's sprint
Friday, December 5th
9:30 a.m. — women, mass start
13:00 — men, mass start
Sunday, December 7th
13:30 — mixed relay race
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
