2024-02-17 11:20:22
San Sanych beat two legendary skiers at once.
The men’s part of the Spartakiad of the Strongest in Ski Racing has come to an end. On the last day of the Tyumen competition, Alexander Bolshunov set a unique achievement, breaking the record of legendary athletes from the USSR in extreme conditions.
“It’s scary to run in this weather”
In the final event of the Spartakiad program, the strongest skiers faced a severe test. Only 73 people dared to go to the start of the marathon. Some were afraid of the frosty Tyumen weather, while others simply did not have the strength left for the heaviest fifty dollars. Sergei Ustyugov also had certain concerns regarding Saturday’s race, who was worried regarding the weather.
“It’s even somehow scary to run 50 km in this weather,” Ustyugov said in a video published on his Telegram channel.
This race was of fundamental importance for Alexander Bolshunov, who had previously won four gold medals at the Spartakiad. In terms of the number of first places at these competitions, he shared first place with the legendary skiers Vasily Rochev and Ivan Utrobin. The victory made him the best skier in the history of the Spartakiad.
Alexander Bolshunov / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Pavel Bednyakov
“Cool victory in extreme conditions”
The leaders ran the first kilometers of the distance in a common group. The pace was as calm as possible. Only closer to the bonus cut-off did the first fugitives appear, but no one was able to create a serious gap. Bolshunov did not participate in the showdown for points. San Sanych, of course, periodically took the lead, but mostly other athletes held first places.
By the 15 km mark, Sergei Ustyugov was at the head of the group of leaders. The Khanty-Mansiysk skier tried to tear apart the peloton, but quickly abandoned this idea. Until the 30th kilometer there was no longer a single successful breakaway.
After the third round, many athletes changed skis. Ilya Semikov from the leading group did not do this. This allowed him to gain a ten second lead. But the attempt of the athlete from Komi was unsuccessful. He lasted only five kilometers. At the stadium the group caught up with the fugitive.
At the beginning of the finishing lap, 19 skiers remained in the fight for medals. Only here did Bolshunov pick up the pace for the first time. A short burst was enough for the leading group to quickly stretch out. Not everyone was ready for San Sanych’s speed. Among the stragglers was Ustyugov.
In the final kilometer, Bolshunov accelerated once more, reducing the number of contenders to five, but none of the competitors were able to compete with him in the finishing showdown. Second place went to Sergei Ardashev (+0.4 sec). Savely Korostelev (+0.6 sec) won bronze.
Open video
— A great victory in extreme conditions. The main thing was to dress correctly. It was possible to break away earlier, but it was also possible at the end. I looked at the condition of the guys. There are still races this season, we had to save our strength,” Bolshunov said on Match TV.
Thanks to this victory, San Sanych beat Rochev and Utrobin, becoming the most titled skier at the Spartakiad. The Russian championship is ahead, where new records await Bolshunov.
The cross-country skiing tournament at the Spartakiad will end on Sunday with the women’s 50 km race. Watch the live broadcast of the start from 8:50 Moscow time on the TV channels “Match TV”, “Match! Arena”, “Match! Planet”, as well as the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
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