“Before the race, I slept like a baby, woke up in a good mood, went out to the balcony, smiled at the sun.” Interview with Legkov on winning Sochi 2014

The Olympic Games in Sochi gave us dozens of the most brilliant victories, which are so pleasant to remember ten years later. The games gradually accelerated, every day our athletes received more and more medals, and the degree of euphoria of the fans increased. It reached its peak on February 23, the last day of the Olympics. It was then that an epic marathon took place among the skiers, which ended with a spectacular final and three medals for the Russians.

The victorious embrace of Alexander Legkov, Maxim Vylegzhanin and Ilya Chernousov is one of the brightest moments in the history of all Russian sports. But few people remember and know what path our skiers had to travel to succeed. Legkov shared his memories of the Sochi Olympics with .

“THE SOCHI OLYMPIC GAMES ARE FOR ME THE LAST CAR ON A DEPARTING TRAIN”

— The Olympic Games in Sochi are one of the most important stages of your career. Do you have any memories of how you prepared and approached it?

“Many different memories ran through my head at the same time. We can talk about it endlessly. Of course, I really wanted to medal after Vancouver. But I can’t say I thought about it throughout the four years between the Games.

It was a very serious period of preparation, during which there were ups and downs. If we talk specifically about Sochi, we can say that for me it was the last car that was already leaving the platform and I had to hold on to it and jump into it. Having won the marathon, I jumped on the departing train. It was very difficult, but the final success was all the more precious to me.

— Everyone says that the Sochi Olympics were organized at the highest level.

– I’m 100 percent sure. I have participated in three Olympic Games, unfortunately I did not reach the fourth. In Sochi, everything was really organized at the highest level. I’m not the only one talking about it. Access to the slope was organized simply wonderfully – you could get there in just five minutes. Additionally, the food and accommodation were very nice. All the foreigners noticed. In general, all athletes agreed that everything in Sochi was organized very coolly and it was the best Olympics.

“I GOT MAXIMUM SPEED IN A RELAY RACE UNDER STRESS”

— Before your personal gold medal in the marathon, you won silver in the relay, showing incredible speed in your leg. How did you manage to achieve such a crazy race?

“It’s like it was all done under stress.” At six or seven in the morning, I was thinking about refusing to run this race so that someone else could take my place. I was very worried after what happened in the first race. And in general, at these Olympics, before the medal in the relay, everything in my body was not going as it should. My head wouldn’t let me relax.

And with this stress and adrenaline, I managed to reach maximum speed in the relay. Moreover, this happened only in the last lap, when I realized that I was walking, not breathing and generally did not understand why I was going with them if I had the strength. In the last lap, I gave my maximum.

Well, after that silver medal appeared, I relaxed a little. Then everything went according to plan and I went to the “fifty kopeck” with a good mood and knowing that I would fight for the podium.

— Did you sleep well the night before this race?

– Yes, I slept like a baby, woke up in a good mood, went out onto the balcony, smiled at the shining sun. I really wanted to start quickly! I was really looking forward to this race. It was a very cool feeling, because before each departure there were terrible experiences, excitement and almost sleepless nights. And then I woke up with full confidence that I would fight for the medals.

“AFTER CHANGING SKIS AT THE MARATHON, I WAS A LITTLE WORRIED”

— Do you often remember the details of this race?

— I only remember one in detail. We changed the skis in the box once – it was after the 30th kilometer. I chose the two coolest pairs of skis that skated well before the start. But apparently, the second pair, which I put on after the 30th kilometer, stagnated on the rubber, in the sun… And after changing skis on the first climb, I felt that this pair did not ride very well. GOOD. I immediately shouted to the lubricant that I needed to quickly replace it with the pair I was running with before, and after 10 kilometers I would definitely go to the pits.

After that, the oilmen were busy making skis, but after a few miles the pair I put on started to ride better than the first. And I even forgot what I said at the service. This is the first thing that comes to mind, because after changing skis I was a little worried. Otherwise everything was perfect. It’s the best race of my career! And if after the finish I had to run another 20 to 30 kilometers, I would run. After the race, I fell not from fatigue, but from happiness. There were thoughts in my head: “To hell with it! Did I really do that? Only, instead of “what is it,” there was another word.

— At that time they said that the Swedes and Norwegians used team tactics even in individual races, but the Russians did not have it. Can you say that during the marathon you worked with Vylegzhanin and Chernousov?

– Absolutely not. Because I didn’t even know who was behind me on the last climb. I only remember my thoughts: “Why did I go ahead and start first? It’s very dangerous, because I could have been knocked down at the finish line, and it was better not to be the first to reach it.

On the other hand, Maxim Vylegzhanin had a grudge against Sundby after the skiathlon. He showed his ego in this race and worked tactically in our favor. I would say the stars aligned here. But in any case, I thank Maxim for his work. Everyone fought for themselves, and in the end everything turned out like this. Our medals are all the more precious because we fought not only against the Norwegian, but also against each other. In the end, everyone deserves their medal. There were elements of team tactics in this race.

“IF KRYUKOV HAD NOT FAILED, THERE WOULD BE A GOLD MEDAL IN THE SPRINT”

— Elena Vyalbe said that the Olympics in Sochi were not the best for the ski team in terms of results, but the full podium in the marathon finally overshadowed previous failures. Do you agree with this?

— To a certain extent, I can agree. In any case, we won medals. But you yourself saw that there were offensive moments – falls, bad luck, Sergei Ustyugov could not prove himself. Again, take the team sprint – at the finish line Nikita Kryukov and Sami Jauhojärvi… You yourself understand that there are no options – if Nikita had not stumbled, this would have been a gold medal.

In such moments I can agree with Elena Valerievna. We didn’t get what we could. I would like to say a few more words about the relay… I do not denigrate the dignity of anyone who ran this race, but, in my opinion, Chernousov should have participated in it. But in the end, all the guys did well – Dima Yaparov and Sasha Bessmertnykh deserved this medal. Chernousov is also a great guy – like me, he jumped into the last car and was able to snatch his bronze medal. At the same time, he probably gave the money – he didn’t take the plunge, even though he was early.

— You were rewarded during the closing ceremony. It all looked very touching, like a real triumph of Russian sport. Can you call this the happiest moment of your life?

— It was very fast, spontaneous… I’ve said it more than once and I keep repeating it, I will look for these emotions for the rest of my life. I really want to relive at least part of the range of feelings I experienced then. Then it all seemed like a dream. I want to see this dream again.

I remember after it was over there were a bunch of interviews, and then I just lay in my room sobbing into my pillow. Thank God I lived alone. Then we quickly got ready and went to the closing, which also happened very quickly. I experienced everything myself and experienced a lot of emotions.

After that, we returned to Laura, I spent a sleepless night staring at the ceiling. Probably more with a smile than with tears.

— 10 years is a serious period. What legacy did the Sochi Olympic Games leave to Russian sport?

“She left a huge legacy.” Over the past 10 years, people have very often come up to me and said that after this race they are going to ski themselves or are taking their children to the ski section. That this success motivated them. I hope this is actually the case. I am sure that this start gave a great boost to many skiers, from children to amateurs. Perhaps this is the legacy of the Olympics. Well, once again, it’s a pleasant memory. These were the best Olympic Games in every way.