Beijing Olympic champion skier Natalya Nepryaeva told about the past season, the Olympics and the fight against the Norwegian Therese Yohaug .
Last season, Nepryaeva became the first Ski Tour winner in Russian skiing history, won a full streak of medals at the 2022 Olympics and five individual races in the Russian championship.
– You had an incredibly successful season: a victory at the Tour de Ski, a full medal streak in Beijing, a classy performance at the Russian Championship. Are all gestalts closed?
– The season was very successful, but there were races that didn’t work out. They are enough. I have something to work on.
We sorted out my mistakes with the coaches immediately after the races, in the spring we talked a lot. Now I don’t think about what happened in winter, I’m preparing for the new season. We don’t yet know what awaits us. Most likely, there will be only Russian starts, an alternative world championship, we are preparing for that,” Nepryaeva told .
Let’s talk about errors. Can such a titled skier do anything wrong?
– Many things can. In fact, there were a lot of races that didn’t work out, somewhere in terms of tactics, somewhere in terms of well-being.
– You had an amazing Russian championship, where you won all the individual races. Where did you find your motivation after your successes at the Tour de Ski and the Olympics?
— After Beijing, I had a strong emotional outburst. Therefore, at the Russian Championships my health was no worse than at the Olympics. Even at the World Cup in Lahti, I felt good. Not all races in Beijing were like that. In the sprint final I fought with three Swedes, and in the cup I was second.
– When you initially went against Yohaug, did you hope you could beat her or did you realize that she would run away anyway?
No, she was defeated. And more than once. But now she has already finished her career, so it is difficult to judge. A little upset that she left. After all, I never won.
Johaug is a four-time Olympic champion, 14-time world champion and three-time Grand Crystal Globe winner.
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
