Double Olympic champion Petter Northug noted that Alexander Bolshunov and other Russian skiers face moral difficulties due to exclusion from international competitions.
On Monday, Bolshunov failed to be among the winners of the free sprint of the first stage of the Russian Cup in Vershina Teoi (Republic of Khakassia). Last season’s leader finished the fight in the quarterfinals. Denis Filimonov won the sprint.
— I keep in touch with them. It’s nice to receive the latest news about what is happening in Russia in the field of skiing. It’s great ski country. Of course, they find themselves in a bit of a difficult situation and are ostracized.
— What does Bolshunov bring you?
— Basically, he writes that it’s hard for him psychologically, that it’s not so easy to go out and train. He does the work, but he doesn’t do it with passion. He trains because he has to, “that’s all”. I understand that.
I think if I was in a similar situation, I would handle it very poorly. I would be upset and depressed. This would greatly affect my concentration in training. After all, working out would take second place, at least if you have a family like him. It would happen pretty quickly when you realize that you won’t be able to go out into the world and compete with the best, and you won’t be allowed to compete for medals,” Nettavisen quoted Northug as saying.
Russian and Belarusian athletes have been suspended from participating in competitions under the auspices of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) since March 2022.
Nettavisen
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Source : MatchTV
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