Olympic cross-country skiing champion Veronika Stepanova believes that with age the talent of athletes does not disappear, but many begin to be decided by the material support necessary for victories at the adult level.
Stepanova won a silver medal in the relay at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Lahti; at the 2021 tournament in Vuokatti, she added personal “gold” in the 5km freestyle race to a similar achievement in the relay. At the Beijing Olympics, the Russian won gold in the relay.
– At junior competitions, skiers from rather exotic countries – Australia, Spain – regularly enter the top ten. And on the podium – athletes from ski countries, so to speak, who at the adult level cannot compete with Norway or Russia. Then these junior stars grow up and…disappear.
At Vuokatti, for example, I lost in the sprint against two very strong Polish women. Where are they now? It seems to me that the talent has not disappeared – but they do not have the security necessary for adult victories. There is not, for example, the best ski service in the world, like ours. There are no special trucks and trucks for the preparation of skis. There is not much. At the junior championships, everything is more or less on a level playing field – and everyone runs on talent, theirs and coaches, not support,” Stepanova wrote in a column on .
The next stage of the World Cup will take place from February 3 to 5 in Italy. The stage will be opened by sprint races. Watch the live broadcast from 4:25 p.m. (Moscow time) on the Match! Arena” and the matchtv.ru site.
In Moscow “Luzhniki” on February 4-5 will be held ” Racing Stars” with the participation of skiers and biathletes. On February 4, at 1:00 p.m. Moscow time, the ski race will begin, on February 5, at 1:00 p.m., biathletes will start their performance. Watch live broadcasts on the federal channel and thematic channels of the holding, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
Also follow the Ski Track of Russia -2023 on February 11 from 7:45 a.m. (Moscow time) on , as well as on other channels and holding sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
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.
