“At home, the emphasis on cross-country skiing has really increased.” Interview with Maxim Vylegzhanin

On February 4-5, Luzhniki will host the Race of the Stars, in which the greatest skiers, biathletes and representatives of other Russian sports will take part. Including three-time Sochi Olympics silver medalist Maxim Vylegzhanin, who was contacted by a correspondent, will also perform.

Vylegzhanin spoke about preparations for the event, problems with cross-country skiing in Udmurtia, raising the status of the Russian Cup, and also called the conflict between Bolshunov and Ustyugov a mockery.

— What do you expect from Race of the Stars?

– I think it will be more of a show, although it’s called a race. I hope everything will be spectacular, beautiful, interesting and fun. Probably, the task is not to compete, but to meet old acquaintances, chat – it’s cool.

Once again, it seems to me that the event was conceived in the form of a spectacle. Fast, high speed, with kids. At least that’s what I’m leaning towards. In general, I would like to show that there is cross-country skiing, to run with young people.

– Is there a precise objective in terms of results?

– Hard to say. First of all, you don’t know who you are running with, how the others are preparing… As in any relay race, there is an element of surprise and it is important who is running with you and against you. In addition, the distance is short, there will be no big gaps. Everything will go quickly and energetically. I guess everything will be fine.

– How do you like the format of the show paired with children?

– You know, I’ve never played in such a format before. Therefore, such a departure will be new to me. It is difficult to predict what it will be and to assess its disadvantages and advantages.

It’s good that the children participate in the race. Young athletes will be able to watch you, they will be able to learn something from adult athletes. They will have an emotional uplift in performance with prominent athletes who have won many medals at a high level. I hope this common format will give them an extra incentive to develop further.

– What is the importance of organizing such events?

– Of course, such competitions should take place. Here, young athletes run, and there are a lot of stars. All the more cool as everything will take place in a large stadium and will be broadcast. Our task in this situation is simply to remind people of cross-country skiing, to illuminate as much as possible. It is a very interesting and active sport, where there is always a struggle. By organizing such competitions, we can attract children to our sport.

– Now you are the president of the Udmurt Ski Racing Federation. Have you thought about organizing such races in your country?

– In Izhevsk, we organized a competition for children “Snowman” in Kirov Park, inside the city itself. Where all vacationers go and everyone has the opportunity to watch them. We do everything to ensure that children have fun and are interesting. There is also a small circle, it should turn out very spectacular.

Photo: © Personal archive of Maxim VylegzhaninAt the same time, it’s not a show tournament for us, but competitions. In general, there are many different starts, where the children run without even taking into account the time: if you come running, congratulations. In our country, we want to teach skiers from the first class that they can go to the start on their own, overcome the distance themselves. At the same time, the time is recorded, there is a protocol, a starting number, the winner is determined. Everything is done to motivate them. Someone will lose, someone will win, but immediately there is a desire to improve the time, the result, to overtake the opponent. I mean, everything is adult.

– Have you invited prominent athletes to attend the event to attract attention?

— The organization of these competitions came spontaneously to us. At the beginning, in the spring, we talked about the fact that in our republic there are few departures for preschoolers and young schoolchildren. Then we negotiated with Kirov Park to hold similar competitions in Izhevsk, and we received approval. Then I promised the representatives of the national prize in Udmurtia that I would make a debut for children. Things got a bit out of shape and we reached an agreement only at the end of the year. As a result, the first races took place in January.

For this reason, we are not doing much publicity yet, no one has been called from the stars yet. I’m a believer in what needs to be done first, perfect everything on a small audience, then expand. If the experiment is recognized as successful, then maybe next year there will already be something more ambitious. There is an idea to hold not even three stages, but 12. And in the summer I would like to organize something similar – to use a bicycle, to cross. Let’s see how it goes. If we understand that people have an interest in this, it is really necessary, then we will already invite athletes for awards.

– How do you assess the situation of skiing in the republic in general?

Things are going well, not without problems, of course. The big bet is on the boys now. Before, we had a very strong team, we ran for a long time, but the youth was a bit lost. Therefore, at the moment there are not so many strong skiers. Alexander Ivshin is, Vlad Osipov is in the junior team… So we are working for the future. We develop young men to show good results.

Also, the coaching staff has been updated. Now the athletes who ran with me on the team are training. They are now passing on the experience to young people. The team is updated.

– What difficulties do you encounter?

– Of course, it’s the budget, the inventory. It seems to me that everywhere everyone has the same difficulties. Not just in our region. Someone takes care of them. At the moment, we have a general partner, through which we buy lubricants and inventory. So there is a godfather. There is also the help of the management, the head of the republic. Nevertheless, the budget is not always and not for everything: for the same inventory, trips.

— Sergey Ardashev and Denis Filimonov represent Udmurtia at the Russian Cup this season. Do you follow them specifically?

– I try to follow the stages of the competition in general, without particular personalities. Of course, the tournament is interesting. So many athletes – almost the whole team participates in the Country Cup! True, for members of the national team it is not quite usual after the World Cup, and for the rest it is also unusual to compete with collections. The season is therefore atypical, but it is going well thanks to rich starts and good competition.

— We have the feeling that the attention given to cross-country skiing has now increased?

— I think it has really increased inside the country. Yes, skiing is no longer broadcast on television, but the public is interested in the places where the stages take place. No wonder eminent athletes and stars perform there. The status and entertainment of these competitions increases. There is also the Russian Cup which is held in different places, the whole ski elite gathers in different parts of the country. I think the fans in those cities are really happy to see their favorites, especially after the guys’ success at the Olympics. So the fans come to watch and it feels like cross-country skiing is on the rise.

– Many skiers at the stages even compare the atmosphere of the stages to the World Cup…

– It is a pity that the Russian Cup is not in Izhevsk and personally I cannot assess whether this is the case. I hope we can do something similar in the future.

– Before the season, did you mention holding one of the stages in Udmurtia?

– We have problems with the bridge, with the width of the road in one place. We are currently trying to resolve this issue. There is already a project. I hope we will apply it. As soon as we apply it, we will talk about holding high-level competitions in the republic.

– Regarding the interest in the Cup stages this season – you have already noted that you see a positive moment in the jokes of Ustyugov and Bolshunov, because more and more people will pay attention to skiing. Do you think the same now? It just seemed at one point that it escalated into some kind of conflict.

I haven’t changed my mind in general. It certainly caught the eye. Everything goes to popularization, and the conflict itself is largely simulated.

– Is it sad that with such a busy season there are difficulties with broadcasts?

– It is clear that if all the steps were shown, it would be better and more interesting.

– Many biathletes will participate in the Russian cross-country skiing championship. How do you feel about this?

– Of course, it’s a great story, especially since journalists are generating interest in the event. Moreover, it is an additional incentive for biathletes – they want to demonstrate that they can also run fast. Skiers will prove their strength, they will try.

– In addition to the Russian championship, the second big start of the season are alternative competitions in the Arkhangelsk region. Do you think Malinovka is the best place to hold such a big event?

— I have been to Malinovka twice. Once – on the alternative games, it was very cold. Then he fell ill, which is why he did not participate in the end. Moreover, the last time I raced there was in the Russian championship – I won the 50 km race, as well as the relay race as part of the Udmurt team. In general, the place is good, hard trail. I know it was a little changed there, moved. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen any change there. But I heard that things are changing.

— What do you think of the latest statements from the International Olympic Committee?

“Everything is political. There are political games that you don’t really want to get into and watch.

– Are there any internal forecasts regarding the return of Russian sports to international competitions?

Of course, I would like to come back as soon as possible. The earlier this happens, the better.

On February 4-5, Luzhniki will host Race of the Stars with the participation of skiers and biathletes. On February 4, at 1:00 p.m. Moscow time, the ski race will start, on February 5, at 1:00 p.m., biathletes will start. Watch live broadcasts on the federal channel and thematic channels of the holding, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.