Ustyugov abandoned the Tour de Ski. And did he do it right? Grandmaster Ustyugov. Tour de Ski opens with Russian victory One for all

Ustyugov wins the sprint at the Tour de Ski. This finish is worth re-watching.

Russian skier Sergei Ustyugov won the 1.5 km sprint at the stage of the multi-day Tour de Ski race in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

The 25-year-old athlete showed a result of 2 minutes 57.28 seconds. For Ustyugov this is the first victory of the season.

Italian Federico Pellegrino finished behind the two-time world champion from Russia.

Ustyugov, we recall, is the winner of the Tour de Ski of the 2016/17 season.

Another Russian, Alexander Bolshunov, who turns 21 on December 31, managed to reach the semifinals on Saturday.

“I’m very glad that I won. You know what our circumstances are. We have to go out and fight to the end,” Ustyugov said in an interview after the race.

"Tour de Ski". 1st stage. Lenzerheide (Switzerland)

Men. Sprint

1. Sergey Ustyugov (Russia) – 2.57.3

2. Federico Pellegrino (Italy) – +0.99

3. Lucas Chanava (France) – +2.76

Among the women, the sensational winner was the owner of the track, Lauren van der Graff. American skier Sophie Caldwell came second to the finish line, and Norwegian Maiken Caspersen Falla came third.

22-year-old Russian Natalya Nepryaeva, who ran in the sprint final for the first time, took fourth place, gaining 46 bonus seconds.

On December 31, cross-country skiers in Switzerland will run 15-kilometer and 10-kilometer pursuits. The Tour de Ski will end with the traditional mountain climb on January 7, 2018.

Women. Sprint

1. Lauren van der Graff (Switzerland) – 3.25.80

2. Sophie Caldwell (USA) – +1.42

4. Natalya Nepryaeva (Russia) – +3.17

Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexey Filippov

It's time for cross-country skiing fans to get some traditional New Year's entertainment - for ten years now, the best athletes on the planet have been coming together to test themselves in a busy multi-day race schedule and culminate this forced march with the famous uphill race in the Italian Val di Fiemme. But to get there, participants will have to go to the starting line six more times over the next eight days.

This year, the path to that same mountain began in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, where, as usual, a sprint was chosen as the prologue to the multi-day race - one of two included in the start program this season. At the same time, the proximity of the Olympic Games, which can be felt literally in every movement of every athlete, could not but leave its mark on the Tour de Ski - several famous athletes at once chose to skip the grueling complex start in order to prepare for the Games. This was not the first and certainly not the last time this happened.

The women's part of the competition suffered especially, being left without , and . And for men, the leader of the overall World Cup standings refused to come to the Tour Johannes Klebo. The Russian team also suffered a loss - they dropped out of the application at the last moment, breaking their nose and injuring their neck as a result of an unfortunate fall in training. But if we remember that theoretically a couple of days ago there was still a possibility that all Russian skiers would be removed from competition, then such a loss is an even lesser evil.

ONE FOR ALL

The morning qualification brought two main news to Russian fans - good and bad. Let's start, as usual, with a good one - he began his defense of the title at the Tour de Ski with the best time in qualifying, where he was ahead of the Italian and the Frenchman. The young hope of the Russian national team showed the 11th time, and three more of our skiers were in the top 30 - , and . As for the bad news, of our six girls, only 12th was able to reach the quarterfinals. The rest of the Russians found themselves in the basement of the protocol, with three of them taking last places.

I had to fight for the honor of the country alone Nepryaevoy, but from this test, forgive the tautology, she came out with honor. It wasn't easy for her already in the quarterfinals, where after the start she found herself in the last rows in a position that was not very convenient for attack. But then along with Nepryaeva went on the offensive on the climb and ended up in the top three after the first lap. In the second, she had to repel the Norwegian attacks most of the time.

Thanks to her good speed at the finish line, the Russian woman made it to the semi-finals, which was even easier and more successful for her than the first round of the playoffs. The decisive race turned out to be extremely dramatic for almost all of its participants. The German woman fell, and the American woman broke her stick for the second time that day. Nepryaevoy it was difficult, she was fourth with a noticeable gap between herself and the leaders. But Natalya fought to the end. She even managed to enter into a fight for a place on the podium with the eminent Norwegian, but this was obviously a losing cause. However, fourth place is a very good result for us.

The victory, the first in her career, and even in front of her own stands, was won by the Swiss Van Den Graaf. Quite unexpectedly, she performed very strongly in all rounds, and in the final she staked her claim to first place with a powerful push. Silver Sophie Caldwell from USA.

KEEP THE MARK

However, all the ups and downs of the women’s fight were just a prelude for us before the first victory of the season Ustyugova. After success in qualifying, the current title holder carried out the first elimination race like a grandmaster, constantly staying in the group of leaders and only in the last meters giving way to the Norwegian, who powerfully rolled to the finish line. However, this is not to say that these 1.2 kilometers were easy for Sergei - at the end he spent quite a long time trying to catch his breath. Larkov could have ended up in the semi-finals, becoming third in the same start, but in the end he lost the place of “lucky loser” to his compatriot Bolshunov.

Certain hopes were pinned on him before the Tour de Ski, but Alexander is still only 20 years old, and the lack of experience cannot but affect him. Problems with Bolshunova arose already in the first round of the playoffs, during the second round he rolled back from second position to fourth and was forced to attack the positions of the leaders because of their backs on the last straight. It didn't work out quite well - fourth place in a photo finish. But he managed to qualify for the semifinals.

At this stage, both Russians started in the same race. Moreover Ustyugov at first he stayed behind, but thanks to a jerk supported Pellegrino, came in second place after Krogh. Having chosen a convenient position for the spurt, Sergey left his competitors behind on the last straight. Bolshunov This time it was not possible to maintain the pace set by the others, and he ended up fifth in this warm company. The start of the Tour de Ski at our season opener turned out to be quite good, but nothing more. Surely Alexander himself wanted more.

But who knew exactly what he wanted and how to achieve it - Ustyugov. He conducted the final in an exemplary manner, not allowing anyone to doubt his own superiority and leading throughout almost the entire distance. The start turned out to be leisurely, but by the end of the first lap Sergei rolled out and seriously raised the pace. He worked in this mode for the rest of the race. The highest speed of the rest of the participants in the medal race was withstood Pellegrino And Shanava. But Ustyugov blocked their trajectory in the last turn and left no chance for anyone at the finish line. Here it is, the first success of the season!

Starting this Tour de Ski the same way as last year, Ustyugov will try to maintain the brand further. The second stage will take place on Sunday - before the New Year celebrations we will have a “classic” race of 15 km for men and 10 km for women.

Men. Sprint (C). 1. USTYUGOV (Russia) - 2.57.28. 2. Pellegrino (Italy) - gap 1.00. 3. Chanava (France) - 2.76. 4. Hakola (Finland) - 5.91. 5. Krogh (Norway) - 14.39. 6. Jouve (France) - 21.01.
Women. Sprint (C). 1. Van der Graaf (Switzerland) - 3.25.80. 2. Caldwell (USA) - gap 1.42. 3. Falla (Norway) - 1.86. 4. NEPRYAEVA (Russia) - 3.17. 5. Diggins (USA) - 4.33. 6. Ringwald (Germany) - 31.68.

" starts on Saturday in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, and the Russian will have a difficult task - to defend the title he won last year in the Olympic season.

The Tour de Ski starts in Switzerland on December 30, the second part of the stage race will take place in Oberstdorf, Germany, and the race finishes in Val di Fiemme, Italy, on January 7.

Minus Belorukov

Many teams did not submit their strongest squad to the Tour de Ski: for example, the leader of the overall World Cup standings will miss the race, as will his compatriot. At the same time, the situation in the Russian national team and the removal of 11 skiers did not leave much freedom of choice for the coaching staff.

Initially, the men's multi-day event included: Sergey Ustyugov, Alexey Chervotkin, Denis Spitsov, Ivan Yakimushkin, and Andrey Melnichenko; for women - Yulia Belorukova, Natalya Nepryaeva, Anna Nechaevskaya, Yana Kirpichenko and.

But literally a day before the start of the race, it was announced that Belorukova, who had already made it to the podium this season, would not be able to go to the start due to injury. “The reason is a broken nose and a slight neck injury, we won’t change it for anyone,” the president said over the phone, noting that the athlete should return to action by the World Cup in Dresden, which will be held on January 13-14.

Ustyugov's competitor

As for Ustyugov, he continues to be one of the main favorites of the Tour de Ski, but this year he has a serious competitor among the Russians, namely Bolshunov. By the way, Bolshunov, who made his debut at the World Cup only this season, is in third place in the overall standings, ahead of the current Tour de Ski champion. At the same time, as many professionals note, Ustyugov can do almost anything.

“As for Ustyugov, everything is possible here,” 2006 Olympic bronze medalist Ivan Alypov told the R-Sport agency. “He can do almost anything. Under certain good circumstances, I think he can repeat his last year’s success at the Tour de Ski" and by analogy with the World Championships, but at the Olympic Games. The question is how we will go there, but this is the second thing."

However, Alypov also noted the importance of the distribution of forces before the upcoming Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.

“Our squad is young, but some guys have already shown their level and their class. And in some races they can certainly fight for the highest places. In my opinion, young guys should go to the Tour directly after their race, choose for yourself the most successful track in terms of format and profile and tune in to it, show results in individual races. It will not only be extremely difficult, but also costly in light of the upcoming Olympic Games to strain the entire tour and conduct it at a high level. We must be careful," the specialist emphasized .

He decided to stop fighting for the title early, although he had to start the final climb from a high third position. The cause was a back injury received at one of the stages of the tour in Oberstdorf.

Ustyugov suffered a back injury during one of the falls in the mass start at the World Cup in Oberstdorf. There, on the terrible icy track, everyone fell, and Ustyugov was unlucky three times. After that race, he not only lost his chance to fight the Swiss for the title, but, as it turned out, he received quite serious damage.

"USTYUGOV CAN BARELY MOVE"

His coach said that Ustyugov’s health was not all right two days ago. But then, after a day of rest, Sergei still decided to go to the classic mass start. There Ustyugov finished in 14th position, and it became obvious: our leader had problems. The point here is not only in the occupied place, but in the fact that Sergei noticeably slowed down in the last laps, when the acceleration began. This is not typical for him in good shape.

“He has problems with his back, he can barely move,” he was quoted as saying Kramer SVG. That is, the decision to withdraw from the Tour was absolutely forced. This is not a case where an athlete decides to play it safe or get extra rest. Throughout the New Year, Sergei gave a lot of strength and health for the right to climb the final mountain third. If he still had at least some opportunity to bring the multi-day race to the end, he would, without a doubt, take advantage of it.

The President of the Russian Ski Federation said that on Monday in Moscow Ustyugov will undergo an examination and an MRI procedure to determine the severity of the injury. But regardless of this, the skier will not compete at the next stage of the World Cup in Dresden, Germany.

Moreover, only personal and team sprints will be held there. Against “pure” sprinters or the Norwegian, who missed the Tour de Ski and will perform fresh, Ustyugova there initially would not have been many chances.

THE MOST POWERFUL TEAM IN THE WORLD

From withdrawal Ustyugova There is definitely no need for tragedy with the Tour de Ski. Back problems are common for any top skier. If the examination does not reveal anything too serious, Sergei will take a break for a couple of weeks and return to the World Cup. It is possible that in the end, missing the final mountain will even work into his favor. Sometimes it’s better to slow down than to continue to burden an already exhausted body.

In the absence of Ustyugov, one can only admire the depth of our team. Perhaps, in terms of level, this is now the strongest team in the world, even more powerful than the Norwegian one. Judge for yourself: ours entered the race fourth, - seventh, - tenth. And this does not take into account Ustyugov and at least three other suspended skiers who could compete for awards at the Tour.

The most experienced of the three is Larkov, who the day before became second in the classic mass start. Bolshunov And Chervotkin They still have the right to compete even in the youth category up to 23 years old. This is their debut Tour de Ski, and it can already be called super-successful. Let Bolshunov and in the end it was not possible to compete in the fight for awards and our young guy finished sixth. Chervotkin became ninth Larkov- tenth.

Remember, in what other cycling sports team do we have guys who are 21-22 years old? And where do we have three athletes in the top ten, even despite the leader’s injury? Biathletes can only dream of such results...

By the way, the results of the women's Tour de Ski also turned out to be very positive for Russia. Ours took seventh place, which was the second result on the Tour for Russian skiers in history. Another Russian athlete finished 11th. Both of our athletes are only 22 years old, and without a doubt, their generation should become much more successful than the current one.

. Bottom line
Men. 1. Switzerland - 2:49.29.8. 2. Norway - gap 1.26.5. 3. Canada - 1.30.6... 6. - 3.09.7... 9. - 3.33.5. 10.

Tour de Ski 2018 ended with victories for the Swiss Dario Cologni and Norwegians Heidi Weng. The best of the Russians were Alexander Bolshunov And Anastasia Sedova. And where is the man who won a brilliant victory in the last multi-day race? His name remained on the starting list, but the best skier in Russia did not take the start.

Without strength. How Ustyugov gained bonuses and lost the Tour de Ski

Huge speed from the start, won intermediate cutoffs and a lag of 43 seconds - this is how Ustyugov carried out a classic mass start.

Ustyugov's back. Time to worry?

Several falls in the mass start on the track in Oberstdorf, frozen from endless rain, did not pass without a trace for Ustyugova. Even before the classic mass start in Val di Fiemme, he complained of back pain, and during the race the situation slightly worsened. It would be wrong to risk your health when the Olympics are ahead (the IOC will most likely invite Ustyugov).

Ustyugov took part in the Tour de Ski

Nobody took any risks. Senior coach of the Russian national team Markus Kramer after consultation with the President of the FLGR Elena Vyalbe and, of course, Ustyugov himself decided not to put Sergei in the last race. This happened just three hours before the start of the hellish climb to the Alpe de Cermis.

Should we worry about our best hope in cross-country skiing? Probably not. If everything had been completely serious, Ustyugov would probably have finished fighting at the Tour de Ski even after that very “falling” race in Germany. The fact that Sergei avoided the hardest climb is even good under the circumstances. Without a chance for first place, there was not the slightest sense in this.

Bolshunov's finish. Almost like in Athens

Experienced fans probably remember the finish of the Russian walker Denis Nizhegorodov at a distance of 50 km at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. He crossed the finish line in an unconscious state, practically unable to distinguish the road. Nizhegorodov then won a silver medal.

Alexander Bolshunov finished the Tour de Ski in the same condition. A kilometer before the finish, he was in a group of four skiers who were fighting for second place. And then it just hit him. Bolshunov literally walked the last 100 meters of the race, and barely crossed the red line in the snow. And he fell completely exhausted.

Yuri Borodavko, Bolshunov’s coach, said before the start of the Tour de Ski that his ward was ready to fight for a prize in the overall standings. Alexander will certainly achieve this at the next stage races. In the meantime, we can simply applaud him for finishing his first Tour in sixth place.

As did everyone else who finished. We visited ten of ours Alexey Chervotkin And Andrey Larkov, A Denis Spitsov showed the second move after Maurice Manifica, if we take pure time. Well done, guys. There is great hope for all of you at the Olympics.

Russian Anastasia Sedova took seventh place in the overall standings. Before the final race of the Tour de Ski, she said that a place in the top ten would be a great result. And seventh place is very cool. Sedova is purposefully preparing for the Olympics. She will take her chances in the speed skating time trial and the classic marathon.

Took 11th place in the overall standings Natalya Nepryaeva, another young skier who is having the best season of her career.