Alexander Bolshunov wins another gold at the Beijing Winter Olympics
Initially, the mass start was supposed to be 50 kilometers, but before the start of the race, it was decided to reduce the distance to 30 kilometers due to bad weather.
Leading Guberniev, in a fit of permanent delight, called Bolshunov “the king of skis.” “I don’t consider myself the king of skiing,” the athlete admitted on the air of Rossiya 1. – Today we were supposed to run 50 kilometers, but due to weather conditions they were reduced, because in the morning there was a strong wind, frost. But when we were running now, I will say that it was possible to run even 50, because it was not so cold and the wind became a little less. The weather conditions today were on the verge, but 50 kilometers could still be run … I don’t know, the Norwegians generally wanted to order 15 kilometers, but that would have been too little. It’s good that 30 ran.”
As a result of an unprecedented struggle, Alexander Bolshunov, a representative of the Arkhangelsk region, won the gold of the race. His result is 1 hour 11 minutes 32.7 seconds. Russian skier Ivan Yakimushkin came second to the finish line. Norwegian Simen Hegstad Kruger finished with a bronze result.
Also in the top six with the fourth and sixth results, the race was completed by Russian skiers Artyom Maltsev and Denis Spitsov.
One of the strongest rivals of Bolshunov, Norwegian Johannes Klebo, left half the distance, and the Russian athlete surpassed the Viking in the number of gold medals and the total number of awards at the Olympics in the capital of the Celestial Empire.
Now Bolshunov has the largest number of awards among Russian athletes at this Olympics: skiathlon, relay and marathon gold, 15-kilometer classic silver and team sprint bronze – he became a three-time Olympic champion.