VAL DI FIEMME (Italy), Jan 3, Sergey Fuchs. The senior coach of the Russian national ski team Yuri Borodavko noted that he would like to have an even greater gap for Natalya Nepryaeva before the final race at the Tour de Ski. On Monday, the Russian skier won the 10 km mass start in the classic style in Val di -Fiemme (Italy). The athlete holds the lead in the overall standings of the race before the final race, ahead of the second Swedish Ebbu Andersson by 1 minute 12 seconds. «Natasha spread her strength well, and the service provided good hold, good glide. The skis worked well today, great. These are the components of success. She did not twitch beforehand, accelerated once one hundred percent and ran away from her rivals. The gap from Andersson? I would like more, but it’s always nice to have a certain margin. Knowing the functional qualities of Ebba, I can say that this will not be an easy walk, but very difficult test. It's always hard, «said Borodavko. The final race of the Tour de Ski — a 10 km freestyle mass start — will take place on January 4, also in Val di Fiemme. The Russians have never won a stage race; in 2021, the American Jessica Diggins won.
