MOSCOW, March 5, Sergey Pogrebnyak. Coach of the Russian national cross-country skiing team Yury Borodavko called the victory of Natalia Nepryaeva in the overall World Cup standings a significant event for all Russian sports. On Saturday, after the completion of the mass start at the stage in Oslo, Norway, Nepryaeva became inaccessible to her pursuers in the overall standings of the World Cup and won a large Crystal Globe. «This is very important for us a joyful event, because our girls have not won the overall World Cup for 21 years. The season for Natasha turned out to be very productive — both the victory in the Tour de Ski and three medals at the Olympics in Beijing. And winning the Crystal Globe became her crown. Very a worthy and significant result for all Russian sports,» Borodavko said. «It is not yet known how the award will go and how Natasha will receive her trophy. The most important thing is that she won. We have been waiting for this moment for a very long time,» added Borodavk O. Nepryaeva did not take part in today's race, as the International Ski Federation had previously suspended Russian athletes from participating in competitions due to the aggravation of the situation in Ukraine.
