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Russian Championship in cross-country skiing was marked by a unique event. In Tyumen, a 10 km freestyle race was held. It was attended by two biathletes. Ekaterina Noskova and Elizaveta Kaplina, who had not previously competed in ski competitions, decided on a bold experiment.
The debut for the girls was different. Noskova took 21st place, one and a half minutes behind the leader, while Kaplina took 33rd place (+2.13). However, biathletes outstripped many professional skiers. At the same time, both athletes rated the performance «C grade».
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"I lost too much. I expected that today I would give the leader less than a minute. The track was atypical for biathletes. On the last lap because of this, it’s really hard, the forces were already leaving. But it turned out to decompose, I was able to keep the speed. Satisfied with tactics. It was great to compete with skiers, but today we couldn't compete with them. Maybe next time,» Noskova said after the finish.
Kaplina revealed the main difference between biathlon and skiing. In your native sport, you have to tune in to shooting and then start from its results. Everything is tied to work at the turn. In skiing, she had to work only with her feelings and the condition of the track.A lot of attention was riveted to the start of Noskova and Kaplina. Therefore, it is worth waiting for such collaborations in the future. Surprisingly, quite recently, the head of the Russian Ski Racing Federation (FLGR), Elena Vyalbe, opposed the participation of biathletes.
"Last year, one biathlete also really wanted to. All the documents were done, but in the end he did not come. So I said: «Let's not bother, they have their own championship, let Reztsova run there.» Let me be for those who do not allow biathletes to run with us,» the head of the FLGR explained.
Suspension from international competitions apparently changed Vyalba's mind. Now no one prevented Noskova and Kaplina from speaking. If the Russian Biathlon Union (RBU), together with the FLGR, considers the experiment successful, then in the future, perhaps the audience will see even more mixing of these sports.
Biathletes have already sparkled in skiing
Kaplina and Noskova were not the first representatives of biathlon to try their hand at cross-country skiing. More often, of course, the transitions were made in the opposite direction. However, there have been other cases with famous athletes.Lars Berger was the most successful in skiing. The Norwegian has been biathlon since he was 11 years old. However, at a mature age, he decided to participate in professional cross-country skiing competitions.
The Norwegian excelled in both types. He won gold medals at the world championships in skiing and biathlon. Surprisingly, the profile biathlete took the only Olympic medal in the ski relay.
The legendary Ole Einar Bjoerndalen also distinguished himself. At the Games in Salt Lake City, the Norwegian even performed in both types. He has one victory and two podiums at the World Cup in cross-country skiing. «/
Tried his hand and Martin Fourcade. The Frenchman spent three races in the World Cup, but could not achieve success in skiing. Of course, there were examples of lesser-known biathletes. However, they did not manage to become noticeable skiers. The last case occurred quite recently. Before the 2023 Biathlon World Championships, Federica Sanfilippo was uncoupled from the Italian national team. The news shocked the athlete, who nevertheless decided to compete at the world championship. The girl quarreled with the coaches and offered the services of the Italian ski team. With her, she went to the World Championships.
Perhaps, status biathletes will follow the examples of Noskova and Kaplina. Therefore, do not be surprised if in the future you see, for example, Alexander Bolshunov and Eduard Latypov on the same track.