SYKTYVKAR, April 2, Sergey Fuks. Russian skier Natalya Nepryaeva admitted that it was hard for her in the victorious mass start at the Russian championship, but cunning helped her win. The women's mass start within the framework of the Russian championship was held on Saturday in Syktyvkar. Nepryaeva finished first, Elizaveta Shalaboda took second place, Maria Istomina became third. «Today was a serious condition. I will not hide the fact that I tried to sit the whole race behind my back, so to speak, behind the same Masha Istomina. Today, objectively, she looked the strongest , in my opinion. It’s just, perhaps, somewhere I turned out to be a little more cunning (laughs),” Nepryaeva told reporters. In Syktyvkar, Nepryaeva won five out of six races. The 26-year-old skier is the Beijing Olympic champion in the relay race, the silver medalist in the skiathlon and the bronze medalist in the team sprint. In 2018, Nepryaeva won the Olympic bronze medal in the relay team. She also has three world championship medals.
