14:47. Olympic champion in the cross-country skiing relayat the 2022 edition in Beijing (China), Sergey Ustiugov is not sure he will be able to defend this title with his compatriots in 2026. Indeed, while a possible return of the Russians to international competitions is still the talk of the town, the 33-year-old cross-country skier recently spoke out about the situation.
In an interview with Championship media, the Russian puts “his chances of making it to Italy at 1 to 2%” because other “younger, powerful and faster athletes” could beat him to it. More generally, the winner of the 2017 Tour de Ski struggles to believe in his country’s participation in the event: “I don’t believe in it, but I really hope so”, he admits.
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