The father of Russian skier Alexander Bolshunov, who won three gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, spoke about the difficulties that the athlete had to face on the way to sports success.
According to Alexander Bolshunov Sr., the future champion was born in the village of Podyvot’e, Bryansk region. Moreover, he personally put his son on skis, since he himself ran well on them.
As the father of the Olympic champion said, it was he who laid the first ski track for Alexander in the forest near Podyvot.
When the eminent skier got into the Russian national team, Bolshunov Sr. continued, the first season turned out to be very warm, and the athlete did not have suitable skis.
It was the lack of equipment that was the reason for his defeats in various competitions, the father of the rider believes. According to Bolshunov Sr., then the family raised money and ordered six pairs of skis in France.
“Someone bought cars there, who was already in the Russian national team, well, we chipped in, so to speak, here, he says, dad, maybe four pairs, I say no, son, six pairs, because this is money, this is … this is paper, you won’t go on paper, and now they bought six pairs, ”the TV channel reports his words REN TV.
After that, according to the parent, the results of the athlete went better.
“So, there were a lot of difficulties, they just, maybe, I think, even temper when something is missing, you have to strive for something in order to achieve something,” the athlete’s father concluded.
On February 19, Bolshunov won the mass start and brought the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) team the sixth gold medal of the Beijing Olympics. The Russian athlete covered the distance of 28.4 km in 1 hour 11 minutes 32.7 seconds.
He won two previous gold medals, winning the skiathlon and becoming the winner in the men’s relay team.
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the Russian skier on his victory. According to the Russian leader, “excellent preparation, character and will, accurate calculation of strength helped Bolshunov become the undisputed leader in cross-country skiing at the XXIV Olympic Winter Games, make a truly outstanding personal contribution” to the treasury of Russia’s victories.
On February 20, the Winter Olympics 2022 in Beijing ended. The Olympic Flame of the 2022 Winter Games was extinguished at the National Stadium.
In the medal standings of the Olympic Games in Beijing, the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) team took ninth place, winning a total of 32 medals: six gold, 12 silver and 14 bronze. The winner of the medal standings was the Norwegian team (16–8–13). The second place was taken by Germany (12–10–5), the third — by China (9–4–2).
The next Winter Olympic Games will take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in 2026 from 6 to 22 February. The Summer Olympics will be held in Paris in 2024 from July 26 to August 11.
#Bolshunovs #father #spoke #difficulties #skier #beginning #career