Harri Kirvesniemi estimates that the same top three would have been strong even without shortening the closing distance.
19.2. 13:44 | Updated 19.2. 14:23
Nine start, of which nine medals.
Such is the case of a Russian skier Alexander Bolshunov balance of his career at the two Olympics.
At the Zhangjiakou Olympic Tracks, Bolshunov won three golds, one silver and one bronze.
The most recent of the Olympic victories came on Saturday with a shortened men’s final trip.
Sanoma’s Olympic delivery ski specialist Harri Kirvesniemi considers the shortening of the trip unfortunate, but he thinks Bolshunov would probably have won the race even if the distance had been 50 kilometers.
“You never know if keeping the trip unchanged would have caused big changes, but at least today’s top three would have been very potential to be at the top even at 50 kilometers,” says Kirvesniemi.
This was Bolshevov ‘s fifth race in these races. Kirvesniemi reminded that the Russian has already shown his ability to recover.
“I think he would have done well in his fifties, as he did as a young boy four years ago,” Kirvesniemi says, referring to Iivo Niskasen in the 2018 South Korean Games to win the race, where Bolshunov placed second at the age of 21.
According to Kirvesniemi, Bolshunov and Norway suspended on Saturday Johannes Høsflot Klæbo have taken skiing to a new level.
“In addition to its special speed properties, Klæbo has very good durability under normal conditions. It has forced others to look for different solutions for joint trips. ”
“Bolshunov is not the one to challenge Klæbo in the final round of the sprint. But he really challenges everything else and drives past in terms of pure endurance. ”
Kirvesniemi thinks Bolshunov is very difficult to win.
“He has the ability to make solutions with momentum, and he’s tactically very good these days. It’s really good to recover and be able to work. ”
Kirvesniemi reminds that in the years ago, Bolshunov was able to make seemingly stupid tactical decisions in relation to his current abilities.
“He could act as a pull leader and it looked like he was playing himself out. They have probably been a good exercise in the long run. He has tried many times what will happen if he becomes a steward. ”
Saturday’s victory was decided by Bolshunov with a hard pace in the last few kilometers, and no actual church struggle was even needed.
“He made the final decision easier and easier for himself. He dared to be the pace that few scammers would dare to be in that situation. ”
Technically, Bolshunov is also the best in the world.
“He is not a traditional skier at the level of Iivo, but is almost number one in the world in tie-ups, for example. The free one has no weakness whatsoever. He is very good overall on skis and is able to use his power output feature on downhill sections. Comes looking easy, a bit klæb-like. With a few kicks, you get more momentum than anyone else. ”
Saturday According to Kirvesniemi, the competition proceeded roughly according to the script. A small surprise was Norway, one of the biggest medal favorites Hans Christer Holundin silence.
“He had a weak day, and there was still a wound in it.”
Norway has only reached the final race due to the interest rate investigation Simen Hegstad Krüger cycled to bronze.
Krüger and Holund were the only top men to change skis. It happened halfway.
“It was quite a risk game,” Kirvesniemi says, wondering if the idea was that the duo would have pushed the tip together again.
If that was the case, that plan came to naught because Holund was in trouble and missed a bit before the ski change. That’s how Krüger had to ski alone.
“However, it probably did not affect Krüger’s result.”
The Russians took the top spot almost like the Norwegians at their best in recent years: a double victory and four men in the top six.
Kirvesniemi calculated that six Russian male skiers, including the posts, won a medal in these competitions. “They have a huge level right now.”
According to Kirvesniemi, the Finnish duo performed as expected when Perttu Hyvärinen ranked 19th and Remi Lindholm 28th.
“Pertula’s ok performance compared to the fact that the message showed that his bang was pretty much eaten in these races. Compared to the level before these races, this day was even in the top corner. All in all, Pertula is a great race. Remi skied a lot to what he has achieved this year with his own performances. ”
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