The Russians flew over the 4 x 10 km cross-country skiing relay at the Beijing Games and gave their leader Alexander Bolshunov his second Olympic title in Beijing after gold in the skiathlon.
There was no match with Norway of Johannes Klaebo, Olympic champion in PyeongChang in 2018 but relegated more than a minute from Russia, Sunday under the snow of Zhangjiakou, where France completed the podium with the bronze.
Klaebo won his third medal in Beijing, after gold in the sprint and bronze in the 15 km classic.
Canada finished 11th, 9 minutes 10 seconds and 4 tenths behind the winners.
The team is made up of Graham Ritchie, Antoine Cyr, Olivier Léveillé and Rémi Drolet, who raced in that order.
“The course was really difficult physically, especially because of the altitude. With the snow falling today (Sunday), it was even more complex. The snow slows us down a lot and all that gives us the perfect mix to have very sore legs at the end of the day,” said Antoine Cyr after the competition.
” It would have been the fun to be able to break into the top-10. However, we had some very good performances in the team today. It’s really not that bad of a result. I am happy to represent Canada at the Olympic Games with my teammates. We are by far the youngest team in Beijing and we can be proud of the work accomplished,” he added, taking care to specify that he is convinced that Canada will be one to watch in the men’s relay at the next Games. Olympics in four years.
Graham Ritchie was the one who had the task of starting the race in classic style for Canada. The Ontarian found himself in the second chasing group early in the race. At the end of his three loops, he handed over to Antoine Cyr in 14th place.
With the athletes of the Russian Olympic Committee in the lead, Cyr wanted to maintain or improve his country’s ranking during his relay. Mission accomplished for the Gatineau resident who was able to overtake before the end of his working day.
“On a personal level, I pushed hard to gain a place and gain a few seconds. It wasn’t perfect, I’ve had better races, but you have to accept that. It really wasn’t that bad,” said the 23-year-old cross-country skier.
Olivier Léveillé was also able to move up a rank when he was on the track. Rémi Drolet, the last Canadian torchbearer, imitated his two Quebec teammates and was able to get ahead of the Czechs to allow the Canadians to finish in 11th place.
Russian supremacy in cross-country skiing
Beyond the arch-dominating Bolshunov, who won a third medal in China after the gold in the skiathlon and the silver in the 15 km classic, this new success draws a supremacy in cross-country skiing in these Olympic Games-2022.
After the victory of the Russian cross-country skiers already in the relay the day before, a seventh medal falls into the hands of the Russian Olympic Committee.
Face of this domination, Bolshunov, who collects a seventh Olympic medal in total after the four won in PyeongChang, did not have to achieve a number like that of the inaugural skiathlon (15 km classic + 15 km free) when he had relegated the non-Russian competition at least two minutes.
When Alexander Bolshunov took over. the second, to the rhythm of “davaï” (Go) chanted at the edge of the track, he already had a good twenty-second lead over his first pursuer. Alexey Chervotkin had put his team in orbit by breaking away from the third kilometer in the almost blizzard of Zhangjiakou, -13 degrees on the thermometer and snow horizontally.
Conditions a little more extreme than those in which the Russians have surpassed themselves since the start of the Games. They had already shown their superiority in Ruka (Finland) in November in the World Cup.
When the Norwegians, including Johannes Klaebo, but also the Finn Iivo Niskanen had zapped the pursuit due to the polar cold, the Russians had signed a quadruple led by Alexander Bolshunov (1st) and Denis Spitsov (2nd), the two locomotives of the relay on Sunday .
