Olympic gold is the most coveted award for many athletes. But what to do when the coaching staff at the last moment refuses to trust, depriving the very opportunity to compete for a high award? You can put up with it and leave the sport, or you can try to prove to the skeptics that they were wrong. An experienced Russian skier chose the second path.

Not an accidental success at the World Cup.

Constellation of Champions

The World Ski Championships in 2007 were hosted by the Japanese Sapporo. By the third day of competition in cross-country skiing, the Russian team was able to take silver in the men’s team sprint, but the women had not yet managed to acquire awards. Individual and team competitions in the sprint did not end too well for them. The opportunity to improve the situation appeared at a distance.

On February 24, the strongest skiers of the planet had to overcome 15 kilometers: the first half in the classic course, the second in skating. There were enough contenders for the medals, and therefore it was simply impossible to decide on a clear favorite before the start. Here only the world and Olympic champions had a whole constellation. Norwegians Marit Bjorgen and Kristin Steira, Czech Katerina Neumanova, German Evi Sachenbacher-Stele, Estonian Kristina Shmigun. And also young and hungry for victories, the Polish Justina Kowalczyk and the Swede Charlotte Kalla.

By the start of the 2006/07 season, the Russian national team suffered a lot of personnel losses. The existing four skiers allowed only the most optimistic fans to dream about medals with caution. In addition to Evgenia Medvedeva from the golden relay team of Turin-2006, there was no one in the composition, and she did not have the strongest season. Really this time we were not able to compete with the strongest skiers of the planet?

Overmotivation Zavyalova

The coaching staff of the Russian national team announced Natalya Korostelyova, Evgeny Medvedev, Irina Artemova and Olga Zavyalova for the race. The latter, by the way, could get into the composition of this same championship team in 2006, but it was not included in spite of the selection rules announced earlier.

– At a distance in the classical style, Olga Zavyalova ran worse than Natalia Baranova and Larisa Kurkina. In the duathlon, she ended up behind Evgenia Medvedeva-Arbuzova, who won the bronze Olympic medal. Yes, in both of these races, Zavyalova was ahead of Yulia Chepalova. But Chepalova is Chepalova. She was preparing according to an individual schedule, and now she is approaching the peak of readiness. And in general, can you imagine our relay race without Chepalova? Personally, I don’t, ”said Vladimir Loginov, president of the FLGR, on the eve of the Turin relay.

Photo: © Clive Rose / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Since the Russians then won gold, the decision not to include Zavyalova in the squad could be considered justified. True, the 2003 world champion herself hardly thought so and was waiting for the opportunity to prove to all pessimists that her best starts were not left in the past. Whether the coaching staff believed in the 34-year-old athlete is not so important. The main thing is that Olga herself believed in her strength, going to the start with super motivation.

Uncompromising battle

The track in Sapporo managed to let down the Russian men’s team, but our skiers decided to share their secrets with the ladies, advising the women’s team on the most dangerous sections. But the Norwegian men, perhaps, did not bother to help their colleagues, at least Marit Bjorgen could not stay on her feet at the end of the first kilometer, which noticeably complicated life for herself on the first lap.

The Russians were not going to force things, Natalya Korosteleva and Olga Zavyalova were content with positions near the top ten. A little behind the group of the strongest Irina Artyomova, but Medvedeva somehow turned off the fight too early.

At the second stage of the race, there was a group of leaders who tried to escape from the rest of the participants: the Norwegian Steira, the German Sachenbacher-Stele and the Czech Neumanova. Also in the company of the strongest was our athlete Zavyalova. Competitors could not catch up with the quartet, the chances that the runaway four would play medals increased with every second. The last 3 kilometers of the distance was already a tactical struggle – the rivals were preparing for an uncompromising battle at the finish line.

Photo: © Koichi Kamoshida / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Olga did not really want to go first, the danger of oversleeping the rivals’ jerk was in this case great. But she could not shake off the burden of leadership. And then our skier decided to take a risk and, without any tactics, rushed to the finish line. And here it is the last turn, which must be passed without errors. And this is a stadium where spectators hold their breath, waiting for the denouement. But for whom will she be happy, and for whom will the race end in drama?

Zavyalova keeps pace, but the rival from the Czech Republic is determined to snatch gold from the Russian woman in the last meters. Neumanova is trying to improve, and the Norwegian and the German do not lose hope for a finishing miracle. But the Russian skier did not give her gold to anyone, having outstripped the nearest pursuer by only half a second. The Czech was content with silver, and the best of the representatives of Norway managed to take only bronze.

– When I first crossed the finish line of the duathlon, there was only one thought in my head. “Here you are, I proved it!” She proved that, despite not being included in the victorious Olympic relay in Turin, despite the fact that Grushin then kicked me out of the Saturn club for lack of prospects, I was written off early … – Zavyalova recalled in an interview with Soviet Sport.

Olga left the sport without winning Olympic gold. But nevertheless, with this victory in Sapporo-2007, she shamed skeptics who believed that no achievements should be expected from an age-old athlete. Why are there skeptics, Zavyalova later admitted that she herself did not believe before the World Cup that something was shining for her there. Nevertheless, she became the world champion, and a day later she added a silver medal to the collection, proving that the victory in the duathlon was not accidental.

“Match TV” shows the All-Russian competition “Champion Heights” (February 23 – March 5) and the Russian Ski Championship (March 18-26). Watch live broadcasts of ski competitions on the Match TV federal channel and the thematic channels of the holding, as well as on matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru websites.