A Russian skier attacked the three-time Olympic champion for he wins too much and plays to the crowd too little. Sasha powerfully responded to her colleague, who seems to be better off chewing than talking.
Veronica Stepanova burst into the media space in the winter of 2021, when she became the winner of the Junior World Championship. Less than a year had passed before the Olympics in Beijing, our skier, in the company of Natalya Nepryaeva, Yulia Stupak and Tatyana Sorina, won a sensational victory in the relay race in Lillehammer, Norway. Our girls haven’t had such success for 17 years!
Moreover, then Veronica was striking in her openness, she was ready to communicate on any topic with all media representatives. This was a real breakthrough; after all, our athletes were not always pleased with frank interviews and thoughts on pressing issues. Stepanova was not afraid of anything and it seemed that a skier of a completely different format had appeared in Russia. Unfortunately, everything changed very quickly.
The head of the Russian Ski Racing Federation (FLGR), Elena Vyalbe, from the height of her vast experience, warned journalists and fans against hasty conclusions regarding Stepanova, urging them not to call her a star ahead of time. However, not everyone heard Elena Valerievna. And first of all, Veronica herself, who literally at one moment after her success at the Olympics became different. Or she showed character traits that she had previously hidden.
““Probably only Veronica Stepanova suffers from some kind of star fever,” Vyalbe emphasized in April 2022. “People just ask me: “Is she going to be a deputy?” «
After this, the Russian skier suddenly closed herself off from all writing journalists, considering them absolutely useless and incompetent. Allegedly, they ask trivial questions that are unworthy of the attention and precious time of the Olympic champion. But she happily sparkled her face on television, which apparently touches on topics of grandiose interest and scale.
All this ultimately led to Veronica turning away not only journalists, but also fans, which is much sadder. It is enough to open the comments to the news about this athlete and everything becomes extremely clear. Positivity there is at most 10 percent. Moreover, people don’t care so much whether she wins or loses on the ski track. You can't fool the people.
Against this background, Alexander Bolshunov looks completely different. Firstly, he always treats both fans and media representatives with respect. Secondly, unlike Stepanova, Sasha is already a great skier, a three-time Olympic champion with a scattering of other titles. Even this season at Russian starts, Bolshunov has not lost a single personal race! A motivation that many will envy. He doesn’t miss starts for far-fetched reasons, but chews on the ski track in any condition. And even after a very difficult off-season in terms of health.
It would seem, what complaints could there be against him? Thanks to Stepanova, who found them! According to Veronica, who commented on the National Cup stage in Kazan, “Bolshunov doesn’t want to win beautifully, like her, he doesn’t take the initiative.” But she didn’t stop there either, harshly criticizing Alexander for boring interviews before the races. Sasha's answer was delicious.
«»After Veronica's comments, many wrote to me and apologized for her words. People wondered how it was possible to invite a person who behaves impolitely into the commentary room? There were a lot of apologies for her work. So much so that I began to wonder — what about her she said, reconsider, or something? But I thought that I shouldn’t waste my emotions on a person who is not at all interesting to me. Well, it happened and passed me by. I understand that there are athletes who are ready to enter the name Bolshunov at any opportunity. For God’s sake, this doesn’t bother me at all,” “Championship” quotes Bolshunov as saying.
“I think she’s just jealous, because she herself can’t win like that. She’s trying to put herself on a par with Bolshunov, but you can’t compare them. We should strive for Alexander; we haven’t had victories like his for a long time. And we all know Veronica as a proud athlete who worries about her failures. I don’t know if such reactions affect Alexander, it’s better to ask him. But in any case in case, he is a living person,” said senior coach of the Russian national team and Bolshunov’s mentor Yuri Borodavko.
Usually Bolshunov and Borodavko express their thoughts very diplomatically and do not comment on everything. In general, this time they did not cross the line, unlike the same Stepanova, who launched a senseless and merciless attack on the legend of world skiing. But our athletes could not remain completely silent. It turned out beautifully and to the point.
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