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IN SPECIAL CLASS: Aleksandr Bolshunov on the goal on Sunday. Photo: GIAN EHRENZELLER / KEYSTONE
Aleksandr Bolshunov (24) continues to devastate the Tour de Ski, but the start of Sunday’s hunt was apparently held back.
– He doesn’t seem tired at all, exclaims Åge Skinstad as an expert in broadcasting TV 2.
– I would have liked to be there and give it competition. I should have honestly tried. It’s hard to see it coming from the whole gang. But I hope we can give him competition later this winter, says Johannes Høsflot Klæbo on TV 2.
– Bolshunov is very smart. Stay on the uphill slope and drive downhill, says Marit Bjørgen.
– It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone on the male side who has been as solid as him.
Without Norwegians on the starting line, there are many Russians in the lead. Artjom Maltsev followed as second in goal on Sunday. Maurice Manificat was number three, followed by two more Russians; Denis Spitsov and Ivan Yakimushkin.
– The Russians will undoubtedly be the toughest competitors in the World Cup, says Klæbo.
Bolshunov came out with a one-minute lead early in the hunt.
– You can run your own race. You can start at whatever speed you feel comfortable with, Marit Bjørgen said beforehand in the TV 2 studio.
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The Russian lost a bit to the pursuers Artjom Maltsev and Dario Cologna upward, but retreated in the lighter parts of the field.
– He kept his composure and was just as cold. Hunt in the lightest groups in each round. I’m impressed, says Bjørgen on TV 2.
– And he’s still only 24 years old.
Bolshunov won the joint start on Saturday, where it could have been a Russian triple had Alexei Chervotkin not caught up with teammate Yevgeny Belov in the final downhill race. The mood between them broadened afterwards.
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Aleksandr Bolshunov finished second in the starting distance, which was a sprint.
66 women and 84 men will start the Tour de Ski. Norway already decided on December 8 that they will not pose due to the corona pandemic. On the other hand, both Sweden and Finland do, which also hosted the World Cup race before Christmas.
The next stage will take place in Toblach on January 5.
PS: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo has not yet decided if he will go to the World Cup race before the World Cup.
