The three time Olympic champion and cross country world champion Alexander Bolshunov offered a pointed reply to Norwegian rival Johannes Klebo after Klebo laughed at Bolshunov’s win in a high profile event known as the Championship Heights tournament.
During the Malinovka competition, Bolshunov had asserted that the real world championship no longer happens in the Slovenian resort of Planica, but instead within Russia. In response, Klebo dismissed the Russia event as not particularly notable, joking that Bolshunov should simply believe what he wants. The exchange underscored ongoing tensions between the two top skiers and demonstrated how much weight both athletes place on the legitimacy of the season and its marquee events.
Bolshunov later reflected on the situation with calm clarity. He highlighted how the race program mirrored what would be seen at the World Championships in Planica, noting the replication of the skiathlon format and the strategic pacing visible in the race conduct itself. He pointed out that the marking of times and the sequence of laps reflected a deliberate alignment with Planica style competition, suggesting the event organizers are crafting an experience that closely resembles world championship conditions. The emphasis was on the consistency of the test against a familiar standard of performance, reinforcing Bolshunov’s claim that the event functions as a credible stand-in for a world championship scenario. The race analysis included a 15 kilometer effort that followed the same cadence as the Planica event, reinforcing the notion that the latest edition is structured to mirror the world championship format and allow evaluators to compare performances across contexts with minimal deviation. This observation was shared in a post from Championship.com, attributed to Bolshunov through his comments and public remarks about the format and results of the competition.
The broader context for these remarks is the ongoing sanctions and federation decisions that have shaped the international skiing calendar. The International Ski Federation, known as FIS, ruled to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from major international competitions through the end of the previous season, and the sanctions were extended thereafter. This exclusion has had a substantial impact on the participation of Russian athletes in top events, limiting their presence in the final stages of the 2021/22 World Cup cycle and keeping them largely away from the early portion of the 2022/23 season. As a result, Russian skiers have redirected their efforts toward domestic and regional competitions while continuing to train at a high level and prepare for future opportunities on the world stage. The shift has affected team dynamics, coaching strategies, and the competitive landscape in Nordic skiing, with fans and analysts closely watching how athletes adapt to the new normal under the sanctions regime.
In another development, Bolshunov has expressed skepticism about the proposal put forward by Yulia Stupak regarding the admission of Russian skiers to international competition. His stance reflects a broader debate within the sport about eligibility, fairness, and the balance between athletes pursuing opportunities abroad and the regulatory framework governing global events. Bolshunov’s position signals a preference for a path that aligns with current federation policies while still emphasizing the seriousness with which he views the world championship standard. This dynamic continues to shape discussions around eligibility and the best way to preserve competitive integrity while offering athletes avenues to compete at the highest levels when sanctions or bans are in effect. In summary, Bolshunov remains firmly engaged in the argument over what constitutes a legitimate world championship context, the role of sanctions in shaping competition, and the practical implications for athletes who train year after year for the pinnacle events in cross country skiing.