RYBINSK, Russia, 1 January 2005 — After years of doping scandals, internal fighting and financial woes, Russian cross-country skiing is making a comeback this season.
Russian women, almost invincible in the 1990s, have picked up meagre medal hauls at major championships since but have vowed to change their luck by sending their strongest team to the 2005 world championships in Obersdorf, Germany.
“The atmosphere in the team is really great,” former world champion skier Yelena Vyalbe told Reuters during the Russian national championships, which finished on Tuesday. “Unlike previous years when the team was torn apart by various frictions, this year girls really feel for each other.”
The in-fighting was most evident at the 2003 world championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy, where the Russian women’s team split into several groups and was coached by different people. Russian coaches were seen openly cheering against their team if the skiers belonged to a rival group.
“That sort of thing must definitely stop,” said Vyalbe, who was made responsible for the national team this year after she retired from the sport with a record of 14 world titles. “This year the team is united and I think we’ll see the difference at the world championships in Germany.”
Russian women totally dominated the sport a decade ago, winning every cross-country skiing event at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. Vyalbe also claimed a record five out of five golds at the 1997 world championships in Trondheim, Norway.
However, they suffered a huge blow at the 2002 Games when their two most decorated skiers, Larisa Lazutina and Olga Danilova, were stripped of all their Olympic medals in Salt Lake City for failing a dope test. The doping controversy led to most sponsors pulling out of endorsing the national team.
This year Russian oil giant LUKOIL has returned to sponsor the women’s team and the money is already having a positive effect on their morale. “Of course, having a sponsor makes everyone happy,” said twice Olympic champion Yulia Chepalova, who is making a comeback this season after giving birth to her daughter in 2003.
Chepalova, who turned 28 last week, gave herself a birthday present with victory in the 10 km freestyle on Sunday — her first win of the season.
“I’m reaching my top form and plan to ski all the races except the sprint at the world championships,” she said. “I won’t compete in the sprint in Germany because it’ll be a classical style which is not my speciality, but I plan to defend my sprint title at the 2006 Olympics because it’ll be back to a freestyle race there,” said Chepalova.
