Ukraine – FasterSkier.com

“Open your eyes”: Ukrainian skier recounts trials of war and calls for Russian ban to remain

Nathaniel HerzMarch 1, 2023

PLANICA, SLOVENIA — If Victoriia Olekh isn’t having her best showing at the World Ski Championships here, she has a good reason: war. Olekh is from Ukraine. The Russian invasion of her country started just as she finished racing at the Olympics in Beijing last year. The Russian military has mined the fields and forests where she used to work out, Olekh said. Air raid sirens went off in the middle of running workouts, forcing...

Community Feature News US Ski Team

A PT in Sweden: Pandemic, War, or Plague of Locusts?

Ned DowlingMarch 30, 2022

Click here to read an account of physical therapist Ned Dowling’s first stint overseas with the US Ski Team in March, 2020. Holmenkollen, Norway. March 8, 2020 – Men’s 50k Classic World Cup. 33 degrees and raining. The ski jump was engulfed in clouds. Spectators were forbidden from attending the Super Bowl of cross country skiing due to the impending COVID pandemic. My first stint as a physical therapist traveling with the US Ski Team...

Racing World Cup

With eroding control, FIS bans Russia and Belarus in belated reaction to threatened protest-cancellation of World Cup events in Norway and Sweden

Pasha KahnMarch 1, 2022

Today the International Ski Federation (FIS) banned all Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from taking part in any remaining FIS competitions. The press release stated, “The FIS Council decided unanimously in line with the IOC recommendation, that with immediate effect, no Russian or Belarusian athlete shall participate in any FIS competition at any level through the end of the 2021-2022 season.” The belated decision came after a power struggle between the Norwegian Ski Association...

Podcasts The Devon Kershaw Show

The Devon Kershaw Show: The World Cup is back — so is the show

Devon KershawFebruary 28, 2022

Has it really been a week since the Olympics already? The World Cup’s furious schedule forges on with more racing this weekend in Lahti, Finland. Special guest host, Finnish Olympic gold medalist Sami Jauhojaervi, joins us to break down those results and other Finnish highlights from this season. We also cover results from the World Junior Championships in the early part of the podcast, and finish with a brief discussion of how cross-country skiing is...

News Other News Racing World Cup

Russian athletes expected to compete in Norway despite Norwegian Ski Association message that they are not welcome

Rachel PerkinsFebruary 28, 2022

On February 26th, the Norwegian Ski Association (NSA) released a statement indicating that in light of the nation’s recent invasion of the Ukraine, Russian participation was not welcome at the upcoming World Cup sprint races in Dramman or the storied Holmenkollen distance races outside of Oslo. In addition to these cross country events, Norway is scheduled to host competitions in alpine, nordic combined, and ski jumping, including the World Ski Flying Championships in Vikersund. A...

News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Update: FIS Cancels All Remaining 2021-22 Season Events in Russia Including XC World Cup Finals in Tyumen

Rachel PerkinsFebruary 25, 2022

Yesterday, FasterSkier reported that the U.S. Ski Team would not be attending the World Cup finals scheduled for March 18 – 20 in Tyumen, Russia, given the nation’s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday. At that time, the International Ski Federation (FIS) had not announced whether events scheduled for the remainder of the season in Russia would be held as planned, however, a FIS official had indicated on February 15th that the situation in Russia was...

News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

US xc ski team says it will skip World Cup races in Russia amid Ukraine invasion

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 24, 2022

The International Ski Federation hasn’t said whether the races, in the Siberian city of Tyumen, will go off as scheduled next month. The U.S. cross-country ski team says it will skip upcoming races in Russia amid that country’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine. A team official said Thursday that the Americans will skip the final weekend of racing on the top-level European World Cup circuit, which is scheduled for next month in the Siberian city of...

Community News Olympics Other News Racing

On the eve of the men’s 50 k, Russia may invade Ukraine near Bolshunov’s home

Pasha KahnFebruary 18, 2022

Alexander Bolshunov, the Russian skier who is the odds on favorite to win Saturday’s 50-kilometer freestyle marathon at the Beijing Olympics, may have more on his mind than a momentous ski race: A potential Russian invasion of Ukraine will likely pass near to his childhood home in the rural village of Podyvot’e, in Russia’s Bryansk region. Bolshunov grew up in Podyvot’e where his father taught him to ski on a pair of green wooden Malyshokas...

Doping News Olympics Racing

Testing agency says Ukrainian Olympic cross country skier tested positive for steroid, stimulant

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 16, 2022

A back-of-the-pack women’s skier competing for Ukraine at the Beijing Olympics has tested positive for banned drugs, according to the agency that’s overseeing testing at the Games. Valentyna Kaminska tested positive for a banned steroid and stimulants on the day she finished 79th in the 10-kilometer classic event, the International Testing Agency said in a statement Wednesday. Kaminska has been provisionally suspended until the case is resolved and is banned from participating in further Olympic...

General News

IBU Delays Decision on Abramova & Tyshchenko Meldonium Cases

Chelsea LittleApril 6, 2016

The IBU Anti-Doping Hearing Panel has deferred judgement on the meldonium cases of Ukrainian biathletes Olga Abramova and Artem Tyshchenko until WADA completes a report on how quickly the drug leaves athletes' bodies.

Biathlon Olympics Racing

Abramova Waives B-Sample; Second Athlete Tests Positive as IBU Mulls Sochi Testing

Chelsea LittleFebruary 16, 2016

As Ukrainian biathlete Olga Abramova waived her "B" sample and proceeds to a doping hearing panel, the IBU has found another positive test for the same hormone, mildronate. Plus, IBU VP Jim Carrabre wants to re-analyze testing results from the Sochi Olympics. IBU President Anders Besseberg thinks it's unnecessary, while Russia asserts that the IBU has no jurisdiction.

Biathlon General News Racing

Ukraine’s Relay Shuts the Door on Germany; Canada 9th; USA 16th

Harald ZimmerJanuary 18, 2016

After leading into the final loop of the women’s 4 x 6 k relay on Sunday, Ukraine successfully held off Germany at the finish, to the audible dismay of the packed stadium in Ruhpolding, Germany. The Ukrainian women took the win by 1.2 seconds, Germany finished second and Italy edged Russia in a sprint for third.

Biathlon Racing

German Legend Ricco Gross Heads to Russia

Chelsea LittleAugust 17, 2015

After ditching the German team and flirting with a coaching job in Ukraine, German biathlon legend Ricco Gross will work with the Russian men's team. He says he looks forward to having more control and using his own ideas in coaching.

Biathlon Racing

Sednev Case Concludes with Two-Year Ban, 22 Months of DQed Results

Chelsea LittleApril 27, 2015

Although he got away with it the first time, Ukraine's Sergui Sednev did not try to fight the IBU when it re-tested a sample almost two years old and found that it contained EPO. The biathlete was banned for two years, and his results since January 2013 will be scrubbed.

Biathlon General News Racing

Semerenko Keeps Calm and Cleans for Mass Start Victory; Dunklee 20th, Heinicke 24th

Alex KochonMarch 15, 2015

On the closing day of 2015 IBU World Championships, Ukraine's Valj Semerenko became an individual world champion in the women's mass start, beating Germany's Franziska Preuss by 6.2 seconds with perfect shooting. American Susan Dunklee finished 20th with five penalties and Canada's Megan Heinicke shot 19-for-20 to place 24th.

Biathlon Racing

Germany Takes Win in Wind-Dominated Antholz Team Relay, Canada 10th, US 12th

Seth AdamsJanuary 25, 2015

How often do you see ten biathletes lined up at the firing range, but no one pulling the trigger? In Sunday's World Cup women's relay, patience was the name of the game as strong winds swirled around Antholz, Italy.

Biathlon General News Racing

Sednev’s Doping Suspension Leaves Uneasiness in the Biathlon Community

Chelsea LittleJanuary 13, 2015

Sergui Sednev of Ukraine is the latest athlete to be caught in the International Biathlon Union's re-testing of suspicious anti-doping samples from seasons past. At stake are two seasons' worth of results. All of the old samples have now been tested, but it's unclear whether more suspensions are still to come - a month passed between the analytical result in Sednev's case and the release of his name.

Biathlon General News Olympics Racing

Despite Crisis At Home, A Golden Moment for Ukraine in Sochi

Chelsea LittleFebruary 21, 2014

The Ukrainian women's biathlon team was careful not to learn too much about what is happening in Kiev, so that they could focus on their relay race and deliver something that might cheer the country up: a gold medal, Ukraine's first in a winter Olympics since 1992. The women called for a moment of silence in their press conference to honor the 77 dead in Kiev uprisings.

World Cup XCFeeds

Team Ukraine

JoranNovember 7, 2011

World Cup XCFeeds

Team Ukraine

JoranNovember 7, 2011

The FasterSkier countdown continues (and is joined by NordicXplained). Per usual, I like reading about the nations I don’t always follow as closely, like the Ukranians. The distance results for the four skiers mentioned in the FasterSkier article are below: Roman Leybyuk had a string of strong results between 2002 and 2006, but has been [...] Related posts:Best Young Sprint Skiers: 2009-2010 Canadian National Team Preview: Alex Harvey & Devon Kershaw Canadian National Team Preview: Chandra Crawford & Daria Gaiazova

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