By André Santos
Olga Tsareva is having a strong start to the season, with 5 podiums and 4 victories. She is hoping to keep her good performance level all over the season and to help Russian Winter Team to finish in the top 3 in the Pro Team competition.
The Russian long-distance skier Olga Tsareva made her debut at the Visma Ski Classics Pro Tour last season, having finished 11th in the Women’s Champion competition. She is now having a strong start to the new winter season, with four victories in five races.
The Russian Winter Team athlete already won Lake Saimaa Roller Ski Marathon in September, the roller ski-competition held in Finland. Last weekend, at the Russian season opening in Kirovsk, Olga Tsareva conquered two victories in the 5-kilometer classic and skating races and finished 3rd in the sprint, even though Olga has not been training for short distances.
“I considered last weekend’s competitions in Kirovsk as test races for the upcoming Visma Ski Classics season, so I didn’t train specifically for them. It was an interesting for me because there were strong competitors on the field, and it made me realize that so much double-poling in the summer has made me a better cross-country skier while using other techniques”, Olga Tsareva says to Pro XC Skiing.
After the season-opening in Russia, Olga Tsareva feels that her summer training was productive, not only for her, but also for the rest of the team. In Kirovsk, Aleksei Shemiakin finished the 10-kilometer classic and skating races in the 2nd position, and Aleksandr Grebenko won the classic race finished 4th in the skating race. In Vershina Tee, a competition held at the Eastern part of Russia, Andrey Kuznetsov and Ermil Vokuev finished 1st and 2nd, respectively.
“I feel that summer was quite productive for our team. We had three training camps and completed all the work we had planned. And now that the season is starting, I feel very motivated by the fact that our team, the only Russian long-distance team, can fight for a top position in the Visma Ski Classics circuit. Our main goal is to finish the season in the top 3 Pro Teams, so we will fight hard in every race of the calendar,” says Olga.
Russian Winter Team has high ambitions for the next season. However, there are other some competitions in Russia, and Olga hopes that they can perform well both in Visma Ski Classics and in Russian events.
“I would like to participate in every event of the Visma Ski Classics Pro Tour. But I also have other important competitions in Russia, so I hope I can manage the workload. My main goal is to be in the top 5 female athletes in all the races. That will depend not only on my condition but also on the number of races in which I will be starting during the season,” concludes Olga.
