The unofficial title “King of Skis” came into use after the 1954 World Championships. When the Soviet athlete Vladimir Kuzin won the 30- and 50-kilometer races, the Swedish king Gustav VI presented him with a cup with the inscription “To the King of Skis from the King of Sweden.” Since then, a skier who wins at these distances during one World Championship or Olympic Games is considered the “King of Skis.” Kuzin was born in 1930 in the village of Lampozhnya near Arkhangelsk into a large family. I've been skiing since childhood, and made my first set myself under the guidance of my father. He won the competition for the first time in 1943 - it was the district championship. Having overtaken all his rivals, Vladimir won a set of underwear. According to him, for wartime this prize was simply fantastic. After 8th grade I had to leave school due to my father’s illness. Vladimir KuzinVladimir Kuzin. Photo: cska.ru/ At first, Vladimir was in charge of a radio center in his native village, then he got a job as a sailor on the icebreaker “Sedov”. When I entered the technical school of physical education, my studies had to be interrupted again - the time had come to serve in the army. However, he did not forget about skiing here either. Having become the champion of the Arkhangelsk Military District, Sergeant Kuzin attracted the attention of the senior trainer of the Armed Forces, Dmitry Vasiliev, the strongest skier of the pre-war years. Dmitry Maksimovich transferred the promising athlete to Leningrad - to the school of trainers at the Military Institute of Physical Education. There, Ivan Mokropulo and Vladimir Shaposhnikov began preparing Vladimir. Its result was the triumphant 1954 World Championship in Falun and Olympic gold in Cortino d'Ampezzo in 1956. The victory at 30 km in Falun was unexpected, because Vladimir’s rivals were much more titled athletes, including Olympic champions from Finland and Norway. After such success, the coaches asked Kuzin to take part in the marathon, although this was not initially planned. From the start, Vladimir rushed forward and increased his advantage over his competitors after every kilometer. Many experts considered this tactic adventurous, but the mistake was elsewhere. Although after 30 km Kuzin beat Finn Veikko Hakulinen for about two minutes, serious problems began closer to the finish line. “The clothes let me down,” Vladimir Semenovich later recalled. - The competition took place in fairly cold weather, and at the finish line, when the main energy reserves were used up, my light sweater did not save me from the cold. On long, protracted descents, the wind covered the body like an icy compress, and the abdominal muscles began to cramp. I wanted to scream from the acute pain. To relieve the pain even a little, I punched myself in the stomach, squatted, did some exercises while walking - nothing helped. There was only one way out - to walk, gritting your teeth and trying not to pay attention to this wild pain.” Veikko HakulinenVeikko Hakulinen. 1960 Photo: mtv.fi Although Hakulinen reduced most of the gap, he was unable to catch up with Kuzin - he lost 8 seconds. Then there was that same award ceremony with the participation of King Gustav VI. At the 1956 Olympics, Kuzin came fifth at a distance of 30 km, and won gold in the relay race in company with Fedor Terentyev, Pavel Kolchin and Nikolai Anikin. He was preparing for the next Games, but he fell ill, and the coaches did not register him for the races. Vladimir KuzinOlympic champions 1956 (from left to right): Fedor Terentyev, Pavel Kolchin, Nikolai Anikin and Vladimir Kuzin. Photo: gazeta.ru At the end of his sports career, Vladimir Semenovich worked as a coach, including the main team of the country. He was engaged in sports science - in 1971 he defended his dissertation and became a candidate of biological sciences. He was a professor at the Russian State Academy of Physical Culture. He organized competitions in his homeland and in Moscow. Died in 2007. On his grave it is written: “World Champion. Olympic champion. King of skis." After Kuzin, Nikolai Zimyatov, Gunde Swan, Mika Myllylä and Petter Northug became the “Kings of Skis”.
The daring path to the top is difficult,
It's difficult for leaders today...
We know: we can win,
If we perform a miracle!
N. Dobronravov. "Heroes of Sports"
I had the opportunity to communicate with the famous skier only once - in August 2005, Vladimir Kuzin then came to Arkhangelsk to lay the foundation for a new roller ski track at the stadium in Malye Korely. He also brought with him the legendary cup, received half a century earlier from the hands of the King of Sweden. “I would like skis, men's skis, to get better. Moreover, Russia is a big, snowy country, and our skiing has always been great,” Vladimir Semenovich said then. 10 years ago he passed away, remaining in history as the only official “King of Skis.”
The biography of Vladimir Semenovich Kuzin is as unique and fantastic as it can only be with gifted, talented people, real nuggets. He was born on July 15, 1930 in the ancient Pomeranian village of Lampozhnya. From his parents' house, as a boy, Volodya Kuzin ran every day on skis to school in Mezen - 15 kilometers there and 15 kilometers back. These were the first training sessions of the future champion. “I celebrated my first victory in skiing competitions in the war year of 1943, when as a 13-year-old schoolboy I won the district championship and received a prize of fantastic wartime value - a set of underwear. After this success, skiing “fascinated” me, I was looking forward to the winter so I could ski to my heart’s content,” he recalled. In the winter of 1946, he was asked to perform as part of the team of the fishing state farm named after. Paris Commune, where he worked. He ran in felt boots and on heavy skis with primitive bindings. No one took this participant into account. Moreover, the young man competed with older, regionally famous racers. But already during his first start, Volodya showed a remarkable quality: not to be timid in front of the masters. He ran without any plan, but with all his might. As a result, he showed the best result in the race. And, by the way, then for a long time he performed in a simple way - on skis in felt boots, and at the most prestigious sporting competitions. “After the 8th grade, due to my father’s illness, I was forced to quit school, because our family was originally Russian - nine children, we had to adequately replace the breadwinner. In Lampozhna I was in charge of the radio center, I really enjoyed entertaining my fellow villagers. All these years, the passion for skiing has not faded; perhaps, on the contrary, it has flared up,” said Vladimir Semenovich.
Then he went to sea as a sailor on whaling ships and the legendary icebreaking steamship Georgy Sedov, and entered the technical school of physical education. At the same time, he constantly strived to train, gain experience and skill. He developed a unique running style. And although there were many errors in the technique of movements, they paid off with remarkable natural qualities - endurance and physical strength. He was enterprising and dexterous, and during the race he devoted himself entirely to the fight. When Kuzin raced along the course, the spectators only gasped: as if this young man had broken his ski poles - he pushed off with them very violently. “Until the fall of 1952, classes were mostly independent, they were stimulated by numerous competitions held in those years. Before being drafted into the army, I won the championship of the Arkhangelsk region, then the RSFSR and the Soviet Union among rural youth. In the army he became the champion of the Arkhangelsk Military District,” he recalled. Apparently, this army victory served as a compelling reason for the transfer of Sergeant Kuzin from Arkhangelsk to Leningrad, to the school of trainers of the Red Banner Military Institute of Physical Culture. In 1953, he became the USSR champion in cross-country skiing at a distance of 18 km.
International success awaited him a year later at the World Championships in Falun (Sweden). Vladimir Kuzin became the first Soviet world champion in cross-country skiing at distances of 50 and 30 km. The Dagens Nyheter newspaper wrote that year: “Kuzin is a worthy ski king. His running style requires enormous strength. One might even ask: has there ever been a more magnificent skier? His main rival was the famous Finnish racer Veiko Hakkulinen. Their fight at the 50 km marathon was especially exciting. Kuzin himself recalled how this victory was given to him: “I got this gold medal with inhuman pain in the literal sense of the word. And it’s all my fault. Right from the start, he took the lead and increased it kilometer after kilometer. By the checkpoint at the thirty kilometer, my advantage over my main rival, the Finnish racer Veiko Hakkulinen, was about two minutes. Many foreign coaches and expert specialists regarded this tactic as adventurous. “Even though Kuzin is the world champion at thirty, it is impossible to maintain such speed until the finish line,” they argued. When there was very little left to the finish line, I really felt unbearable. I was still weak, but what seemed to let me down at first glance was a small thing - my clothes. The competition took place in fairly cold weather, and at the finish line, when most of my energy reserves were already spent, my light sweater did not protect me from the cold. On long, protracted descents, the wind covered the entire body like an icy compress, and the abdominal muscles began to cramp. I wanted to scream from the acute pain. To relieve the pain even a little, I punched myself in the stomach, squatted, did some exercises while walking - nothing helped. There was only one way out - to walk, gritting your teeth and trying not to pay attention to this wild pain. Of course, my opponents knew nothing about my suffering. Hakkulinen made an unusually strong push at the finish, and almost made up for it, reducing the gap to 8 seconds. But he couldn’t catch up with me.”
King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden (who, by the way, was involved in alpine skiing in his youth) solemnly presented him with a large cup for this unique sporting achievement, on which was engraved: “To the King of Skis from King Gustav VI of Sweden.” This was the first and last ski “coronation”. After this incident, a tradition was established in the ski world of awarding the unofficial title of “king of skis” to a racer who would win at distances of 30 and 50 km within the same World Championship or Olympic Games. In addition to Kuzin, the “kings of skis” over the years were: Matti Raivio (Finland), Nikolai Zimyatov (USSR), Gunde Svan (Sweden), Mika Myllula (Finland), Petter Northug (Norway). But Kuzin remained in history as the only official holder of this honorary title.
In 1956, Soviet athletes took part in the Winter Olympic Games for the first time in the Italian city of Cortina d'Ampezzo. The debut was crowned with a victory in the 4x10 km relay, and Vladimir Kuzin once again went down in history - among the first Soviet skiers - Olympic champions. It was he who made a significant contribution to the victory of our four. As the most experienced and famous racer, he was entrusted with the right to perform at the most important final stage. He coped with his task with honor and crossed the finish line first, becoming the first Soviet skier to win the Olympics and the World Championship. In 1958, he again won the USSR Championship at a distance of 15 km. Since 1959, he became the head coach of the Armed Forces ski team. He was preparing for the start of his second Olympics - in Squaw Valley, California in 1960. “I was, as they say, on a “dashing horse,” but... I didn’t manage to speak - I was sick, just caught a cold. Nina Grigorievna Fedorova - our dear, caring doctor - quite quickly “dealt with” my illness. In principle, I was ready to participate, everything was bubbling inside me, my muscles were languishing with the thirst for competitive wrestling. However, the coaches did not take risks. At the same Olympics, Pavel Kolchin, one of the leaders of our team, was also struck down by illness. Moreover, here everything was much more complicated, Pavel’s suffering was difficult to watch, the diagnosis remained an unsolved mystery. The version that had the most supporters was poisoning. So unexpectedly and quite thoroughly at this Olympics the male composition of our team was weakened,” said Kuzin.
Upon returning from Squaw Valley, without delay or hesitation, he accepted the position of head coach of the Leningrad Regional Council Dynamo. Vladimir Kuzin’s coaching “peak of Pobeda” occurred in the late 1960s - early 1970s, when he was entrusted with training the country’s main team. “I am happy that I was able to feel joy for the successes of the students: Valery Tarakanov, Vladimir Voronkov, Yuri Skobov, Anatoly Akentyev, Vladimir Dolganov... I was pleasantly surprised and amazed that their successful performances at prestigious competitions are even more inspiring and warm the soul the sooner your own victories. It is very important for the national team coach to learn to share this joy with each athlete’s personal trainer. We must not forget a single co-author of a sporting achievement; I generally consider such forgetfulness to be the highest form of ingratitude,” said Vladimir Kuzin. In 1972, Kuzin’s passion for sports science led him to successfully defend his dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Biological Sciences. At the national team level, he clearly preferred the team form of training. “I consider this to be our national specificity,” he repeatedly stated.
Every summer he tried to come to his native Lampozhnya and visit his parents’ house. Now the villagers have taken care of the house. The local TOS renovated the first floor and set up stands with materials about their great fellow countryman. There is a bust nearby, and the street is named after him. For three decades, traditional ski races for the Vladimir Kuzin prize have been held in Mezen and Moscow. And since 2010, the ski stadium in Malye Karely has been named after the great athlete. This means that he is still in service today, at a distance, and serves as an inspiring example of sportsmanship and the will to win.
A year earlier, the First Winter Olympic Games took place in Chamonix, Switzerland. Then both ski distances, 18 and 50 kilometers, were won by the Norwegian Thorleif Heug, who essentially became the first “king of skis.” Soon these competitions were recognized as the first World Ski Championships.
Two more representatives of Northern European countries later managed to win both races within the same championship: Finn Matti Raivio in 1926 in Lahti and Swede Johan Lindgren in 1927 in Italian Cortina d'Ampezzo. At the same time, it is worth noting that in those years the Norwegians, Finns and Swedes simply had no competitors on the ski track.
The Scandinavian era in ski racing lasted until the 50s of the 20th century. It was then that representatives of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics joined the fight for awards.
At the first World Championship for Soviet athletes in 1954, the USSR national team won four gold medals out of a possible eight. The first champion of the thirty, which replaced the 18-kilometer race, was the Soviet skier Vladimir Kuzin. He became the strongest at a distance of 50 kilometers. The delighted Swedish King Gustav VI presented him with a cup with the inscription “To the King of Skis from the King of Sweden.” Since then, a rider who wins these distances at one World Championship or Olympic Games is unofficially considered the “king of skis.”
At the same competition, another change in the rules appeared - women entered the ski track equally with men. At the next World Championships, held in February 1962 in the Polish town of Zakopane, the skier from the USSR Alevtina Kolchina, who won 7 gold medals during her career, climbed to the highest step of the podium three times.
But the Scandinavians did not think of giving up - Jermund Eggen became the hero of the 1966 world championship in Oslo, Norway. Everyone expected the Norwegian to repeat the record at the Grenoble Olympics, but the Scandinavian performed unsuccessfully in France.
The Swedish ski track again became happy for Soviet athletes: at the 1974 World Championships in Falun, Sweden, skier from the Republic of Udmurtia Galina Kulakova managed to win three gold medals, and the USSR national team won the relay race for the sixth world championship in a row!
In 1982, the world ski championship returned to Norway. In Oslo, on her home track, Kulakova’s result was repeated by Berit Eunli.
Since 1985, the World Ski Championships, including ski jumping and Nordic combined, have been held by the FIS every two years. Another innovation in the mid-80s was the rule that allowed races to be held on skates.
One of the first who was able to quickly master the new way of traveling on the ski track was the Swede Gunde Swan: at the World Championships in Seefeld, Austria in 1985, he conquered both royal distances. Three more gold medals went to the Swede, who won four Olympic golds and 7 world championship gold medals during his career, based on the results of the competition in Lahti, Finland in 1989.
The great skier ended his career in 1991, but even then a new hero appeared on the ski slopes. Norwegian Bjorn Daly became an Olympic champion eight times and a world champion nine times. Twice from Falun 1993 and Trondheim 1997, the legendary athlete brought home three gold medals.
Russian Elena Vyalbe showed an impressive result in the Italian Val di Fiemme in the winter of 1991. She added three gold medals and one silver to the two medals of the highest standard won in Lahti, losing in the 30 km skate only to her compatriot Lyubov Egorova.
One of those who competed with Daly in the 90s was the former Soviet skier competing for Kazakhstan, Vladimir Smirnov. The 1994 Olympic champion in the marathon at the World Championships in Thunder Bay, Canada, climbed to the highest step of the podium three times.
The second heroine of the 1995 world championship was Russian Larisa Lazutina. The future five-time Olympic champion and Hero of the Russian Federation brought four gold medals from distant Canada.
This seemingly eternal record was broken by her compatriot Elena Vyalbe. In Trondheim, Norway in February 1997, she managed to win five medals of the highest standard out of five possible. This record cannot be repeated - it can only be surpassed.
Two years later, in the Austrian Ramsau, the finest hour of the Finn Mika Myllyla came.
Olympic champion Nagano becomes the “king of skis”, winning all individual races except the pursuit. At the next World Championships, held in Lahti, Finland, Myllula found himself at the center of a doping scandal: six leading athletes of the Finnish team were caught doping.
That world championship was the first in the career of Norwegian Marit Bjorgen. Just two years later, the talented skier won the sprint in Val di Fiemme. The World Championships, held in 2005 in Obersdorf, Germany, brought her three gold medals, one of which was especially valuable: the Norwegian team had not won a relay race at such competitions since 1982.
Marit, like the entire Norwegian women's team, failed the Olympics in Turin. There was hope to get even in Sapporo, but on the Japanese ski track, Finnish Virpi Kuitunen, who returned to the big sport after the 2001 doping scandal, shone. She brought 3 gold and a bronze medal to her country's team, which allowed the Finnish team to take second place in the team competition.
The 2009 World Championship returned to Europe again: in the Czech Liberec there was no equal to the Finnish Anna Kaise Saarinen. The athlete, who made her World Cup debut in 1998, added three gold medals to Sapporo's relay gold.
The new “king of skis” is the Norwegian Petter Northug. In addition to gold in the “thirty” and “fifty” medals, the Norwegian team with his participation became the strongest in the relay.
The 24-year-old athlete was considered as the main gold-miner for the Norwegian ski team at the Vancouver Olympics. The ski community was betting on whether Nortur could become the “king of skis” in the Olympic tournament. Norgut did not make it into the top ten in the skiathlon, but at the distance of the 50-kilometer race he had no equal. The athlete won another gold medal in the team sprint. His initiative was also supported by Marit Bjorgen, who won three gold medals in Canada.
At the 2011 World Championships, held in the homeland of Northug and Bjorgen, the Norwegian again made the entire skiing world applaud - his piggy bank was replenished with three golds. Thanks to his phenomenal finish, the athlete, who became a national hero, easily defeated his opponents at distances of 30 and 50 kilometers and in the relay, thus becoming a two-time holder of the title “King of Skis” for the first time in history. Marit Bjorgen went even further, winning four gold medals out of a possible six.
If the title of “queen of skiing” was awarded to women, then Marit Bjorgen would have received such a title in 2013. At the World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy, in addition to the skiathlon and marathon, she managed to win the sprint. Just like in Oslo, the Norwegian team finished first in the relay. Petter Northug limited himself to two gold medals this time.
The Olympics in Sochi turned out differently for the current king and queen of cross-country skiing: Marit repeated the result of the games in Vancouver, and Northug was unlucky - he twice stopped one step away from the podium.
The 2015 World Championship brought the Norwegian team 9 out of 12 gold medals. The national anthem was played three times in honor of Theresa Johaug.
In Falun, everyone saw the old Northug. He reached the top step of the podium four times, bringing his number of world titles to 13.
The Norwegian athlete became the fourth athlete in the history of cross-country skiing to win more than 10 gold medals at the world championships. According to this indicator, the athlete shares first place with Elena Vyalbe and Marit Bjorgen, Larisa Lazutina has 11 medals of the highest standard in her collection. Neither “the best skier of the 20th century” Bjorn Daly, nor six-time Olympic champion Lyubov Egorova, nor five-time Olympian Thomas Alsgaard, nor four-time Olympic gold winners Raisa Smetanina, Galina Kulakova, Thomas Wassberg, Gunde Swan and Sixten Enberg managed to overcome the 10-medal mark.
Five athletes were awarded the title of “King of Skis,” and only one athlete managed to win this honorary title at the Olympics: in 1980, it was the representative of the Soviet Union, Nikolai Zimyatov. All other skiers won their victories at the world championships. Zimyatov, like Gunde Svan, ended their careers long ago, Vladimir Kuzin and Mika Myllyula are no longer alive.
At the world championship starting next February in Finnish Lahti, only one holder of this unofficial title will take to the ski track - Petter Northug. Whether he will be able to become a three-time “king of skis” and surpass Elena Vyalbe’s record for the number of gold medals, time will tell, but one thing is absolutely clear - with his victories, the skier from Mosvik has made a significant contribution to the Norwegian team’s treasury. At fifty world championships, the national team of this country won more than 120 gold medals, beating its closest competitor by almost twice.
February 20, 1954, at the World Ski Championships in Falun Vladimir Kuzin won the 50 km race, and two days earlier - the 30 km race. The delighted Swedish king Gustav VI handed him a cup with the inscription “To the King of Skis from the King of Sweden.” Since then, a rider who wins these distances at one World Championship or Olympic Games is unofficially considered the “king of skis.” We have compiled a selection of six such “kings”. Moreover, one of them is Norwegian Petter Northug- takes part in the Sochi Olympics, and runs a 50 km marathon on February 23.
Vladimir Kuzin (USSR)
Kuzin won his first victory in skiing competitions in 1943. As a 13-year-old schoolboy, he won the championship in the Mezensky district of the Arkhangelsk region and received a prize of fantastic wartime value - a set of underwear.
After the 8th grade, due to his father’s illness, Kuzin dropped out of school - there were 9 children in the family - and got a job in his native village of Lampozhnya to manage a radio center. Then he sailed as a sailor on the icebreaker “Sedov”.
In the army he became the champion of the Arkhangelsk Military District, and began his sports career at the Red Banner Military Institute of Physical Culture. Trained by Kuzin Dmitry Vasiliev- senior coach of the Armed Forces, the strongest skier of the pre-war period, 16-time national champion. The result of this preparation was two victories at the 1954 World Championships in Falun, which were so highly appreciated by the Swedish king, and an Olympic gold medal in Cortino d’Ampezzo in 1956.
Kuzin himself recalled his victories in Falun as follows: “I got the gold medal in the marathon with inhuman pain in the literal sense of the word. And it's all my fault. Right from the start, he took the lead and increased it kilometer after kilometer. By the checkpoint at the thirtieth kilometer, my victory over my main rival - the Finnish racer Veiko Hakkulinena— was about two minutes. Many regarded this tactic as adventurous. When there was very little left to the finish line, I really felt unbearable. The clothes let me down. The competition took place in fairly cold weather, and at the finish line, when most of my energy reserves were used up, my light sweater did not protect me from the cold. On long, protracted descents, the wind covered the body like an icy compress, and the abdominal muscles began to cramp. I wanted to scream from the acute pain. To relieve the pain even a little, I punched myself in the stomach, squatted, did some exercises on the go - nothing helped. There was only one way out - to walk, gritting your teeth and trying not to pay attention to this wild pain.”
Matti Raivio (Finland)
In 1926 Matti Raivio was a participant in the first World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. During the 50 km race, it was so cold that Finnish skiers ran in plaster masks that made their faces look like skulls. The temperature during the championship dropped to minus 42 degrees. One of the participants, Norwegian Osbjorn Jelgstoen, was so frostbitten that three weeks later he died from inflammation of the brain.
The Swedes bought flannel nightgowns, shortened them and used them as top layers. Czech Emmerich Rath I installed a camp gramophone in the forest, and in 40 degrees below zero I played music for my rivals. Huge fires were lit in several places along the ski track. Swedish journalist Sven Lindhagen was on duty at the block and invited the riders to stop and warm up their hands and feet.
Nikolay Zimyatov (USSR)
One of the most recognizable guests of Sochi 2014 is a four-time Olympic champion in cross-country skiing. Nikolay Zimyatov. At the XIII Winter Olympic Games in 1980 in Lake Placid, Nikolai arrived as number two on the team - he was a debutant. On the eve of the 30 km race, the weather turned bad - thick wet snow began to fall. Zimyatov’s task was set as follows: constantly, from kilometer to kilometer, increase the pace, forcing him to walk Mieto, Bro and other possible contenders on a large, as skiers say, oxygen debt. After the tenth kilometer, Zimyatov became the leader and did not let anyone go ahead until the finish. This is how a guy from the village of Rumyantsevo won his first ever Olympic gold medal. He won his second gold medal as part of the USSR national team in the 4x10 kilometer relay. The third - in the 50-kilometer marathon.
“While you’re walking fifty dollars, you’ll have time to remember your whole life, it’s a long distance,” Zimyatov later said. - When it became completely unbearable, I persuaded myself: “this hundred meters is for Uncle Petya, this climb is for my sisters, for my nephew Alyosha...” Finn Mieto, for whom this race was the last opportunity to win Olympic gold, he caught up in third circle (each 12.5 kilometers). On the fourth, he beat Mieto on a ten-meter climb, took the lead and won. It should be noted that in the list of “kings” Zimyatov is the only one who managed to win both distances at the Olympic Games.
After Lake Placid, Zimyatov suddenly and for a long time disappeared from the ski horizon, unable to bear the burden of fame.
Gunde Svan (Sweden)
Gunde Swa n is a legendary figure in the world of skiing. Having started at the age of 16 with 200 hours of training per year, after 10 years he brought this standard to 750 hours. He trained fanatically: in the summer he spent 2 hours on roller skates, plus a three-hour (!) run in the evening. From November - 50-60 km on skis daily. “I am sure that if I miss class even once, the consequences can be dire. And anyone who allows himself to give in can be considered a complete athlete,” Swan once said. During the period of active performances, he took part in 30–44 starts per year. Every second finish ended in his victory.
Swan revived the skating move, which was first used by the Norwegians during the 1936 Olympic Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany). It was then, using an unusual technique, Oddbjorn Hagen came second at a distance of 15 kilometers. But fate turned out to be unkind to the new style. When passing the baton, one of the Norwegians stepped on a friend's ski, he fell, losing a lot of time, and with it his hopes for a team victory. Failure compromised skating, delaying its triumph for half a century.
The revival of the style took place in 1985 in the Tyrolean Seefeld. The revolution brought about by skating in skiing can only be compared in significance to the advent of plastic skis, first used at the 1974 World Championships in Falun. Compared to classic running, skating has noticeably increased speed - at a 15-kilometer distance it gives a gain of up to 2 minutes. It was this style that brought Gunde Swan gold medals at distances of 30 and 50 kilometers.
Swan became an Olympic champion four times and a world champion seven times. He abruptly ended his skiing career in 1991, aged just 29, and went into motorsport.
Mika Myllyla (Finland)
Career Miki Myllyla It turned out to be quite short, but bright: in 1997, at the World Championships in Trondheim, he won gold in the marathon, two silvers and a bronze. At the 1998 Nagano Olympics, he won two bronze medals, but most importantly, he won the 30 km distance. Finally, at the World Championships in Ramsau in 1999, Mika becomes the “king of skis”, winning all individual races except the pursuit.
He was in good shape for the World Championships in Lahti in 2001, but was caught doping and was disqualified until 2005.
Because of this failure, Mika began to hide from journalists, drink and became a participant in numerous scandals. He never returned to big sport. In July 2011, 41-year-old Mika Milylä was found dead in his home in Kokkola, Finland.
Petter Northug (Norway)
Petter Northug, who took fourth place in the relay race at the Sochi Olympics, is the star of the Norwegian team and one of the contenders for victory in the 50-kilometer marathon, which starts on February 23.
Northug mastered skiing under the guidance of his father. “My dad and I literally disappeared on the ski track. They came home, had dinner and sat down to film programs: my father showed the equipment Daly, Ulvanga, Estila, Alsgård. They walked like gods - without unnecessary movements. I have admired Daly since childhood - I screamed at the TV during his two victorious Olympics. And at the age of 14, I made a bet with my friends that someday I would beat him,” said the Norwegian.
It is not surprising that with such an upbringing he became a ski prodigy. “Ski manufacturers are fighting to win a contract with Northug,” the newspaper Verdens Gang reported in November 2005. Fischer won the race and his contract even included a salary (the first time ever for a junior) that would have been multiplied by five if he had taken the Norwegian team to the elite level in the 2006/07 season. Fischer also offered bonuses if Northug won medals at the World Junior Championships, and he won four golds.
Petter immediately started the 2008–2009 season with three gold and one bronze medals, which allowed him to temporarily lead the overall World Cup standings, following which he became second. Since the 2009 World Championships, Northug brought home three gold medals in the relay, 30 km race and marathon, and received the title of “king of skis”.
No records are recorded in cross-country skiing. This is done for obvious reasons. Each competition is similar to the other only in the length of the distance. And its profile - the number of ascents and descents, the conditions in which the race takes place (thaw or frost) - is new every time. Since the competition conditions are different, it means that records cannot be recorded.
For the same reason, it is difficult to compare the strengths of athletes if they competed in different competitions.
Before 1954, our best racers very rarely met with foreign skiers, and it was, of course, difficult to determine who was stronger. We only knew that at the World Championships and Olympic Games the palm was usually held by Scandinavian athletes - Finns, Norwegians and Swedes.
Finally, it was decided that our athletes would also take part in the 1954 World Championships, which were to be held in the Swedish city of Falun.
They prepared very carefully for their first performances at such major international competitions. We dreamed of victories, but knew that they would not come easily. But I had almost no experience of meeting with foreigners, and I had to perform not at home, in a familiar environment, on familiar tracks, but in a distant city.
And yet the first pancake did not come out lumpy. The young Soviet racer Vladimir Kuzin won two champion gold medals. Our skiers Lyubov Kozyreva, Valentina Tsareva and Margarita Maslennikova won the ski relay there. Lyubov Kozyreva became the world champion among women in the 10-kilometer race.
I want to tell you about these World Cup heroes.
Volodya Kuzin grew up in the village of Lampozhnya, Arkhangelsk region. The place here is harsh. Winter is long and cold. Snowstorms are frequent. And the village was so covered with snow that it was impossible to pass or pass.
In the spring, the river flooded, and it was necessary to travel through the streets by boat. Like all the kids, Volodya was fond of skiing.
First skis! He did not forget them when he became a famous champion, when he competed on the best brands of skis. He did not forget these skis because he made them with his own hands under the guidance of his father. They brought him the first joy of winning competitions with his classmates. And although they were not very beautiful (what did they care about purchased ones!), Vladimir Kuzin remembers his first skis with great love. After all, they introduced him to skiing.
Volodya’s path to the champion’s medals was not easy. He graduated from seven classes and went to work. His hands were accustomed to both the oars of a heavy fishing boat and a carpenter's axe. And when in his native collective farm they began to recruit a brigade of hunters for the icebreaker “Sedov”, Volodya, together with experienced Pomors, went north to hunt for animals...
With difficulty breaking through the icy shell of the ocean, the Sedov advances. But from the ship they noticed dark dots on a distant ice field. Seals! Hunters leave the ship. Volodya also goes on the ice. He, too, would like to take part in an exciting hunt, but his work is different. He dragged the carcasses of killed animals to the ship, and some of them weighed up to 100 kilograms. The Pomor had to have great physical strength and enormous endurance.
Hard work and the harsh polar climate hardened Volodya. And this hardening was reflected later when Kuzin was drafted into the Soviet Army. Skiing is held in special esteem here. Volodya, with his extraordinary strength and endurance, soon became one of the strongest skiers in the Soviet Army. Here he began training with multiple national ski champion Dmitry Maksimovich Vasiliev.
Now Volodya has learned that success in ski racing is brought not only by strength and endurance. The trainer taught him to walk quickly but economically. He introduced him to the art of sliding, taught him how to turn on steep slopes without braking, and showed him how to properly use different types of ski wax. Now, even in the summer, Volodya went in for sports. Athletics, cross country in the forest, and playing basketball made him more dexterous and agile.
Soon Kuzin was included in the national ski team, and he became one of the best in it. But Vladimir achieved his greatest success in 1954, when, as already mentioned, Soviet skiers competed at the world championship for the first time.
Top athletes from many countries came to Falun.
The title of world champion was played out for men at three distances.
Already in the first 30-kilometer race, unexpectedly for many, the young Soviet skier Vladimir Kuzin won. Scandinavian racers, including Olympic champions Finn Veikko Hakkulinen and Norwegian Helgair Brenden, lost to a simple Soviet guy. At first they decided that Cousin was just lucky. Moreover, in the next 15-kilometer race, Vladimir performed less successfully.
And now the last competition is the race for the longest distance - 50 kilometers. Cousin did not prepare for it. But the coaches decided: let him go. Since he won the 30-kilometer race, he should do well in the 50-kilometer race.
And the race began.
A 50-kilometer track with steep descents and long climbs stretches out in front of the skiers. The ski track wound like a snake between the trees, demanding constant attention from the athletes. If you hesitate for a second, you will fall, or even break your ski. This was a difficult race for all skiers, but it was especially difficult for Vladimir Kuzin.
Competitors started at intervals of 30 seconds. The announcer, who informed the audience about the progress of the competition at a distance, announced that Vladimir Kuzin was going faster than everyone else. Indeed, after 30 kilometers, Volodya beat his most dangerous opponent, Finn Veikko Hakkulinen, for more than a minute. Victory seemed very close. But then something happened that the coaches and Kuzin himself could not predict. As usual, Volodya put on a thin woolen sweater for the race. This was quite enough - after all, the athlete does not feel cold while moving. Kuzin didn’t feel the cold at the beginning of the race either. But towards the end, when the sweater was soaked with sweat, and the headwind on the long descents seemed to pierce through the tired body, disaster struck. The abdominal muscles cramped from the cold, and now the slightest movement caused unbearable pain. What did Kuzin do to get rid of her? On the descents, he massaged his chest and stomach with his hands, hit them with his fists, but the pain did not go away.
And yet Kuzin walked.
True, it was slower than from the start, but it was still going.
Meanwhile, Veikko Hakkulinen, having learned that the Soviet skier had slowed down, perked up. He always passed the end of the distance well, and now, feeling that victory was close, he flew towards it as if on wings. So he played half a minute, a minute. It seemed like nothing could stop him. But Kuzin did not give up. Overcoming the pain, he ran to the finish line. It was not for nothing that he worked on the Sedov in the polar cold. It was hard there too, but Volodya was used to overcoming difficulties.
This habit also helped him in the race.
He reached the finish line.
And when the judges calculated the time, it turned out that this time Vladimir Kuzin completed the distance faster than anyone else. So he won his second world champion gold medal. Vladimir Kuzin won two of the three distances in Falun, and Swedish journalists dubbed him the “king of skis.”