Russian cross-country skier Alexander Bolshunov is not facing disciplinary action for an incident at the end of Sunday’s relay in Lahti. The leader of the World Cup in the finish line struck with the wand of the Finnish finisher Joni Mäki, who prevented him from overtaking, and then knocked him to the ground at the finish. According to the Yle news server, the unnamed two Finns filed a criminal complaint against Bolshunov, and the police decide whether to deal with it.
Alexander Bolshunov struck Joni Mäki in the finish line.
sntv
Bolsunov et al. they were disqualified and the second Russian quartet moved to third place. The winner of the recent Tour de Ski does not have to worry about further penalties. According to FIS Race Director Pierre Mignerey, the skier would have to do something really terrible to get banned from starting.
“He hit his opponent with a wand, which of course we don’t want to see. It’s unacceptable behavior, that’s why we disqualified him. But the punishment only applies to today. He could race again the next day,” Mignerey said in a television interview.
According to one of the coaches of the Russian national team, Markus Cramer, the disqualification of the relay was a sufficiently high penalty. “Of course he did the wrong thing. An hour after the race, it was also clear to him that he had not behaved in a sporty way, and he was sorry,” the German coach told DPA. “It’s just emotion and adrenaline. He reacted completely badly,” Cramer said.
Scandalous conclusion! The Russian finisher pulled his opponent with his wand, knocking him to the ground at the finish
The Russians were angry on Sunday that the Finns should also have been disqualified for Mäki’s “closing” Bolshunov’s way around the mantinel. According to Mignerey, however, the home skier did not commit the rules against the rules. “When you are first in the finish line, you choose the corridor. The Finnish rider did not break anything,” said an FIS official.
.
