BRATISLAVA – Mother and son at the same Olympics? Anastasia and Jelisej Kuzmin could write together one of the most beautiful stories of the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
It would be a story like a fairy tale, but in the end everything is completely different. While the 41-year-old biathlon legend will be part of the Slovak team and is preparing for her fourth participation under the five rings, for her eighteen-year-old son, the dream of the Olympics in Italy has definitively vanished.
Jelisej Kuzmin, who is one of the biggest Slovak talents in cross-country skiing, was in excellent form. He recently shined at the FESA European Cup event in Seefeld, Austria, where he took bronze among juniors in the classical technique sprint.
He fought with Tomáš Cenek for a place at the Olympics. At the same time, he defeated his five-year-older teammate several times and even defeated him in a direct fight in Oberhof, Germany, where the young Kuzmin made his World Cup debut.
However, he did not make it to the final nomination, Cenek will travel to the Olympics. In addition to him, the two-man team also includes Peter Hinds, an American competitor with Slovak roots, who decided to represent Slovakia only last summer.
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Source: ZSL
Anastasia Kuzminová also reacted to the whole situation surrounding the (non)nomination of her son Elisej.
“I receive a lot of messages and questions. I experienced the same situation in 2006 when, despite better performance and results, another athlete traveled to the 2006 Olympics. I believed that my son would never have to experience a similar injustice.” wrote Kuzminová in a status on the social network Facebook.
At the same time, she added that she would not comment further on the decision of the Slovak Skiing Association regarding the Olympic nomination in cross-country skiing. “It affects me and my performance. I ask for your understanding,” added the native of Tyumen, Russia.
Three Olympic participations and six medals
Kuzminová has participated in three Winter Olympic Games so far. In 2010 in Vancouver, Canada, she won gold in the sprint and silver in the pursuit race, four years later in Sochi, Russia, she defended the gold in the speed race.
The most successful for our biathlon star was the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, where she won three valuable metals – gold in the mass start race and silver in the pursuit and endurance races.
In addition to Anastasia Kuzminová, the Slovak team for the 2026 Olympics also includes our current unit Paulína Bátovská Fialková, Mária Remeňová and Ema Kapustová.
The Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo will begin on the 6th and culminate on the 22nd of February.
- Author: © List/
- Source: Sports shoes
