Dispute among cross-country skiers escalates
Olympic champion freaks out after falling
12/02/2025 – 2:56 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Alexander Bolshunov brought a teammate to the ground out of frustration over an action during the race. He is now out injured. The association draws conclusions.
There was an incident between Alexander Bolshunov and his teammate Alexander Bakurow at the Russia Cup in cross-country skiing at the weekend. After contact during the race, an altercation broke out in the finish area. The Russian association subsequently banned Bolshunov from a race.
The incident occurred during the sprint semi-finals of the first stage in Kirovsk. In a curve, Bolshunov and Bakurov got entangled, causing Bolshunov to fall. The 28-year-old ended up finishing sixth and missed the final. Bakurow also dropped out; he crossed the finish line in fourth place.
But that wasn’t the end of the matter. After crossing the finish line, Bolshunov made a momentous frustration. He drove towards Bakurov, who was leaning on a barrier, and knocked him over. Bakurov fell along with the barrier. According to media reports, the 22-year-old will now have to take a break from training for at least two weeks.
“This definitely has to stop. Such behavior is not acceptable,” Bakurow told Match TV. He doesn’t expect an apology from Bolshunov. “But an apology wouldn’t change things anyway.” He refrains from making an official complaint: “That just drains my energy.”
Bolshunov justified his behavior with the situation during the race. “I want a fair fight on the track, but I didn’t like Bakurov’s behavior,” said the three-time Olympic champion. In 2022, Bolshunov won gold in the 50-kilometer freestyle, in the 4×10-kilometer relay and in the skiathlon over 30 kilometers. In 2018 in Pyeonchang he previously secured three silver and one bronze medals.
Both athletes are currently not allowed to take part in international competitions due to the ongoing exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes. The Fis last extended the exclusion in September.
Bolshunov had already attracted attention through similar incidents in the past. In 2021, he clashed with the Finn Joni Mäki in the finish sprint of a relay race in Lahti and also knocked him over in the finish area after the race.
In the same year at the World Championships in Oberstorf, after losing the final sprint against the Norwegian Johannes Kläbo, he angrily threw his broken ski pole to the ground, which had broken during the finish sprint and in a collision with Kläbo. The Norwegian was later disqualified and Bolshunov was awarded second place.