Three-time Olympic champion Alexander Bolshunov will miss the cross-country skiing and biathlon Race of Champions, the Russian Biathlon Union Telegram channel reported. It is noted that he will miss the event due to illness and will be replaced by Egor Mitroshin.
The Race of Champions will reportedly take place on January 4–5, 2025, at the Almaz ski and biathlon complex in Ryazan. The prize fund for the event will be 12 million rubles.
Earlier, Bolshunov collided with a quadcopter during the 10-kilometer classic style race at the second stage of the Russian Cup. Despite the incident, the 27-year-old athlete managed to reach the finish line, taking ninth place . Saveliy Korostelev took first place, covering the distance in 23 minutes 25 seconds. Bolshunov was 48.1 seconds behind him. It is noted that the incident occurred because the operator wanted to film the skier closer.
Earlier, sports commentator Alexander Kruglov said that after the events of 2022, Russia has no way to export high-quality cartridges from Finland and Germany, which are considered the best in the world. According to him, domestic analogues of Western cartridges are inferior in quality and are in short supply.