PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — They are hailed as the vanguard of a new generation of clean Russian cross-country skiers, all are under the age of 23 and all are coached by a man who was once suspended for doping offenses.
The youthful quartet is trained by Yuri Borodavko and has combined for three silver and three bronze medals at the Pyeongchang Olympics.
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Alexander Bolshunov, Alexei Chervotkin, Denis Spitsov and Natalia Nepryaeva have improved remarkably since working with Borodavko two years ago. Spitsov hadn’t even competed in a World Cup race until December but now has two Olympic silver medals and a bronze.
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Last week, the head of the Russian delegation in Pyeongchang described the cross-country team’s results as one of Russia’s “main achievements” at the games.
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