In the skate sprint on Saturday, Bolshunov didn’t even make it to the heats. It is only the second time in his career that Bolshunov has not advanced from the qualifier in a World Cup sprint. 

In the team sprint on Sunday, Bolshunov was among the fastest on the course and back on the podium with teammate Gleb Retivykh. 

“We came to Dresden to find speed,” says Boshunov’s coach Yuri Borodavko. 

“I am happy with his (Bolshunov’s) performance in the team sprint. The last two laps indicate that things are not as bad as they seemed on Saturday. Psychologically this was very important to Alexander,” he says, and continues: 

“As to why didn’t he qualify on Saturday? It’s hard to say. He wasn’t in great shape. In the team sprint, he showed that he is ready for combat and speed. He still doesn’t have the speed we expect from him yet. But there are still many races left in which we will try to get more speed,” Borodavko says. 

Insecure about Tour de Ski
Currently, Bolshunov is planning on racing Tour de Ski. However, the 24-year-old Russian is uncertain about his fitness and what to expect from the competition. 

“In Dresden it was important for me to become familiar with speed, and not everything worked as I wanted, especially on Saturday,” Bolshunov says to Match TV. 

“I don’t know what to expect at the Tour de Ski. I’m insecure about my fitness. We will spend next week training and see what happens.”

The Tour de Ski takes place from December 28, 2021 to January 4, 2022. The stage race starts in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, and concludes in Val di Fiemme, Italy.