Anastasia Sedova, representative of the glorious ski dynasty, bronze medalist of the 2018 Olympic Games in the relay, answered the questions of the ROC Information Service.
– At the Championship of Russia in Syktyvkar you won in skiathlon, so you must be satisfied with your performance at the final start of the season?
– It would be nice to run my favorite 10-km classic better, but even in Russia there is high competition, and it’s good. I took the third place after Natalia Nepryaeva and Maria Guschina.
– You won gold in the national championship for the third season in a row?
– Two years ago in Tyumen I won the skiathlon, then in Khanty-Mansiysk the 30-km and now the skiathlon again.
– Why didn’t you mention the skiathlon, talking about your favorite discipline?
– Because it’s difficult. After changing the skis it is difficult to switch from classic to skate. Other muscles work.
– Which style do you prefer?
– Classic. Although the serviceman of the national team said I was a ‘skater’. I objected, but actually I don’t really have a clear preference. I like skiing. There are narrowly focused athletes, and I am good in both. That’s good.
– Universalism is now valued.
– This also means to run both long distances and sprints, in which I am not as successful.
– In the ‘bronze’ relay at the Olympic Games you covered your leg in a skating technique, your best result in the individual races is the eighth position, earned at the 10-km distance, also in a freestyle format.
-That is why the serviceman called me ‘skater’.
– When you think about the Korean relay, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Your own leg?
– No, the race as a whole. I think about it with warmth and pride for my country. Not everyone will be able to win the Olympic medal, and we managed to perform worthily, despite the difficult situation.
– Did you have a good feeling before the relay?
– In the morning we ran a cross together with my relay partners . Everyone was in a great mood, laughing, talking on outside topics. We understood that there was a chance and tried to avoid emotions. So before the start we did not talk about the upcoming race. When were waiting for the start, we stared into each other’s eyes and knew that we all were in a combative mood.
– Did you expect that you will have to fight with the Finnish team for bronze?
– We expected that our rivals would be the teams of Norway, Sweden and Finland. We also considered the Germans. But the relay is in many ways a lottery. There is a random factor. Like in a sprint, someone might fall. It happens that I shoot the ones you don’t expect it. Therefore, first of all, set ourselves up for our own result.
– Did you feel edgy when Pärmäkoski at the last leg started to win back lost positions?
– At first, we did, but on the second lap, the gap was not decreasing, and we realized that there will be a medal. But it was still exciting. We stood at the finish line, keeping our fingers crossed.
– You decided to leave Marcus Kramer’s group with an eye to the higher places in international competitions?
– Certainly. I thought a lot and came to the conclusion that it was better for me to return to my father, Nikolai Sedov, who advanced me to the international level. It was a surprise for Marcus, but he understood me, and we remained on good terms, so we’re going to continue cooperation.
– In training on your own there is a well-known disadvantage: there is no one to compete with. Will you reach out for your older brother Peter and Artem Maltsev, who won the marathon in Syktyvkar?
– I am no match for them…
– A in childhood did you try to catch up with Peter?
– Certainly. The older guys were role models. Looking at them, I wanted to run faster.
– Do you like biathlon?
– Yes, but I don’t think I could do it because of psychology. I am a very emotional person, so shooting blunders would probably have a negative impact on the physical condition.
– Your father Nikolay Evgenevich said, that you and Peter are forced daily to sit from 18 to 19 hours at a petrol station waiting for a possible visit of the doping officers.
– We live in Sarov, which, as you know, is a closed city. One of the conditions for the restoration of RUSADA’s membership, was that we should not ‘set intervals’ in the closed cities. We are forced to go to the gas station, which is five kilometers from the city. We sit in the car waiting if they would arrive.
– Have they ever come?
– No. But you do not want to get a yellow card to and to spoil your reputation. Thus we cross out one hour of life each day. I have no children, and Petya has a daughter. I wish he’d spent that time with her.
– Artem Maltsev also goes outside Sarov?
– He lives in Nizhny Novgorod. And he’s not in the ADAMS system.
– Not mature enough?
– It not always depends on level of the athlete. Sergei Turyshev ends his career this year, he performed at the World Cup stages, but he is not in the ADAMS system. Anastasia Dotsenko was withdrawn from it a year brought, and then they put her back again. WADA decides for itself, whom to include and whom not.
