Red Bull Super 100: How to run a sprint and not “ski”?

This weekend, despite the thermometer showing a few degrees below zero, it was really hot in Kazan. On Sunday, March 17, the Red Bull Super 100 sprint ski race brought together 79 athletes from all over Russia. Among them were both amateurs and professionals from 14 to 55 years old. Even famous athletes, champions and record holders tried their hand at the 100. We talked to the different participants and found out their main motivation and secrets of preparation for the distance.

A woman’s approach

Name: Guzel Galieva
Age: 39 years
City: Kazan
Level: amateur
Personal lifehack: follow the starts of professional athletes, study techniques and try to “skate for fun”
Athletic goal: to increase distance

Guzel has loved skiing since childhood. Her dad taught her to take up the sport. He, by the way, came to support his daughter, and also on skis. She has already taken part in competitions among her colleagues at the plant several times, but she failed to win prizes. This became the main motivation for an active sports life. Having seen the announcement about Red Bull Super 100, she decided to register and try her hand. Guzel did not expect to win, but she believes that the main thing is not to fall and not to hit the dirt.

The presence of my father used to put a lot of pressure on me. When I participated in competitions at the factory, he was walking behind me and kept saying: “Come on, come on faster!”, and it was hard for me. Now I really enjoy his support.

Family contract

Name: Leonid and Daniil Trofimov.
Age: 39, 14 years old
City: Kazan
Experience: Leonid is a former professional athlete, Daniil has been skiing for 4 years.
Personal lifehack: don’t be lazy, train and seriously prepare even for the easiest races.
Sports goal: Leonid does not set any grandiose goals for himself, but he wishes a successful sports career for his son.

The Trofimovs take part in many ski races and actively follow the competitions on TV. The whole family is rooting for fellow countryman Andrei Larkov. Daniil’s wife and his youngest son, who is also seriously considering a career as a professional athlete, came to the father-son super sprint to support him.

When age doesn’t matter

Name: Radik Minnibayev
Age: 55 years
City: Kazan
Experience: has been involved in skiing since seventh grade. Master of Sports in multi-sport.
Personal lifehack: to train in the morning and rest before the race.
Athletic goal: not to give up

Radik actively participates in sporting events in the city. He received an invitation to the Red Bull Super 100 right after taking part in the Kazan Marathon.

100 meters is not 50 km, why not try? I like to experiment on myself and know what I am capable of.

Experienced athlete

Name: Alexey Petukhov
Age: 35 years
City: Murmansk
Experience: Honored Master of Sports of Russia, bronze medalist of the 2010 Olympic Games in team sprint, world champion 2013
Personal Lifehack: It is very important to determine a comfortable position at the start. This will give can give you a big advantage in the race.
Sporting goal: to help develop the sport and help the Russian Federation only gain momentum in this area. “It’s a little late to compete at the level of the World Championships and Olympic Games, so I’ll finish the spring marathons and then we’ll see”.

Alexey was invited to the race by a comrade from the Fischer team, which he represents. He wanted to support his colleagues and try himself at the hundred. However, he failed to make it to the final stage. Perhaps it was fatigue after the 30km race the day before and the flight.

I didn’t prepare for the 100 meters like the Italian athlete, but I don’t want to say that I ran badly. My friends were even joking yesterday: “Where are you going? Did you see how he accelerates?”. For me it is new emotions, positive, a holiday.

For the sake of new records

Name: Emanuel Beckis
Age: 25 years old
Country: Italy
Experience: 100 meters world record holder
Personal Lifehack: signature move
Athletic goal: to break his own record

Emanuele truly loves the super sprint and came to Russia to once again enjoy the race and, of course, the victory. The spectators received the Italian very warmly, and he managed to feel it even without knowing Russian.

This is a cool race that will definitely be very popular. Such a short distance is much more interesting than most long distances. You don’t need a big track to show yourself. You have only 100 meters to go.