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The traditional Seligdar Cup has concluded in Aldan – the first professional cross-country skiing race of the season on natural snow, with the Polymetallic Holding Group Seligdar (hereinafter referred to as the “Holding Group” or “Seligdar”) acting as general sponsor each year. This year, the strongest athletes took to the course, including representatives of the national teams of Russia and the Republic of Belarus.

The Yakutian autumn greeted the guests with harsh weather. The athletes started in minus 15 degrees Celsius, although a temperature of not lower than minus three is considered comfortable for racing. According to the coaches, in such weather physically strong skiers gain an advantage: in the cold, glide deteriorates noticeably, which means more effort must be applied.

Sergey Tatarinov, Chief Executive Officer of Seligdar PJSC:

“The Seligdar Cup is an important training stage: for the athletes it is not just a race for medals, but a crucial stage of preparation for the main starts of the season, and for the spectators it is an opportunity to see the bright leaders of cross-country skiing and biathlon. This year, the large-scale sporting event was timed to coincide with a significant date – the 100th anniversary of skiing in Yakutia.”

As part of the Seligdar Cup, two individual freestyle races were held: 5 km for women and 10 km for men. Among the women in the 5-kilometre distance, Evgenia Krupitskaya from St. Petersburg finished first. In the men's start, victory was claimed by Ivan Gorbunov from Tatarstan, with silver and bronze going to athletes from the Komi Republic, Ilya Semikov and Evgeniy Semyashkin.

On the second day of the competition, women's and men's classic-style sprints took place. In the 10-kilometre distance among men, Ilya Semikov from the Komi Republic won. In the women's 5-kilometre race, a particularly intense battle unfolded: Lidiya Gorbunova from Tatarstan literally snatched victory from Evgenia Krupitskaya, competing for Tyumen, beating her rival by just four tenths of a second.

Albert Trofimov, Chief Referee of the competitions:

“We are very grateful to Seligdar, our general sponsor, for organising such competitions, for the fact that the company helps to identify the best athletes and supports cross-country skiing.”

The total prize fund of the competitions amounted to 1.5 million Russian roubles.

A report on the competitions is available on our official VK channel at https://vkvideo.ru/video-143699896_456239298.