President of the Russian Cross-Country Ski Association Elena Vyalbe has refused to comment on accusations of doping against Tatiana Sorina, voiced by a Swedish journalist who she has branded an “idiot.”
“I’m not commenting on articles written by idiots. Especially those published in the yellow press,” Vyalbe said, reacting to suggestions of doping made by Swedish reporter Ludvig Holmberg after Russian skier Sorina had taken a podium place at a World Cup stage.
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Holmberg was apparently so impressed by Sorina’s silver medal at the season-opening World Cup event in Ruka, Finland, that he quickly ‘found’ the reason behind her success, implying that the Russian star had violated doping rules.
Sorina opened a new competitive season on a positive note, finishing second in the women’s 10-km pursuit, just losing to Norway’s favorite Therese Johaug.
“Have you heard about Sorina before? She previously competed under the surname Alesjina and was primarily a sprinter. Her best result in the World Cup was recorded in January 2018 when she finished 15th in the sprint in Planica,” Holmberg wrote.
“Last season she did not compete at all. She was one of several Russian women skiers who became pregnant before the championship-free winter and in March she became the mother of a little daughter,” he added, asking how a skier with no winning records had managed to climb onto the podium several months after giving birth to her child.
The answer was apparently quite clear to the Swedish ‘expert,’ who made parallels with a huge blood transfusion scandal last year, hinting that the Russian skier might have used the same prohibited methods to improve her results.
“Is she doped? I do not hope so,” Holmberg went on to say. “But I understand all skiers, leaders and ski enthusiasts who are suspicious. I’m becoming suspicious myself,” the journalist added.
Sorina’s husband, Egor, laughed off the provocative article, joking that the couple’s new-born child was the only doping that motivated his wife to conquer new heights.
“Dear Ludvig, many thanks for giving us such a good laugh. We don’t know what you smoke but it must be something pretty strong. You are always welcome to come and stay with us in Siberia so you could observe for yourself how we live and train. By the way, in that carriage and BabyBjorn is our real ‘doping’, our daughter, she is turning nine months today,” he wrote on Instagram.
Holmberg’s ‘doping investigation’ was ruined by Sorina’s doping results, from samples taken in Finland, which proved to be negative. The journalist hasn’t yet apologized for his suggestions, which seem to be based purely on the fact that the skier showed suck striking results in the opening races.
