Nordic Skiingthe interview
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The Aosta Valley cross-country skier, after the excellent weekend in Ulricehamn, was a guest of the traditional appointment organized by Massimiliano Ambesi and Dario Puppo.
Tuesday 9 February 2021 6 minutes reading time
After Saturday's TL sprint, where he took a very good 3rd place, Federico Pellegrino became the cross-country skier with the most active podiums between the World Cup, World Championships and Olympics. Also on Sunday "Chicco" obtained an extraordinary victory in the team-sprint, paired with another Aosta Valley, Francesco De Fabiani.
"I believe that Sunday's victory was the result of an impeccable tactical management by me and by De Fabiani" - began Pellegrino - "We were very careful to avoid contacts and we have always looked for the best positions in the group; he gave us a big hand, also given the young age of many athletes competing. "
The couple Puppo & Ambesi asked "Chicco" to tell us about the splendid comeback in the sprint on Saturday, which earned him a very important podium in terms of specialty classification: "Saturday I made some small mistakes in the final, I was too far out in a curve, wanting to follow Ustiugov, and I found myself in last position. Then I was joined by the French couple but luckily I had a nice twist on the final straight. On Saturday I realized that the next day I would have to attack on the only small climb: I think that this was also the move that made us triumph in the sprint team. "
And from a World Cup perspective, he is not unbalanced: "The Ulricehamn circuit is not very demanding, the racing conditions in Oberstdorf will be very different and, above all, we will compete in classic technique in the individual, while the team-sprint will be skating. There are many contenders for the world title: it will be a good match against Kalebo, Svensson, Bolshunov and the other Norwegians. "
Pellegrino also explained his programming up to the World Championships in Oberstdorf: "I'm currently at home, where I'll stay for a few days, then we will go to Seefeld to train for the world championship event, also because we organize training sessions on the track where it will take place. the World Championship is never easy for logistical reasons, also considering the current weather in Oberstdorf, where even Germany is not allowed to go out on the track.
A brief reference also to the much-criticized stage of Nove Mesto: "The intention is to participate in the Czech stage, even if I don't like competing close to the World Championship. Many nations have already given up to avoid taking risks, fortunately I know that the '' hotel is just one hundred meters from the cross-country stadium and I hope that the safety for athletes and staff is guaranteed as in all the stages in which I have taken part up to now. There are also some Norwegian stages in the post-world doubt, we will see the evolution of the situation. "
Then a little joke about Bolshunov's gesture to Lahti: "Before that gesture I liked him quite a lot, he's a bit of an atypical Russian, now he's also starting to speak a little English, but beyond that episode I'll go there agree."
"Chicco" concluded by making a brief review of the situation on his season: "The season so far has been very good, victories and podiums have arrived. The form is excellent, the skill of an athlete also lies in knowing how to manage from the point of physical sight, I hope not to pay for wanting to compete in Nove Mesto, also because after that there will be the highlight of the season: the World Championships in Oberstdorf. "
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Federico Pellegrino: 'Manca il confronto coi norvegesi, al Mondiale sarò al top'
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