Julia Chepalova

Three—time Olympic champion - about Bolshunov's victories and how WADA breaks the careers of athletes

Unlike her more senior colleagues on the national team (Vyalbe, Lazutina, Egorova), Chepalova went into the shadows after her career. At the federal level, she does not train anyone, does not manage anything and did not even try to be elected as a deputy. Instead, Yulia became a mother of five children, and also develops acrobatic rock and roll in Syktyvkar.

— How did a star skier suddenly find herself in sports dancing?

What does she think about the problem of Russian doping?

— How does she assess Alexander Bolshunov's victory in the overall World Cup standings?

The pulse during dance training reaches 180 beats per minute

— What is your current life filled with? Many fans have completely lost sight of you.

- I have five children, but despite this, I try to be active. I have assistants, and if you make a schedule correctly, you can find time for yourself. So I am also the head of the regional branch of the Acrobatic Rock and Roll Federation of the Komi Republic. I have been doing this quite intensively for four years now: I train, work with children, and develop the sport as a whole, of course.

At the age of 17, the skier won the first gold medal of the World Junior Championships, and in 1995 she joined the national team. At the end of the 90s came the heyday of her career. After the Olympic Games in Nagano, Chepalova was called the most beautiful athlete in the world. It's all about her Evenk roots. The 21-year-old Russian then became the youngest ever winner of the 30-kilometer marathon.

In 2002, Chepalova won gold in the sprint, which was only included in the Olympic program. Due to the frenzied pace, she created a reserve for herself before the finish line (where she did not look so confident) and won.

In 2006, Chepalova won as part of the relay four, then she ran on the third stage.

In 2009, during the Tour de Ski, Chepalov was accused of using EPO. She tried to prove her innocence and political manipulation of the test results, but she was still disqualified for two years. Even a letter to the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Jacques Rogge with harsh criticism of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) did not help. He just didn't read it.

Alas, even the proceedings in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) did not help her. The arbitrators remained on the side of WADA. Her rivals also did not believe in the deliberate shuffling of facts. For them, she has always remained a liar. Norwegian fans who once respected Chepalova still believe that she stole me