Elena Kostenko throws down the gauntlet for Krasnoyarsk

Russian snowboarders win gold at test event ahead of Winter Universiade

KRASNOYARSK – Elena Kostenko set the bar during the women’s Snowboard Russian Cup Stage that took place at the newly-built Sopka Cluster, one of the main venues of the Krasnoyarsk 2019 Winter Universiade that will take place from 2-12 March 2019.

After winning gold, Kostenko who is a member of the Russian National Snowboard Team, said she now has her sights firmly set on the 2019 Winter Universiade.

“I am planning to train hard for the Games,” she said. “I’m quite satisfied with my performance here; I wanted to win and I did it, although my results could have been better. I think the competition was of World Cup level. And the Sopka Cluster is the best sports venue in Russia for Snowboard, with its perfect courses, gyms, jumps and the medical center.”

The same vote of confidence came from the men’s winner too as gold medalist Aleksander Smelov said, “I take these competitions very seriously as they are preliminaries for the Winter Universiade. Personally, I find the Sopka course the best in Russia, I am really impressed by this venue and the jumps in particular. I would also like to point out the high level of the competitions and good preparations of the competitors.”

The FIS Freestyle Skiing Russian Cup Stage also continued at the same time, with competitions in Dual Moguls. This included first rounds, quarter finals, semifinals and the final, which determined the winners. On the men’s side, the gold medal was awarded to Maxim Kudrjavtsev from Moscow, with a result of 13.12 seconds. The athlete had to admit that the facilities surprised him.

“Unlike Moscow people, Krasnoyarsk citizens should be happy to have the opportunity to train at the high level Sopka Cluster,” he said after the awarding ceremony. “It was not difficult for me to perform today as the snowfall had made the course really soft and comfortable.”

The silver medal was won by Nikita Kapitonov and bronze went to Anton Latishev. In the women’s competition, Viktoria Lazarenko won with a result of 15.10 seconds. Just a day before, she had also won the Moguls competition in the Freestyle Skiing Russian Cup Stage.