Hanna Karaliova: I give my all in every race

At the Tesero Cross Country Skiing Stadium, the Belarusian posted a time of 3:57.25 seconds and finished in 48th place, trailing the top qualifying time by 21 seconds and failing to advance to the quarterfinal.

A total of 89 athletes were listed in the start protocol. A top-30 finish was required to qualify for the quarterfinal.

Linn Svahn of Sweden took gold in the Women’s Sprint Classic. Swedish athletes swept the podium in the event.

Hanna Karaliova reflected on the sprint qualification, praising the work of the ski service team, and shared her plans for her next event.

“Of course, you always want more, you always hope you’ll make it to the heats. I wouldn’t say I feel bad after two races, but there’s definitely fatigue from the skiathlon. It was nerve-wracking. First the start is at 11, then at 9... The sprint qualifying race was rescheduled and ended up being quite early. The competition here is extremely tough. I want to thank our service team: the skis performed well in both races thanks to their round-the-clock work!”

“Now I’m preparing for the next event. I’ll give it my absolute best. I hope to rest up before the start and perform at a high mental and physical level,” the athlete emphasized.

The skier noted that the overall organization of the Games is good, but she hasn’t yet had a chance to soak in the Olympic atmosphere – it’s been work, work, and training every day.

Asked by journalists about the difficulty of the course, Hanna described some of the challenges she faces during races:

“Raubichi is certainly more familiar. If I compare this course to Raubichi, it’s definitely tougher, especially on the downhills. In Raubichi, you can rest on the descents, here, you can't. The climbs are also more difficult. It’s crucial to have good grip and stability. If your skis start to slip, you lose a lot of energy having to herringbone. So, again, thanks to the service team for their work. A big plus is that the altitude here is around 950 meters, which is quite bearable. Higher up, at 1,300–1,400 meters, adapting is much harder.”

Hanna Karaliova will continue her competition at the Winter Games on 12 February in the 10km Interval Start Free.