Vyalbe called undeserved recognition of Valieva athlete of the year

President of the Russian Ski Racing Federation (FLGR) Elena Vyalbe called undeserved recognition of figure skater Kamila Valieva as athlete of the year. Her words are quoted by RIA Novosti.

According to the expert, skier Natalya Nepryaeva performed better than Valieva in 2022. She also considered that the skier Alexander Bolshunov is rightfully ranked higher in the ranking of the main athletes than the hockey player Alexander Ovechkin. “I didn’t see Ovechkin at the Olympics. I’m happy for Sasha [Овечкина]of course, too, but I think that Bolshunov is a more worthy person today, ”she said.

Earlier, the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) published a list of the best athletes in 2022. Valiev was named by seven percent of the respondents, Bolshunov by five, and Ovechkin by four. The name of Nepryaeva does not appear in the VTsIOM study.

Valieva over the past year won gold medals at the European Figure Skating Championships and became the Olympic champion of the Beijing Games in team competitions. Bolshunov brought the Russian national team three gold, silver and bronze medals at the 2022 Olympics. Nepryaeva has two gold and one bronze Olympic medals, as well as silver and bronze at the World Cup in cross-country skiing. Ovechkin scored several records in the National Hockey League and came in second on the list of the best scorers in the history of the tournament.