Meet Veronika Stepanova: The outspoken young Russian who put an end to Norway’s 12-year winning streak in the women’s relay in December.

The talented young racer from Kamchatka far east in Russia has been among the top-ranked juniors in the country for several years, and Veronika Stepanova is now considered one the country’s most promising cross-country skiers. 

Last season, Stepanova won the gold medal in the 5-kilomter at the FIS Junior World Championships, and was rewarded with a spot on the Russian national team this season. 

In December, the national team rookie splashed onto the World Cup stage, anchoring her relay team to victory with an impressive sprint finish. 

Last week, the barely 21-year-old was named to the Russian Olympic team to the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.

Bold and outspoken
While young and fairly new to the World Cup scene, Stepanova is not afraid to speak her mind. 

This week, she boldly questions the reasoning for cancelling all remaining FIS cross-country World Cup races prior to the 2022 Olympics in Beijing on February 4.  

“I am very upset about the cancellation of the World Cup in Planica. 50 kilometers away, in Pokljuka, they just started the IBU Junior Cup biathlon competitions, safely and without drama. So, if they had wanted to, wouldn’t it be quite possible to organize cross-country races too?” Stepanova ponders. 

The 21-year-old was hit by a stomach bug the night before the Tour de Ski started, and Stepanova has not raced since mid-December. 

With both the World Cup in Les Rousses, France, on January 14 to 16 and the World Cup in Planica on January 21 to 23 cancelled, she won’t have another chance to race internationally at the elite level until the Olympics. 

“A victory That Will Count”
But let’s rewind to December 5, 2021, the first World Cup relay of the season: Norway’s relay team may have been the best in the world on paper, and the last time Norway was beat in the relay was in 2009. 

Until this December, when Norway was defeated on home turf. Not by one, but by two teams. The blow is harsh, and will be hard to digest for the Norwegians.

Prior to the relay in Lillehammer, Norway had considered Sweden, who finished second in that event, their toughest competitors. But at the end of the day, Russia was on the top of the podium: after national team rookie Veronika Stepanova anchored her team to victory with an impressive sprint finish. 

The relay in Lillehammer on December 5 was Stepanova’s first at the World Cup level, but she wasn’t particularly nervous.

“I’m very rarely worried. For me, this was very similar to what I experienced as a junior,” the confident young racersaid to Russia’s Match TV after the cut-throat run for the relay victory. 

“Everything went as planned. I didn’t watch the race before I started. I warmed up, then the coach and I went through all the possible scenarios in advance. That way, I was ready for anything, both mentally and physically,” says Stepanova, adding that her coach gave her a quick pep-talk before she walked to the exchange zone for the anchor leg. 

“Before the race, Yegor Sorin (my coach) told me to think about the anthem and the Russian flag at the finish line. And I remembered it. I really gave everything for my team and for my country. It was a great day.”

A deliberate effort
Stepanova explains that the relay victory is the result of a long-term, focused effort by the Russian Ski Federation. 

“Today’s victory is the result of the work put in place by our cross-country ski federation. It all starts in the districts, then the territories, the regions and finally on the national team level. This system prepares athletes for the future,” Stepanova says.  

PS: Earlier this season, Stepanova spoke up in the ongoing debate over the prevalence of eating disorders in cross-country skiing, saying that in Russia, weight is not a taboo, but a topic that is openly discussed among coaches and skiers.