MINSK, 7 February (BelTA) – Belarusian speed skater Marina Zueva is dissatisfied with her result in the 3,000m event at the 2026 Milan Olympics, BelTA learned from the press service of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus.
“I liked everything in recent days – how everything looked on the ice, the times I was showing. But today I couldn’t manage to skate the time I had planned. Perhaps it played a role that I got too nervous; there were a lot of fans,” said the Belarusian athlete, who finished 15th overall. “My time was 4:07. I was paired with Nadezhda Morozova from Kazakhstan. Nadezhda and I train together, and I knew she would start very fast. She is a stronger athlete than I am. Nadezhda comes from sprinting. So I knew the start would be fast. She is better at shorter distances, while I am the opposite – better at longer ones. I wanted to stay with her, but I was too far behind. I should have kept closer.”
Marina Zueva added that she was rooting for and is delighted for Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida, who won the gold medal in the event. The Belarusian skater also stated she will try to fully regroup before her next race and show what she can really do.
“First, it was incredible that I received this neutral status. For me, it was very surprising, and I became very inspired; I trained hard. Then, qualifying for the Olympics was also incredible, because my results in the long distances had progressed a lot. At the first two World Cup stages at altitude, I knew I would qualify because I was showing quite good times. Now I will focus on the 5,000m,” Marina Zueva said.
The 5,000m event will take place on the evening of 12 February.
A total of 2,900 athletes from 94 countries are taking part in the ongoing Winter Olympics, including Belarusian athletes Hanna Karaliova (cross-country skiing), Viktoriia Safonova (figure skating), Maria Shkanova (alpine skiing), Hanna Huskova, Anna Derugo and Anastasiya Andryianava (aerials). The XXV Winter Olympic Games will be running through 22 February.
Photos by Denis Kostyuchenko, NOC-BelTA
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