Sergey Ustiugov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sergey Ustiugov
Sergey Ustiugov in 2019
Country	Russia
Full name	Sergey Aleksandrovich Ustiugov
Born	(1992-04-08) 8 April 1992 (age 33) Mezhdurechensky, Russia
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
World Cup career
Seasons	10 – (2013–2022)
Individual wins	15
Team wins	2
Indiv. podiums	46
Team podiums	7
Indiv. starts	138
Team starts	13
Overall titles	0 – (2nd in 2017)
Discipline titles	0
Medal record Men's cross-country skiing International nordic ski competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 0 World Championships 2 4 1 Representing  ROC Olympic Games Gold 2022 Beijing 4 × 10 km relay Representing  Russia World Championships Gold 2017 Lahti 30 km skiathlon Gold 2017 Lahti Team sprint Silver 2017 Lahti Individual sprint Silver 2017 Lahti 50 km freestyle Silver 2017 Lahti 4 × 10 km  relay Silver 2019 Seefeld 4 × 10 km relay Bronze 2013 Val di Fiemme 4 × 10 km relay U23 World Championships Gold 2013 Liberec 15 km freestyle Gold 2013 Liberec 30 km skiathlon Gold 2014 Val di Fiemme Individual sprint Silver 2014 Val di Fiemme 15 km classical Junior World Championships Gold 2011 Otepää Individual sprint Gold 2012 Erzurum Individual sprint Gold 2012 Erzurum 10 km classical Gold 2012 Erzurum 20 km skiathlon Gold 2012 Erzurum 4 × 5 km relay Silver 2011 Otepää 4 × 5 km relay
Updated on 23 March 2023.

Sergey Aleksandrovich Ustiugov (Russian: Сергей Александрович Устюгов; born 8 April 1992) is a Russian cross-country skier. He is an Olympic champion, a world champion, and a winner of the Tour de Ski.

Sergey Ustiugov's Skiing Journey

Starting Out: Early Career Highlights

Sergey Ustiugov began his journey in cross-country skiing in 2001. He joined the biathlon section at a sports school in Mezhdurechensky, Russia. His first coach was Ivan Gennadievich Vragin.

Ten years later, he won his first gold medal in sprint at the World Youth Cross-Country Skiing Championships in Otepää, Estonia. The next year, he became a four-time champion at the Youth Championships in Erzurum, Turkey. He won gold in sprint, a 10 km race, skiathlon, and relay events.

In 2013, Sergey competed at the Junior Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic. He was in the Under-23 age group and won two gold medals. These were for the 15 km freestyle and 30 km skiathlon races. At the 2014 Junior Championships in Val di Fiemme, he won another gold in the individual sprint.

World Cup Debut and New Coaches

Sergey Ustiugov made his first appearance in the World Cup on February 6, 2011. This was in a relay event.

At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2013 in Val di Fiemme, Sergey and his relay team won a bronze medal. In December of the same year, he earned his first individual podium spot in a World Cup event in Davos, finishing third in the freestyle sprint. The next month, he won a stage in Nové Město, Czech Republic, in the freestyle sprint.

Sergey competed in his first Winter Olympics in 2014. He raced in the sprint event and finished fifth after a fall near the end. In May 2014, he changed his coach to the Swiss-German team of Reto Burgermeister and Isabel Knaute.

Becoming a Champion: Tour de Ski and World Titles

During the 2015–16 World Cup season, Sergey had many successes. In January 2015, he and Alexey Petukhov won the team sprint in Otepää. He also finished second in freestyle sprint and third in a 15 km freestyle race in Rybinsk.

He took part in the 2016 Tour de Ski and finished third overall. He won a silver and a bronze medal in the Nové Město stage. In February, he won the 15 km mass start freestyle event in Falun, Sweden. At the end of the season, during the Ski Tour Canada, he finished second overall and reached the podium five times.

In October, Sergey and other skiers decided to change their coaching group. Elena Vyalbe, the main coach of the Russian national team, allowed him to switch. German coach Markus Kramer, who had coached other Olympic champions, became Sergey's new head coach.

In the new season, Sergey Ustiugov won the 2016-17 Tour de Ski in January. He won five stages in a row, which was a new record! He was the second Russian skier to win the Tour de Ski.

At the 2017 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, Sergey won a silver medal in the sprint. Then, he won his first gold medal at the Championships in the 30 km skiathlon. With Nikita Kriukov, he won his second gold medal in the team sprint. After the Championships, he finished third in a classical sprint race in Drammen. He ended the season in second place overall.

Challenges and Comebacks

The next season started slowly for Sergey. However, before the Tour de Ski, he improved. He finished second three times in different races. He started the Tour de Ski well, winning one stage and placing high in others. But he later had back pain and could not finish the tour.

Before the 2018 Winter Olympics, Sergey was not invited to compete by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This was due to a decision by the committee. He and other athletes appealed this decision, but their appeal was not successful. Even though he couldn't go to the Olympics, Sergey competed in the Russian Cup and won the team sprint with Alexander Legkov.

On October 23, 2018, Sergey injured his finger during practice. He had surgery and returned to training in November. He came back to compete in the World Cup in December.

In the Tour de Ski, Sergey won a stage in the 15 km individual freestyle. He also had several other podium finishes. In the final climb stage, he showed amazing strength and finished second overall in the Tour de Ski.

Recent Years: Illness and Return to Form

In October 2020, Sergey Ustiugov tested positive for COVID-19. He slowly recovered and returned to practice in December. He started competing again in January 2021 at a national event. In his first World Cup race back, he and his relay team finished third in Lahti. While he didn't win a podium spot that season, he reached the sprint finals three times.

In the 2021–22 season, Sergey continued to show strong performances. He earned a silver medal in the 15 km pursuit in Rukatunturi, Finland. He also secured two more podium finishes in Davos, Switzerland, with a second place in the 1.5 km sprint and a third place in the 15 km individual race.

At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Sergey Ustiugov achieved a major milestone. He won a gold medal as part of the 4 × 10 km relay team, becoming an Olympic champion!

Personal Life

Sergey Ustiugov was born in Mezhdurechensky. He comes from a large family and is of Mansi descent.

On August 9, 2019, he married Elena Soboleva, who was also a junior cross-country ski champion. Their daughter, Kira, was born on January 17, 2020.

His fans have given him the nickname "The Moose" (лось, los).

Cross-country Skiing Achievements

All results are from the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Olympic Games Medals

Sergey Ustiugov has won 1 Olympic medal, which is a gold medal.

Note: The 50 km distance was reduced to 30 km in 2022 due to weather.

World Championships Medals

Sergey Ustiugov has won 7 World Championship medals: 2 gold, 4 silver, and 1 bronze.

World Cup Highlights

Sergey Ustiugov has had a very successful career in the World Cup. He has achieved:

• 15 individual victories in World Cup races.
• 46 individual podium finishes (meaning he placed in the top three).
• 2 team victories in relay and team sprint events.
• 7 team podium finishes.

His best overall World Cup season was in 2016–17, when he finished second in the overall standings. He also won the prestigious Tour de Ski that season. He has also finished second overall in the Tour de Ski two other times (2018–19 and 2019–20).

See also

In Spanish: Serguéi Ustiúgov para niños