US Open Championship. Young Olympics Krushelnitsky was suspected of doping

During the second Olympic week in Pyeongchang, the Russian national team once again featured skiers, hockey players and figure skaters. However, there are only two gold medals. Alina Zagitova rose to the highest step of the podium in the figure skating competition, another victory was given to the fans by Oleg Znarok’s team, which beat the German national team in the final of the hockey tournament.

The Olympic Games in Pyeongchang have ended. The Russian team won 17 medals: two gold, six silver and nine bronze. Eight years ago in Vancouver there were three awards of the highest standard, but in total there were two fewer medals (3+5+7).

15 year old champion

The head-to-head battle between two Russians - Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva, who also train with the same coach - Eteri Tutberidze, became the highlight of the Olympic figure skating tournament. The first head-to-head fight between these two, undoubtedly the most talented figure skaters on the planet, took place in mid-January in Moscow as part of the European Championships. A month ago, two-time world champion Medvedeva, who had barely recovered from injury, lost for the first time to a younger opponent by just over five points.

Medvedeva assessed second place with restraint, noting a much more important circumstance - the return to the ice itself. “Silver is silver. It is difficult to change the meaning of a medal. The competition itself - after a two-month break, this is quite good,” the athlete who resigned her championship title succinctly summed up the results of the European Championship.

Medvedeva had less than a month to prepare for the most important start in her life, but the Muscovite did not lose heart. “I will prepare in the same way, there is not much time left. But thank you that it exists. I will invest in work, live in the present, here and now,” Medvedeva reasoned wisely beyond her years, having just recovered from a serious injury. The two-time world and European champion, the main contender for Olympic gold, was diagnosed with a fracture of the metatarsal bone of her right foot three months before the Games. At that time it was a tragedy, but not for Medvedeva. Zhenya returned to the ice as soon as possible.

In Pyeongchang, Alina and Evgenia met for the second time: 15 years against 18, Don Quixote against Anna Karenina. It was a battle to the death. In the short program, Zhenya skated first. The 81.61 points assigned by the judges seemed to guarantee first place, after all, the Muscovite increased the world record by six tenths, which she herself had set in Pyeongchang in the team tournament, but... Zagitova, who took to the ice later than Medvedeva, once again updated the record, having received from the judges one point more. All thanks to the unique 3-3 cascade (Lutz-rittberger), which is currently performed only by Alina in the world. In Medvedeva’s arsenal, all other things being equal, there is a cascade of flip and sheepskin coat.

One point before the free program could be gained back only by changing it, but such a step could lead to a breakdown. Zhenya did not take risks. As a result, the Russians received absolutely identical marks for their free program, a unique case in figure skating. Zagitova became the first winner of a gold medal as part of the Russian team in Pyeongchang. Alina was also one of the youngest winners of the Games. Younger than her is only American Tara Lipinski, who won in distant Nagano in 1998.

After finishing her speech, Medvedeva began to cry; she had been going to this Olympics for three years. In four years, Zhenya will be 22. On the one hand, her career is blossoming, but not in the case of women’s figure skating. Already, 13-year-old Alexandra Trusova is skating in Eteri Tutberidze’s group; recently, in the finals of the Russian Cup, she performed two quadruple jumps, Salchow and sheepskin coat, albeit with an error. By the beginning of the Olympics in Beijing she will be 17. How many quadruples she will be able to perform by that time - only God knows.

“I felt all the emotions I ever had. I worked so hard to be here, I left all of myself on the ice. I don’t regret anything, I did everything I could,” Evgenia Medvedeva said after the competition.

Marathon in spite of

The skiers repeated their phenomenal performance in the first week of competition in the next week. In addition to the five awards of the first half of the Games, in the second half of the distance Elena Vyalbe’s team won three more: two silver and one bronze.

The first set of awards was won by Denis Spitsov and Alexander Bolshunov in the team sprint, losing only 1.7 seconds to the Norwegians Sundby and Klebo. But with them, perhaps, now no one is able to compete for victory. By the way, Klebo in Pyeongchang became the youngest three-time Olympic champion in history. Sundby took two gold and one silver in Korea.

But the truly dramatic event for Russian fans was the ski marathon - the most prestigious competition for skiers. For most of the distance, our skiers stayed in the shadow of the group of leaders. Only Bolshunov did not give rest to the Finn Niskanen and the Kazakh Poltoranin. The rest of our guys were very far from medals, it was all the more surprising how Andrey Larkov, who even in the middle of the race was close to the second ten, rolled to the finish line. We could well count on gold. Bolshunov carried the cunning Finn ten kilometers on his shoulders to the finish line, but... a kilometer later Niskanen rushed into the gap. Bolshunov grabbed his side and was forced to resign himself to silver.

“Of course I’m disappointed. Today we had to win,” Bolshunov told Sport-Express after the race. - A small problem with the skis got in the way. When they changed for the first time, I ended up on the right and could not change lanes. I couldn't get into position to enter the box, so I drove past. Overall, my performance in Pyeongchang was good, four medals. After the illness, I’m very glad that everything turned out this way.”

What Bolshunov failed to do, Andrei Larkov more than succeeded, who in the final showdown at the finish line wiped the noses of both two-time Olympic champion Sundby and Canadian Harvey. “The third lap was a grind, I thought the race was over for me. But when I changed my skis, they went very well, and I managed to return to third place,” noted the Pyeongchang bronze medalist.

26 years later

Olympic hockey final: for some - the last chance, for others - the first serious test. The opponent was difficult. The German national team reached the final match for the first time in hockey history, beating Canada, Sweden and Switzerland on the way to the coveted awards. Yes, of course, these teams did not bring the strongest squads, but this does not detract from the merits of Marco Sturm’s team.

The hockey final turned out to be in the best Hollywood traditions. The Germans, led by a young coach who had just retired from playing 15 full seasons in the NHL, brought a capable team to Pyeongchang, which, with 56 seconds left in the match, seemed close to the main sensation of the Olympic Games. With the score 2:3, Sergei Kalinin, who seriously injured his right hand in a collision with the goal in the middle of the period, left the Russian team in a numerical minority. A minute before the end of the match, Znarok chose the only right step: replacing the goalkeeper with a fifth field player. It was an incredible risk, but... Nikita Gusev turned everything upside down. At the right moment, the 25-year-old striker, in a difficult situation, threw with an awkward grip and hit the near corner - 3:3, overtime.

In extra time, the fate of the final was decided by the sending off of Patrick Reimer. In a 4 on 3 game, our team effortlessly crushed the opponent, and 20-year-old Kirill Kaprizov, for whom this was the first Olympics in his career, set the final score with a brilliant click - 4:3. After 26 years, the Russian team again became the Olympic champion. By an amazing coincidence, in Albertville we also competed under the Olympic flag.

“The whole team will remember that we won gold medals. There is no personal feeling that I did something impossible. I’m just glad that we became Olympic champions,” said the scorer of the winning puck after the meeting.

Well, the victory of our hockey players marked a bright end to this long and strange Olympics. And the main conclusion is that our sport has a future. This includes the young generation of Elena Vyalbe, our figure skater girls, and very young hockey players. Such as, for example, Kirill Kaprizov. Former heroes left, others were not allowed into Pyeongchang at all. It would seem, what kind of medals?! But today's youth stood up against everything and everyone, for which we only need to say thank you.

One line

Among those who also pleasantly surprised last week was Sergei Ridzik, who took bronze in a rather rare discipline for our country - ski cross, freestyle. Of course, few people counted on his medal. The more valuable it turned out to be.

But where we seriously counted on success, failure occurred. And we are, of course, talking about snowboarding, where Russian fans were worried about the Sochi triumphants: Alena Zavarzina and Vic Wild. In the parallel giant slalom, Alena reached the semi-finals, where she lost to the German Selina Jörg, and in the race for third place - to another German representative, Ramona Hofmeister. Wild’s tournament journey completely ended at the 1/8 final stage. The Russian explained the loss at this stage by the difference in the two routes.

“The blue track is slower on the flatter sections,” Wild said. - In Sochi everything was different. It was fair there, but according to the new rules everything is decided by qualifications. I drove it unsuccessfully - and immediately everything became clear. Everyone who drives along the blue highway today ends up doomed.”

The Russians were left without medals in short track speed skating, where they really counted on Semyon Elistratov, but bronze at a distance of 1.5 km remained the only medal for one of the heroes of Sochi. Without Viktor An, the Russian team in Pyeongchang looked very lonely.

And a fly in the ointment. The problem of doping did not escape the Russian team in Pyeongchang either. Positive tests were found in curling player Alexander Krushelnitsky and bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeeva. And if the first does not admit guilt, then the second refused to open sample B in the hope of mitigating the punishment.

More than we bargained for

To sum it up briefly, one cannot help but note the feeling of satisfaction from this Olympics. Yes, yes, exactly satisfaction. The Russian team performed better in Korea than in Vancouver in 2010. Of course, worse than in Sochi, but everyone knows the reasons. On the other hand, the Games in Korea once again confirmed one very interesting pattern: as a rule, the hosts of the Olympics, having brilliantly won at home in the unofficial team competition, do not perform well at the next Games. The same Canadians, for example, were third in Sochi. Although the Italians did not win in 2006, they were still able to win 11 awards, and four years later they took half as many medals.

In Pyeongchang, the Russian team was missing a lot of leaders who would undoubtedly have added awards to the overall collection, but even without them the Olympics cannot but be considered a success. Of course, thanks primarily to skiers and skaters. Yes, it could have been better, but in sports, as in life, there is no place for the subjunctive mood.

Name: Anastasia Bryzgalova. Date of birth: December 13, 1992. Place of birth: Sosnovy Bor (Leningrad region, Russia).

Childhood and youth

Anastasia Konstantinovna Bryzgalova was born on December 13, 1992 in the small town of Sosnovy Bor, in the Leningrad region.

Since childhood, the girl has been distinguished by a strong-willed character, and this is ideal for playing sports.

Little Nastya actually got into curling by accident (her mother saw an advertisement for enrollment in the section), and then she could not even imagine that it would become her life’s work, nor that she would achieve such success.

Bryzgalova took her first steps in curling in 2005, and gradually she began to enjoy the activity. She had to wait quite a long time for recognition, but the girl had the patience not to give up curling.

Now Anastasia plays for the St. Petersburg club Adamant and is a member of the Russian national team.

Anastasia Bryzgalova at the skating rink

Early life and achievements

In 2014, the girl won silver at the Russian Championship among mixed teams and a bronze medal at the World Junior Championship, and in 2015 she again won silver in the Czech Republic. In the same year, Bryzgalova began performing in double mixed doubles paired with Alexander Krushelnitsky.

Anastasia Bryzgalova and Alexander Krushelnitsky

2016 was more successful for Anastasia than the previous one; the curler won four gold medals - two each at the World Championships and at Russian competitions (in both cases, among mixed teams and mixed pairs).

In addition, this year the athlete entered the National State University of Physical Culture, Sports and Health. P.F. Lesgaft in St. Petersburg.

Curling player Bryzgalova is the holder of the title “Honored Master of Sports of Russia.”

Anastasia Bryzgalova currently

In 2017, Bryzgalova won the CR among mixed teams, and in 2018, bronze at the Pyeongchang Olympics (mixed pairs, together with Krushelnitsky).

Anastasia and Alexander became the first Russian couple to win an Olympic medal in this sport.

However, soon after the competition, information appeared in the media that the Russians could be deprived of medals.

Anastasia Bryzgalova and Alexander Krushelnitsky with an Olympic medal

According to press reports, the banned drug meldonium was allegedly found in B. Krushelnitsky’s doping test.

Let us remind you that due to the previously erupted doping scandal, the Russians will compete at the 2018 Olympic Games as the “Olympic Team from Russia.”

Personal life and interesting facts Since 2012, Bryzgalova has been dating her teammate Krushelnitsky, whom she met in 2009.

According to data from open sources, when they started performing as a couple, at first there were conflicts, but the quarrels concerned mainly sporting issues.

Then Anastasia and Alexander were still able to get together, and their personal life not only did not negatively affect the sport, but even helped them become one of the best curlers in the world.

In 2017, Bryzgalova and Krushelnitsky formalized their relationship, so they went to the Olympics in a new status - husband and wife. For now, the athlete performs under her maiden name.

Wedding of Anastasia Bryzgalova and Alexander Krushelnitsky

The couple wears wedding rings and medallions with portraits of each other, and also loves the number “13,” which they consider lucky.

By the way, Alexander studies at the same university as Anastasia, and in general they practically never separate even outside the skating rink. Bryzgalova periodically publishes joint photos with her husband on Instagram, including personal ones, for example, from vacation.

The media call the girl “Russian Angelina Jolie” (due to her external resemblance to the Hollywood actress).

Anastasia Bryzgalova in 2018

It is interesting that Bryzgalova is the same age as Krushelnitsky, but her husband is 14 cm taller than her. Despite her small height (166 cm), journalists recognized Anastasia as one of the most beautiful athletes at the 2018 Olympics.

Russian curler Anastasia Konstantinovna Bryzgalova became famous for competing in international curling for the first time in Russian history, but she later had to return due to a doping scandal.

The girl of one of the most beautiful athletes at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang.

The future champion was born in winter, December 13, 1992, in St. Petersburg. Now she is receiving higher education at the St. Petersburg University of Physical Culture and Sports named after P. F. Lesgaft. Anastasia plays for the St. Petersburg club Adamant.

Curling

Bryzgalova got into it by accident. Mom saw an advertisement for enrollment in the section and brought her daughter to sign up. This happened in 2005. Anastasia was then ashamed to run around with a mop, but her character did not allow her to retreat. This is how the sports biography of the future star began.

Success came in 2013. Then the girl and the women's team took the third step of the podium at the junior tournament. A year later, the women's team came third in the same competition. In 2014, Anastasia and her mixed team finished in the top three at the Russian Championship.

Since 2015, she began performing in double mixed doubles with. Coaches did not want to put young people on the team because they believed that personal relationships would prevent the curlers from achieving success. Anastasia and Alexander had to prove their worth in pair work.

They even wanted to pair the guy with another girl, but he refused. At first it was difficult for the guys to play together, they often quarreled. After losing at one of the Russian championships, they even wanted to break up (in team terms), but then they pulled themselves together, played well and returned from the next tournament as winners.

Curling team Anastasia Bryzgalova and Alexander Krushelnitsky

In 2016 and 2017, the young couple achieved the championship at the main Russian tournament. October 2016 brought an unconditional victory for the mixed doubles at the world championship. From the same year they became members of the Russian curling team.

In 2018, Anastasia went to international games with her partner. The doping scandal did not affect curling. He is the vice-skip of the team.

Personal life

Sports brought Anastasia together with her future husband Alexander Krushelnitsky. The couple met back in 2009, but began dating only three years later. The girl said that at first she didn’t like the guy. She thought that the athlete was arrogant and persistent, but when they got to know each other better, everything changed.

Anastasia’s husband was born in the spring, on May 20, 1992, in Northern Palmyra. As a child, I dreamed of becoming a professional football player. Before he teamed up with Anastasia, he performed with. Former partner Alexandra also went to the 2018 Olympics with the team. In 2017, Alexander received the highest sports title of Master of Sports of Russia of international class.

Alexander planned to propose marriage to his beloved at the World Cup final if they won. I even bought a ring. But then he changed his mind and decided not to tempt fate. In the end, the couple won, and the young man regretted that he had missed the chance and asked to marry him after the competition, but also at the skating rink.

Returning from the World Cup as winners, the guys got married in the summer of June 13, 2017. In addition to rings, they wear medallions with portraits of each other. So the couple’s personal life couldn’t have worked out better.

The young people share a love for curling and the Zenit football team. They believe that 13 is the lucky number for their couple.

Alexander and his wife study at the University of Physical Education and Sports.

Anastasia Bryzgalova now

On February 13, 2018 at 03:05 Moscow time, Anastasia and her husband became bronze medalists at the Olympic Games. The young couple beat the Norwegian team in the decisive battle with a score of 8:4. For the first time, athletes from Russia stood on the championship podium in this sport.

Competitions between mixed teams in curling are the debut of the games. The champions shared their joy through social networks, posting photos with medals on

St. Petersburg residents Anastasia Bryzgalova and Alexander Krushelnitsky won the first Olympic medal in the history of Russian curling. The couple gained many fans who followed the emotional dialogues of the athletes on the ice, and the media called them “the most beautiful and talented couple” at this Olympics.

How did the careers of the Olympic champions begin, why did the coaches initially forbid them to play together, why did fans think that the couple would divorce after the competition, and which movie characters were Bryzgalova and Krushelnitsky compared to? "Paper" tells what is known about the famous pair of Olympians.

Bryzgalova and Krushelnitsky came to curling as teenagers. Both were not immediately successful

Anastasia Bryzgalova and Alexander Krushelnitsky were born in St. Petersburg, now they are 25 years old. Athletes say that they came to curling only at the age of 12 and 14, respectively.

Krushelnitsky said that he had been involved in football since childhood and played in the city’s amateur league. When he turned 14, his physical education teacher invited the teenager to the curling section, “since her eldest daughter was doing it.” At first he combined two sports, but soon switched completely to classical curling.

At the same time, at first Krushelnitsky did not show good results in curling: “We spent seven years skating with the men’s team in tournaments with almost no results. During this time I gained experience, learned to play and
met his destiny - Anastasia.”

Bryzgalova took up classical curling back in 2005: “I came to the skating rink, saw information about signing up for the group, my mother called and signed me up.”

According to Anastasia, initially she was ashamed to “run with a mop” and did not believe that she would be able to get to the World Championships or the Olympics. Bryzgalova says that she didn’t give up curling because “her character didn’t allow it” and she didn’t want to tell her mother that she couldn’t do it.

The couple met at training. At first the coaches were against them playing together

Bryzgalova and Krushelnitsky met in 2009 during training at the skating rink. Three years later they began a relationship. Soon both switched to double mixed doubles - a game in which pairs of one man and one woman compete.

Anastasia said that for a long time the coaches were against the couple playing together, since “personal relationships could interfere with showing high athletic results.” Therefore, the athletes performed with other partners.

Only in 2015 did Bryzgalova and Krushelnitsky convince the coaches that their duet was promising, and they began performing together. After that, according to the athletes, they began to get into important tournaments, but there was still no great success. They were eliminated from the Russian Championship in the quarterfinals, and because of this they did not qualify for further international tournaments. Coach Dmitry Melnikov now insisted that the couple continue performing together.

The following year, Bryzgalova and Krushelnitsky won the Russian and world championships, as well as several stages of the World Tour among mixed pairs - an analogue of the World Cup in curling.

On June 13, 2017, the athletes got married. “The wedding did not affect our performances, the quality of our play, or anything at all. We have been together for six years, we just decided to become one family and have a holiday on this occasion,” said Anastasia.

At the Olympics, the athletes gained many fans, The Sun and the Daily Mirror wrote about them

Doping scandals did not affect curling, so Bryzgalova and Krushelnitsky had no problems with the trip to Pyeongchang: they qualified for the national team thanks to previous successes. According to the athletes, they prepared for the games all season.

The British newspapers The Sun and Daily Mirror were the first to write about the St. Petersburg couple. In both cases, journalists paid attention to the group of athletes’ fans that formed after the first matches. Mostly fans said that they “watch curling only for Bryzgalova.”

The media called Anastasia a “Bond girl”, and Alexandra the hero of “Fast and Furious”

Soon, materials about the spouses appeared in The New York Times, Daily Mail and Reuters. The authors of the texts compared Bryzgalova with the “Bond girl” and Angelina Jolie, and Krushelnitsky with the heroes of the Fast and the Furious film series. They were called the “most beautiful and talented” couple at the 2018 Games.

Bryzgalova and Krushelnitsky started the 2018 Games with a defeat

Alexander and Anastasia lost their first match in the Olympic tournament to athletes from the USA with a score of 3:9.

They won the next five: first they beat the team from the USA (4:3), then the teams of Finland (7:5), China (6:5) and South Korea (6:5).

They lost the next three games again: first to Canada (2:8), and then to Switzerland (8:9). In the semi-finals the pair lost to the Swiss with a score of 5:7.

During the matches, the athletes talked emotionally. Fans asked if they would get divorced after the Games

During matches, especially those that the couple lost, Alexander and Anastasia spoke very emotionally to each other. The fans learned about this because the microphones that the athletes wear according to the rules of the competition were turned on.

In particular, fans paid attention to their dialogues during matches with the USA, China and Norway. Here are some of them (quotes from Sport Express).

From the match with the USA
Bryzgalova: There is no friction at all!
Krushelnitsky: We need a sweep, come on!
Bryzgalova: That would help! There is no friction at all!

From the match with China(after Bryzgalova did not throw the stone hard enough)
Bryzgalova: Ooh-oh!
Krushelnitsky: What the hell? Better do it!

From the match with Norway:
Bryzgalova: That's a lot! This is a departure.
Krushelnitsky: Well, I can’t help it. That's it, we're waiting. Don't even touch anything! Do you hear, no?
Bryzgalova: Let's agree that you go to the toilet, and then get up and get ready for the stone. Because no one needs this!
Krushelnitsky: I went to the toilet and went to get ready.
Bryzgalova: 10 seconds, Sash?

After one of the matches, Channel One asked the athletes if there was a problem that they were fighting on the ice. Bryzgalova was surprised in response:

In general, everything is fine with us. We even look very nice here. Sometimes we are so very formidable, but here we move away from bad shots quite easily, try to exhale and continue.

Shortly after the athletes' victory in the final, their coach said that what helped them achieve such results was that they stopped quarreling on the ice.

The couple took bronze at the 2018 Games. This is the first Olympic medal in curling in Russian history.

The curlers won bronze in a game in which the couple defeated the Norwegians with a score of 8:4. This is the third Russian victory at these Games and the first Olympic medal in curling in Russian history. Before her, the highest result was fifth place at the Games in Turin.

After the victory, Bryzgalova wished good luck to the remaining two teams. “Perhaps yesterday we could have finished the match in our favor. But the strongest wins,” she said.

Krushelnitsky said that he had “ambivalent feelings.” “We knew that we could win medals, even if it was bronze, but it was very important for us,” the athlete explained. Both of them called this match one of the best of their careers.

“We were able to survive yesterday’s defeat in the semi-finals from the Swiss and enter today’s match as one,” said Bryzgalova.

Krushelnitsky was suspected of doping. CAS opened a case against the athlete

On February 18, Krushelnitsky’s sample contained traces of meldonium. Together with coach Dmitry Melnikov, he stated that he did not use the prohibited drug. A day later, Krushelnitsky passed his accreditation and left the Olympic Village.

IOC Communications Director Mark Adams suggested that the test results could have been erroneous or that Krushelnitsky could have been laced with a prohibited drug in his food or drink. He noted that if the B sample is clean, then the athlete will be cleared of guilt.

Soon, the CAS anti-doping department opened a case against Alexander Krushelnitsky.

In Pyeongchang, spectators were once again convinced that athletes for the Russian curling team are recruited through modeling agencies. There is no other way to explain why they attract a good half of the world with their beauty and charm. Lyudmila Privivkova, Anna Sidorova, and now Anastasia Bryzgalova, which they managed to call “Bond girl”. However, what is most important is that Anastasia handles stones and brush very well: with her partner and husband Alexander Krushelnitsky Today she won a historic medal for Russia in curling.

In the meantime, the newly crowned Olympic medalists are rejoicing at their medal, we invite you to once again enjoy the beauty of Anastasia, because she will no longer perform in Pyeongchang.

Young Nastya got into curling through an advertisement. One day I came to the skating rink and saw an advertisement for recruitment to a group. Mom called the number and enrolled her daughter in the section. “When I first started, it was embarrassing to run around with a mop. It seemed like there was nothing going for me. But my character didn’t allow me to give up everything, plus I didn’t want to tell my mom that I couldn’t do it.”

At that moment, when Nastya began to succeed in curling, she met Sasha, who did not manage to achieve any impressive success in the sport. There was no love at first sight. The guys met in 2009, but started dating only in 2012.

At first, the coaches were against Anastasia and Alexander playing as a pair, because they were sure that their feelings could interfere with them. It took several years to convince the mentors: only since 2015 has Bryzgalova competed with Krushelnitsky in mixed doubles.

But not everything went smoothly for the couple. To take part in major international tournaments, Anastasia and Alexander needed to win the Russian Championship. However, the couple lost in the quarterfinals and were close to breaking up. In sports terms, of course.

“At first it was hard for us, of course,” recalled Alexander. – We even wanted to not play together anymore, but the result is above all. Now we’re used to it, we quarrel less. Playing together has a positive effect on us, we have learned to support each other. If one swears, the second one immediately calms him down. I used to be more emotional, but now Nastya is vomiting and lashing out.”

But the coaches, who noticed a special “chemistry,” this time insisted that Anastasia and Alexander work together for another year and compete at the next Russian Championship. The result was impressive: the couple won the Russian Championship and went to the World Championship.

At their debut World Championships in Sweden, Bryzgalova and Krushelnitsky shone. At the group stage - five wins in six matches and first place, and then four consecutive victories in the playoffs - over Slovakia, Finland, the USA and China. It was a real triumph!

Anastasia and Alexander celebrated their victory at the World Championships with a wedding. “The wedding did not affect our performances, the quality of our play, or anything at all. We’ve been together for six years, we just decided to become one family and have a celebration about it.”

At the Olympics, Bryzgalova and Krushelnitsky were among the favorites of the competition. But the tournament started unsuccessfully - with a painful defeat from the Americans. One could only be glad that their athlete in the USA was compared to Super Mario, while the Russians received more pleasant resumes - a Bond girl and the main character from Fast and the Furious. “It’s good that Sasha and I are not ugly after all,” Anastasia commented on these nicknames with a smile.

Having secured early access to the playoffs, the Russian pair set their sights on the semi-finals with Switzerland. However, the entire rather high-quality match was ruined by Alexander’s blunder with the last throw, which closed his and his partner’s path to the Olympic final.

But in the bronze medal match everything went without a hitch. The Norwegian team was defeated with a score of 8:4. And Anastasia and Alexander became the first Olympic medalists in the history of Russian curling!

There is an answer to the main question that interested many fans during the Olympic tournament: who is in charge in this sports family on the ice and in everyday life? Anastasia herself has already answered it. “Sasha, of course, is the boss on the ice, but at home we have equal rights.”