Olympics 2026: Belarus' Marina Zueva 15th in 3,000m

“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.”

 

 

“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.