Oyne cross country skier Andrew Musgrave battled through “horrifically hard” conditions to finish 17th in the men’s skiathlon at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The 31-year-old’s hopes of challenging for a medal at his fourth Games were effectively ended by a lightning-fast start by Russian gold medallist Alexander Bolshunov.
Musgrave, who finished seventh in the same event in Pyeongchang, slid away from the leaders in the early stages and paid tribute to Bolshunov, who held off his compatriot Denis Spitsov to win by 71 seconds.
“It’s one of the slowest 30kms I’ve ever done,” said Musgrave.
“It felt horrifically hard but I just blew up after three laps there. It was a bit of a wild race.
“I wasn’t feeling too bad but the form Bolshunov is in at the moment is absolutely wild. That’s one of the most ridiculous races that’s ever been done.
“You don’t get gaps like that in our sport normally. Hats off to him – ridiculously impressive.
17th wasn't the start to the Olympics I'd dreamed of😢 The pace today was ridiculous & I tried to hang on a little too long. At this altitude, once you're in the red, there's no coming back. After 9km I was definitely in the red😵 I'll be back stronger for the next ones though💪
— Andrew Musgrave (@musgraveandrew) February 6, 2022
“We’re going to have to do something miraculous to beat him.
“Bolshunov went so ridiculously fast that I had to push a bit too hard.
“In altitude like this and on such abrasive snow, if you push a bit too hard, you’ve got no chance to recover.
“I didn’t feel too bad but it took me three laps to recover after going too fast in the classic section. I was so far behind.”
Musgrave, who will now set his sights on his favoured men’s 50km later in the Games, is determined to remain upbeat.
He said: “It wasn’t the ideal start but I felt pretty alright on the skate section so I think I’ll be able to pull a good 50km out.
“I’m going to need a few days to recover after this because it was absolutely solid.”