First World Ski Championships. World Ski Championships
A year earlier, the First Winter Olympic Games took place in Chamonix, Switzerland. Then both ski distances, 18 and 50 kilometers, were won by the Norwegian Thorleif Heug, who essentially became the first “king of skis.” Soon these competitions were recognized as the first world championship in skiing types sports.
Two more representatives of Northern European countries later managed to win both races within the same championship: Finn Matti Raivio in 1926 in Lahti and Swede Johan Lindgren in 1927 in Italian Cortina d'Ampezzo. At the same time, it is worth noting that in those years the Norwegians, Finns and Swedes simply had no competitors on the ski track.
The Scandinavian era in ski racing lasted until the 50s of the 20th century. It was then that representatives of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics joined the fight for awards.
At the first World Championship for Soviet athletes in 1954, the USSR national team won four gold medals out of a possible eight. The first champion of the thirty, which replaced the 18-kilometer race, was Soviet skier Vladimir Kuzin. He became the strongest at a distance of 50 kilometers. The delighted Swedish King Gustav VI presented him with a cup with the inscription “To the King of Skis from the King of Sweden.” Since then, a rider who, within one world championship or Olympic Games won at these distances, is unofficially considered the “king of skiing.”
At the same competition, another change in the rules appeared - women entered the ski track equally with men. At the next World Championships, held in February 1962 in the Polish town of Zakopane, the skier from the USSR Alevtina Kolchina, who won 7 gold medals during her career, climbed to the highest step of the podium three times.
But the Scandinavians did not think of giving up - Jermund Eggen became the hero of the 1966 world championship in Oslo, Norway. Everyone expected the Norwegian to repeat the record at the Grenoble Olympics, but the Scandinavian performed unsuccessfully in France.
The Swedish ski track again became happy for Soviet athletes: at the 1974 World Championships in Falun, Sweden, skier from the Republic of Udmurtia Galina Kulakova managed to win three gold medals, and the USSR national team won the relay race for the sixth world championship in a row!
In 1982 world championship in skiing returned to Norway. In Oslo, on her home track, Kulakova’s result was repeated by Berit Eunli.
Since 1985, the World Ski Championships, including ski jumping and Nordic combined, have been held by the FIS every two years. Another innovation in the mid-80s was the rule that allowed races to be held on skates.
One of the first who was able to quickly master the new way of traveling on the ski track was the Swede Gunde Swan: at the World Championships in Seefeld, Austria in 1985, he conquered both royal distances. Three more gold medals went to the Swede, who won four Olympic golds and 7 world championship gold medals during his career, based on the results of the competition in Lahti, Finland in 1989.
The great skier ended his career in 1991, but even then ski slopes a new hero has appeared. Norwegian Bjorn Daly became an Olympic champion eight times and a world champion nine times. Twice from Falun 1993 and Trondheim 1997, the legendary athlete brought home three gold medals.
Russian Elena Vyalbe showed an impressive result in the Italian Val di Fiemme in the winter of 1991. She added three gold medals and one silver to the two medals of the highest standard won in Lahti, losing in the 30 km skate only to her compatriot Lyubov Egorova.
One of those who competed with Daly in the 90s was the former Soviet skier competing for Kazakhstan, Vladimir Smirnov. The 1994 Olympic champion in the marathon at the World Championships in Thunder Bay, Canada, climbed to the highest step of the podium three times.
The second heroine of the 1995 world championship was Russian Larisa Lazutina. Future five-time Olympic champion and Hero Russian Federation brought four gold medals from distant Canada.
This one would seem eternal record Her compatriot Elena Vyalbe was able to beat her. In Trondheim, Norway in February 1997, she managed to win five medals of the highest standard out of five possible. This record cannot be repeated - it can only be surpassed.
Two years later, in the Austrian Ramsau, the finest hour of the Finn Mika Myllyla came.
Olympic champion Nagano becomes the “king of skis”, winning all individual races except the pursuit. At the next World Championships, held in Lahti, Finland, Myllula found himself at the center of a doping scandal: six leading athletes of the Finnish team were caught doping.
That world championship was the first in the career of Norwegian Marit Bjorgen. Just two years later, the talented skier won the sprint in Val di Fiemme. The World Championships, held in 2005 in Obersdorf, Germany, brought her three gold medals, one of which was especially valuable: the Norwegian team had not won a relay race at such competitions since 1982.
Marit, like the entire Norwegian women's team, failed the Olympics in Turin. There was hope to get even in Sapporo, but on the Japanese ski track, Finnish Virpi Kuitunen, who returned to the big sport after the 2001 doping scandal, shone. She brought 3 gold and a bronze medal to her country's team, which allowed the Finnish team to take second place in the team competition.
The 2009 World Championship returned to Europe again: in the Czech Liberec there was no equal to the Finnish Anna Kaise Saarinen. The athlete, who made her World Cup debut in 1998, added three gold medals to Sapporo's relay gold.
The new “king of skis” is the Norwegian Petter Northug. In addition to gold in the “thirty” and “fifty” medals, the Norwegian team with his participation became the strongest in the relay.
The 24-year-old athlete was considered as the main gold-miner for the Norwegian ski team at the Vancouver Olympics. The ski community was betting on whether Northur could become the “king of skis” in the Olympic tournament. Norgut did not make it into the top ten in the skiathlon, but at the distance of the 50-kilometer race he had no equal. One more gold medal the athlete won in the team sprint. His initiative was also supported by Marit Bjorgen, who won three gold medals in Canada.
At the 2011 World Championships, held in the homeland of Northug and Bjorgen, the Norwegian again made everyone applaud ski world- his piggy bank was replenished with three golds. Thanks to his phenomenal finish, the athlete, who became a national hero, easily defeated his opponents at distances of 30 and 50 kilometers and in the relay, thus becoming a two-time holder of the title “King of Skis” for the first time in history. Marit Bjorgen went even further, winning four gold medals out of a possible six.
If the title of “queen of skiing” was awarded to women, then Marit Bjorgen would have received such a title in 2013. At the World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy, in addition to the skiathlon and marathon, she managed to win the sprint. Just like in Oslo, the Norwegian team finished first in the relay. Petter Northug limited himself to two gold medals this time.
The Olympics in Sochi turned out differently for the current king and queen of cross-country skiing: Marit repeated the result of the games in Vancouver, and Northug was unlucky - he twice stopped one step away from the podium.
The 2015 World Championship brought the Norwegian team 9 out of 12 gold medals. The national anthem was played three times in honor of Theresa Johaug.
In Falun, everyone saw the old Northug. He reached the top step of the podium four times, bringing his number of world titles to 13.
The Norwegian athlete became the fourth athlete in the history of cross-country skiing to win more than 10 gold medals at the world championships. According to this indicator, the athlete shares first place with Elena Vyalbe and Marit Bjorgen, Larisa Lazutina has 11 medals of the highest standard in her collection. Neither the “best skier of the 20th century” Bjorn Daly, nor the six-time Olympic champion Lyubov Egorova, nor the five-time Olympian Thomas Alsgaard, nor the four-time winner managed to overcome the 10-medal mark olympic gold Raisa Smetanina, Galina Kulakova, Thomas Wassberg, Gunda Swan and Sixten Enberg.
Five athletes were awarded the title of “King of Skis” and only one athlete managed to win this honorary title at the Olympics: in 1980, the representative Soviet Union Nikolay Zimyatov. All other skiers won their victories at the world championships. Zimyatov, like Gunde Svan, ended their careers long ago, Vladimir Kuzin and Mika Myllyula are no longer alive.
At the world championship starting next February in Finnish Lahti, only one holder of this unofficial title will take to the ski track - Petter Northug. Whether he will be able to become a three-time “king of skis” and surpass Elena Vyalbe’s record for the number of gold medals, time will tell, but one thing is absolutely clear - with his victories, the skier from Mosvik has made a significant contribution to the Norwegian team’s treasury. At fifty world championships, the national team of this country won more than 120 gold medals, beating its closest competitor by almost twice.
Natalya Nepryaeva and Alexander Bolshunov will take part in the Toppidrettsvek 2019 competition in Norway
Russians Alexander Bolshunov and Natalya Nepryaeva will take part in the Toppidrettsvek 2019 roller ski competition, which will be held from August 22 to 24 in the Norwegian cities of Find, Aure and Trondheim. In total Russian team 15 people entered the competition, the official FIS website reports. Norwegian superstars will also be at the start of the race, including three-time Olympic champion and world champion and current World Cup winner Johannes Kläbo.
Petter Eliassen joined the team with Åkland and Nygård
Two-time winner series ski marathons Ski Classics Norwegian Petter Eliassen, on the eve of the anniversary X season, moved to the team of the Auckland brothers - Tim Ragde Eyendom. In the past IX season, Ragde Eyendom lost the championship to the Koteng team, despite the victory in the men's competition of one of its members, Andreas Nygård. At the same time, Eivind Moen Fjeld and both girls: Sophie Elebro and Kari Vihagen Eitnes left the team. The latter will be replaced by Norwegians Emily Fläten and Thea Krokan Murud.
Skiclassics on Eurosport-2 TV channel on Thursday, May 9 at 9.30
Watch the television review of the Skiclassics series of marathon races in the 2018/19 season on May 9 on the Eurosport-2 channel at 9.30 (Moscow time). On the Eurosport Player platform you can watch the program at any convenient time after the specified premiere date.
Technique, methodology
In the previously published article (), due to its large volume, all technical points. Therefore, now I propose to analyze only the actions of the swing leg when placing on the snow. For example, let’s take a simultaneous two-step skating move in the rise performed by Alexander Loginov and Johannes Boe.
Site partner news
On May 5, MASS SPORT celebrated 10 years in the sporting goods market. The famous biathlete Ekaterina Yurlova-Perkht congratulated the company on its anniversary and held an autograph session with loyal fans at the MASS SPORT equipment center in St. Petersburg. Ekaterina answered questions from fans, shared her impressions with young athletes and gave autographs. The meeting took place in a intimate and warm atmosphere.
Trondheim is the only candidate to host the 2025 World Ski, Jumping and Combined Championships
May 1 was the deadline for submitting applications for the 2024 and 2025 World Championships in sports that are part of the FIS international ski federation. The only candidate to host the championship in the so-called Nordic disciplines: cross-country skiing, ski jumping and Nordic combined was the Norwegian city of Trondheim. The last time the World Championships were held in this city was more than 20 years ago - in 1997.
Ida Ingemarsdotter announced her retirement
After 15 years in the World Cup, Swedish cross-country skier Ida Ingemarsdotter has announced her retirement from professional career. Ingemarsdotter started nine times at the Olympic Games, became Olympic champion in the relay and bronze medalist in the team sprint at the 2014 Sochi Games. At the World Championships, she won gold in the team sprint in Holmenkollen 2011 and five silver medals, including one individual - in the sprint in Val di Fiemme 2013
Yulia Belorukova and Nikita Stupak got married
Today, May 3, a wedding took place in Yekaterinburg Russian skiers Nikita Stupak and Yulia Belorukova. Nikita Stupak is the Russian champion in cross-country skiing, his wife Yulia Belorukova is a member of the Russian national team, two-time Olympic bronze medalist, silver and bronze medalist of the world championships, winner of the World Cup stages.
Johannes Kläbo: “I need someone who is stronger than me, this is the main reason for moving to a remote group”
Norwegian skier Johannes Klabo shared his expectations from working in a remote group. “I could probably slowly but surely develop in the sprint group. But I need someone who is stronger than me, that's the main reason why I changed teams. Now I'm waiting for summer and autumn interval training. The workload will be higher and I will soon see the difference,” Clabo said.
The Norwegian Ski Association has announced the final composition of the cross-country skiing team for the 2019/20 season. As previously reported, the team will have three groups: women, men sprinters and men all-rounders. There will be three newcomers in the women's team, Johannes Kläbo will move from the sprint team to the distance one, and, probably, the main surprise was the non-inclusion of Christine Schistad in the women's team, who showed herself brilliantly in the sprint race last season.
Johannes Kläbo and Jarl Riiber took to the start of the "Bysprinten"
It's the end of April, but neither the summer-like warm weather nor the fresh green foliage is stopping ski fans from continuing to follow the competitions. Yesterday another start called “Bysprinten” took place in Mosjøen, Norway. This is an urban sprint, in which many very strong skiers traditionally take part. This year, Johannes Klabo, Erik Bransdal, Andrew Young and Andrew Musgrave, Marie Eide, as well as world champions in combined events Jarl Magnus Riiber, Jorgen Grobak and Espen Bjornstad entered the race.
Congratulations to Konstantin Ivanovich Kholostov on his 70th birthday!
The permanent and irreplaceable “owner of the slopes” of one of the best specialized ski centers in Russia – ISTINY, in the Istra district of the Moscow region, celebrates a most venerable date. Konstantin Ivanovich Kholostov worked for half a century in the famous sports school TRUTH, founded by his older brother, Honored Trainer of the USSR Alexei Ivanovich, in the village of Golovino near Moscow.
Today, April 25, 2019, a meeting of the Presidium of the Russian Ski Racing Federation was held in Moscow, at which athletes - candidates for the Russian cross-country skiing team for the 2019/2020 sports season were approved. In total, there will be four groups in the main team: three mixed, under the leadership of Markus Kramer, Yuri Borodavko and Egor Sorin, and one purely male, under the leadership of Oleg Perevozchikov. The junior team will have a traditional division into men and women.
Ekaterina Yurlova's grandfather Evgeniy Paskarenko passed away
On April 23, the funeral of the USSR master of sports in cross-country skiing Evgeny Yuryevich Paskarenko took place in St. Petersburg. Evgeniy Yuryevich is the grandfather of Ekaterina Yurlova and generally an iconic person for amateur sports in Leningrad. In addition to raising two children, wonderful modest people Mikhail and Yurina - masters of sports in cross-country skiing and parents of another grandson and granddaughter - Paskarenko did a lot for the amateur ski movement in Russia.
Sergey Ustyugov: “Vyalbe will be the first one we invite to the wedding”
The past season was not the most successful for one of the leaders of the Russian national team - at the very beginning of it, Sergei Ustyugov broke his finger, and missed the end due to an examination due to problems with gastroenterology and periosteum. But the 27-year-old athlete did not lose his presence of mind and recently proposed marriage to his beloved Elena Soboleva, a skier of the Russian national team.
World-class professionals and amateurs will talk today about peak form, seasonal preparation and, of course, relaxation
Today, Tuesday, April 23, at 20.00 Moscow time, on the SportBox portal, world-class professionals and amateurs will talk about peak form, seasonal training and, of course, relaxation! Interesting? Don't miss the live broadcast and prepare your questions!
The 2019 World Ski Championships will be one of the most spectacular competitions in winter species sports. This tournament is characterized by uncompromising and unpredictability, and best athletes planets demonstrate their fighting spirit on the way to winning prestigious trophies. Today, the competition presented cannot boast a huge audience, such as matches or races. Nevertheless, the broadcasts of the event, which will be shown in Russia by the Eurosport2 TV channel, will attract tens of thousands of ski fans to their screens.
Where will it take place?
The 2019 World Cross-Country Championships will take place in Seefeld, Austria, from February 20 to March 3. The city will host this competition for the second time in history (the first took place in 1985). Initially, the following applications applied to host the world championship:
- Oberstdorf (Germany);
- Planica (Slovenia);
- Alma-Ata (Kazakhstan).
In the final vote, FIS officials ( International Federation skiing) preferred Seefeld. Oberstdorf, who had previously been in the lead for three rounds, lost by only 1 vote. The relatively long period of time during which the country did not host large-scale competitions under the auspices of the FIS played in favor of the Austrian application.
What races will it include?
The World Ski Championship will divide the stages of the 2018-2019 Ski World Cup into two parts. The Cup schedule will be approved only in May, but it is already known that there are no races on Russian territory (this affects doping scandal, caused by the "McLaren Report"). The 2019 World Cup final will be held in Quebec, Canada, where the sport is extremely popular.
As for the regulations of the World Ski Championships, they remained unchanged. Spectators can still expect such disciplines as:
- sprint (women's and men's);
- skiathlon (women's and men's);
- mass start, women, 30 km;
- mass start, men, 50 km;
- team sprint (women's and men's);
- women's 10 km individual race;
- Individual race for men 15 km.
The team relay races of 4 x 5 km for women and 4 x 10 km for men deserve special attention. The best representatives from FIS countries compete in this sport. The most intense struggle is taking place between representatives of Norway, Finland, Sweden, the USA, Canada and Russia.
Women's tournament favorites
After leaving big sport Marit Bjorgen's title of cross-country skiing queen remains vacant. Several athletes are capable of showing good results at the upcoming World Cup. Among them:
- Krista Parmakoski;
- Heidi Weng;
- Stina Nilsson;
- Maiken Caspersen Falla et al.
We should also talk about Charlotte Calla. It's the Swede who's on this moment looks the most preferable to her rivals, especially in her favorite discipline, skiathlon. In skating races along the way previous season Charlotte had no competitors, and it was unlikely that any would appear within a year. All this suggests that the Swede will take at least one gold medal at the World Championships.
There is a lot of talk around the return of ski racing prima Teresa Johaug. The Norwegian looked good at the World Cup stages, but health problems and decline physical fitness forced her to pause her career for a short time. As a result, the Norwegian missed the Olympics in Pyeongchang, but got the chance to fully prepare for the upcoming season. If Teresa manages to get into optimal condition for the World Cup, she will probably win several medals.
In the women's relay races, Norway no longer looks like the undisputed favorite. The presence of at least two weak stages does not guarantee the team even getting into the top three, although the Norwegians have a good chance of winning bronze. In terms of sporting potential, ski racers from Sweden and the USA look good. According to experts, it is they who will fight among themselves for first place in the protocol.
Men's tournament favorites
In men's cross-country skiing, several athletes are in the running for medals at the 2019 World Championships. First of all, it is worth including Martin Jonsrud Sundby, who has dominated the World Cup for several seasons. He regularly fails at the starts of the planetary championship, as well as the Olympics. Whether Sundby will be able to concentrate on the upcoming tournament remains a mystery to all fans of this sport.
Among other contenders for competition medals, we note:
- Alexa Harvey (retires 2019)
- Dario Cologne;
- Sergei Ustyugov;
- Emila Iversena;
- Ivo Niskanen;
- Markus Hellner;
- Maurice Monifica;
- Alexey Poltoranin and others.
Russia's main hope in cross-country skiing (besides Sergei Ustyugov) is Alexander Bolshunov. The athlete's favorite discipline is sprint, so only in it can one count on a podium. However, competition in the sprint increases every year, so Bolshunov will have to demonstrate all his skill and will to win to win a World Championship medal.
Separately, it is necessary to highlight the figure of Johannes Klabo. Just a few years ago, the Norwegian was perceived as a talented junior who could compete with eminent leaders. Now many call Clabo the king, who for many years has staked out the title of number one athlete in cross-country skiing. The Norwegian can prove his uniqueness directly at the 2019 World Championships. He has good chances for medals both in the sprint and in the team relay, where Norway also plays a dominant role.
Thus, the World Ski Championships will start on February 20, 2019 in Seefeld, Austria. The tournament program includes several spectacular disciplines in which the best athletes will compete for medals. Fans can expect intense emotions, a battle of nerves, overtaking and falling. Don't miss the performances of the best skiers on the planet trying to write their names in the history of world sports.
Watch the 2018 World Ski Championships in Skiathlon next video:
Rumfoord (cross-country skiing)
Engelberg (ski jumping)
Switzerland Switzerland
Medal statistics
| Place | A country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Sum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Norway Norway | 126 | 98 | 100 | 324 |
| 2. | Finland Finland | 62 | 69 | 64 | 195 |
| 3. | Russia, Russia(including OK and USSR) | 60 | 55 | 52 | 167 |
| 4. | Sweden Sweden | 44 | 43 | 43 | 130 |
| 5. | Germany Germany(including the GDR) | 37 | 51 | 35 | 123 |
| 6. | Austria Austria | 22 | 21 | 25 | 68 |
| 8. | Italy Italy | 10 | 20 | 23 | 53 |
| 8. | Czech Republic Czech Republic(including Czechoslovakia) | 10 | 18 | 17 | 45 |
| 9. | Japan Japan | 20 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
| 10. | Poland Poland | 8 | 6 | 10 | 24 |
| 11. | USA USA | 7 | 3 | 4 | 14 |
| 12. | France France | 6 | 4 | 10 | 20 |
| 13. | Switzerland Switzerland | 4 | 5 | 7 | 16 |
| 14. | Estonia World Ski Championships | ||||
An excerpt characterizing the World Ski Championships
“Unterkunft,” Pierre repeated.“Onterkoff,” said the captain and looked at Pierre with laughing eyes for several seconds. – Les Allemands sont de fieres betes. “N"est ce pas, monsieur Pierre? [These Germans are such fools. Isn’t it so, Monsieur Pierre?],” he concluded.
- Eh bien, encore une bouteille de ce Bordeau Moscovite, n "est ce pas? Morel, va nous chauffer encore une pelilo bouteille. Morel! [Well, another bottle of this Moscow Bordeaux, isn’t it? Morel will warm us another bottle. Morel !] – the captain shouted cheerfully.
Morel served candles and a bottle of wine. The captain looked at Pierre in the light, and he was apparently struck by the upset face of his interlocutor. Rambal, with sincere grief and sympathy on his face, approached Pierre and bent over him.
“Eh bien, nous sommes tristes, [What is it, are we sad?],” he said, touching Pierre’s hand. – Vous aurai je fait de la peine? “Non, vrai, avez vous quelque chose contre moi,” he asked again. – Peut etre rapport a la situation? [Perhaps I have upset you? No, really, don’t you have something against me? Maybe regarding the position?]
Pierre did not answer, but looked affectionately into the Frenchman’s eyes. This expression of participation pleased him.
- Parole d"honneur, sans parler de ce que je vous dois, j"ai de l"amitie pour vous. Puis je faire quelque chose pour vous? Disposez de moi. C"est a la vie et a la mort. C"est la main sur le c?ur que je vous le dis, [Honestly, not to mention what I owe you, I feel friendship for you. Can I do something for you? Use me. This is for life and death. I tell you this, putting my hand on my heart,” he said, hitting himself on the chest.
“Merci,” said Pierre. The captain looked intently at Pierre the same way he looked when he learned what the shelter was called in German, and his face suddenly lit up.
- Ah! dans ce cas je bois a notre amitie! [Ah, in that case, I drink to your friendship!] - he shouted cheerfully, pouring two glasses of wine. Pierre took the glass he had poured and drank it. Rambal drank his, shook Pierre's hand again and leaned his elbows on the table in a thoughtfully melancholy pose.
“Oui, mon cher ami, voila les caprices de la fortune,” he began. – Qui m"aurait dit que je serai soldat et capitaine de dragons au service de Bonaparte, comme nous l"appellions jadis. Et cependant me voila a Moscou avec lui. “Il faut vous dire, mon cher,” he continued in the sad, measured voice of a man who is about to tell a story. long story, - que notre nom est l "un des plus anciens de la France. [Yes, my friend, here is the wheel of fortune. Who would have told me that I would be a soldier and captain of dragoons in the service of Bonaparte, as we used to call him However, here I am in Moscow with him. I must tell you, my dear... that our name is one of the most ancient in France.]
And with the easy and naive frankness of a Frenchman, the captain told Pierre the history of his ancestors, his childhood, adolescence and manhood, all his family, property, and family relationships. “Ma pauvre mere [“My poor mother.”] played, of course, an important role in this story.
– Mais tout ca ce n"est que la mise en scene de la vie, le fond c"est l"amour? L"amour! “N"est ce pas, monsieur; Pierre?” he said, perking up. “Encore un verre.” [But all this is only an introduction to life, its essence is love. Love! Isn’t it so, Monsieur Pierre? Another glass. ]
Pierre drank again and poured himself a third.
- Oh! Les femmes, les femmes! [ABOUT! women, women!] - and the captain, looking at Pierre with oily eyes, began to talk about love and his love affairs. There were a lot of them, which was easy to believe, looking at the smug, Beautiful face officer and the enthusiastic animation with which he spoke about women. Despite the fact that all of Rambal's love stories had that dirty character in which the French see the exceptional charm and poetry of love, the captain told his stories with such sincere conviction that he alone experienced and knew all the delights of love, and described women so temptingly that Pierre listened to him with curiosity.
It was obvious that l "amour, which the Frenchman loved so much, was neither that lower and simple kind of love that Pierre once felt for his wife, nor that romantic love, inflated by himself, that he felt for Natasha (both types of this love Rambal equally despised - one was l"amour des charretiers, the other l"amour des nigauds) [the love of cabbies, the other - the love of fools.]; l"amour, which the Frenchman worshiped, consisted mainly in the unnaturalness of relationships with women and in a combination of ugliness that gave the main charm to the feeling.
So the captain told the touching story of his love for one charming thirty-five-year-old marquise and at the same time for a charming innocent seventeen-year-old child, the daughter of the charming marquise. The struggle of generosity between mother and daughter, which ended with the mother, sacrificing herself, offering her daughter as a wife to her lover, even now, although a long-past memory, worried the captain. Then he told one episode in which the husband played the role of a lover, and he (the lover) played the role of a husband, and several comic episodes from souvenirs d'Allemagne, where asile means Unterkunft, where les maris mangent de la choux croute and where les jeunes filles sont trop blondes. [memories of Germany, where husbands eat cabbage soup and where young girls are too blond.]
Finally, the last episode in Poland, still fresh in the captain’s memory, which he recounted with quick gestures and a flushed face, was that he saved the life of one Pole (in general, in the captain’s stories, the episode of saving a life occurred incessantly) and this Pole entrusted him with his charming wife (Parisienne de c?ur [Parisian at heart]), while he himself entered the French service. The captain was happy, the charming Polish woman wanted to run away with him; but, moved by generosity, the captain returned his wife to the husband, saying to him: “Je vous ai sauve la vie et je sauve votre honneur!” [I saved your life and save your honor!] Having repeated these words, the captain rubbed his eyes and shook himself, as if driving away the weakness that had seized him at this touching memory.
Listening to the captain's stories, as often happens in the late evening and under the influence of wine, Pierre followed everything that the captain said, understood everything and at the same time followed a number of personal memories that suddenly appeared to his imagination for some reason. When he listened to these stories of love, his own love for Natasha suddenly suddenly came to his mind, and, turning over the pictures of this love in his imagination, he mentally compared them with the stories of Rambal. Following the story of the struggle between duty and love, Pierre saw before him all the smallest details of his last meeting with the object of his love at the Sukharev Tower. Then this meeting had no influence on him; he never even thought about her. But now it seemed to him that this meeting had something very significant and poetic.
“Peter Kirilych, come here, I found out,” he now heard these words spoken, saw before him her eyes, her smile, her travel cap, a stray strand of hair... and something touching, touching seemed to him in all this.
Having finished his story about the charming Polish woman, the captain turned to Pierre with the question of whether he had experienced a similar feeling of self-sacrifice for love and envy of his lawful husband.
Provoked by this question, Pierre raised his head and felt the need to express the thoughts that were occupying him; he began to explain how he understood love for a woman a little differently. He said that in all his life he had loved and loves only one woman and that this woman could never belong to him.
