Russian cross country skier Sergey Ustiugov is a two-time World Champion and a Tour de Ski winner, having skied professionally for nearly 10 years.

Ustiugov began his career when he took up cross country skiing at the sports school he attended. He quickly progressed through the junior ranks, winning a gold medal at the World Youth Cross Country Skiing Championships in 2011 and just a year later taking home four gold medals at the Youth Championships in Turkey. In 2013 he made it onto the podium at a World Cup event for the first time, winning a bronze medal at the FIS World Ski Championships in the relay. Over the next few years, Ustiugov was a strong competitor at both World Cup and World Championship competitions, and became known as a force to be reckoned with. In 2016 he took a silver at the Ski Tour Canada event and a bronze at the Tour de Ski, followed by a gold in the Tour de Ski the following year. He finished overall second place at the 2017 World Cup, the same year he won an incredible five medals at the World Championships including two golds and three silvers.

This top athlete’s form shows no signs of decline, with silver medals at both the 2019 and the 2020 Tour de Ski events. Ustiugov also took home two gold medals in Switzerland and Italy at the end of 2019, proving he is still one to watch.