Medal-winning Russian killed in car crash

Published on Tuesday 20 October 2009 22:43

RUSSIAN gymnast Yury Ryazanov was killed in a car crash yesterday, just five days after winning a bronze medal at the world championships in London.

Ryazanov was driving on a highway to his home city of Vladimir, around 125 miles east of Moscow, when his car collided head on with another vehicle, a Russian gymnastics federation spokeswoman said. He died at the scene.

The 22-year-old had just returned home from the world gymnastics championships at London's O2 Arena, where he finished third in the all-around competition to claim Russia's first medal in the top individual event in a decade.

Ryazanov was in the same competition as Daniel Keatings, who claimed Britain's first all-around medal at the world championships with silver in the event. Japan's Kohei Uchimura won the gold medal.

Ryazanov was one of Russia's most promising gymnasts, winning this year's national all-around title and finishing third at the European championships in Milan.

"This is very tragic news for Russian gymnastics," federation spokeswoman Natalia Kalugina said. "He was one of our most talented young athletes who could have achieved many great things for our sport."

Russia's head men's gymnastics coach Yevgeny Nikolko said: "I'm still in shock. When he told me he was going to drive home I just told him 'Please, be careful'. And now this terrible thing happened. I have no words to describe it."

Russia's overloaded roads are treacherous, with about 30,000 people dying in motor accidents in the country last year according to official figures.