Roman Kostomarov’s health has further deteriorated.
Russian ice dancer Roman Kostomarov, a Winter Olympic champion, is reportedly in critical condition in the hospital after amputating his foot and several fingers.
He was admitted on January 10 with what was initially assumed to be COVID-19 but later turned out to be an advanced cold that developed into pneumonia.
Kostomarov required ventilators to keep him alive and was eventually transferred to a specialist hospital in Moscow, but his condition did not improve.
Due to circulatory issues and gangrene, doctors made the difficult decision to amputate one of his feet and several fingers.
Kostomarov was then placed into an induced coma after a stroke and a second brain hemorrhage that impacted his sight.
Although he initially fought for his life, Kostomarov has shown some progress and has been brought out of his coma.
However, he will remain out of action for the foreseeable future as he continues to receive constant care.
The news of Kostomarov’s critical condition has shocked the world of ice skating, and fellow athletes have expressed their concern and support on social media.
Despite having a cough, Kostomarov had been performing in shows throughout the winter, reportedly taking drugs to mask the pain.
He was due to feature in the 25-city Ice Age show in the spring, but the director of the project, Ilya Averbukh, canceled the Moscow show due to Kostomarov’s condition.
Who is Roman Kostomarov?
Kostomarov retired from competing in 2006 after winning the Winter Olympic gold at the Turin Games 2006 alongside Tatiana Navka following their World Championship titles in 2004 and 2005.
He is married to fellow Russian ice dancer Oksana Domnia, and they have two children together, a daughter named Anastasia, who is 12, and a son named Ilya, who is seven.
Kostomarov began skating at the age of nine and was put in ice dancing at eleven by his coach.
He won the 1996 World Juniors Championships with Ekaterina Davydova. Kostomarov began competing with Tatiana Navka during the 1998–99 season, coached by Natalia Linichuk.
They won the bronze medal at the Russian Championships and were sent to the World Championships, placing 12th in their first season together.
Linichuk then dissolved the team and paired Kostomarov with Anna Semenovich. He competed with Semenovich during the 1999–2000 season. In mid-2000, Kostomarov called Navka and asked to skate with her again.
They were coached by Alexander Zhulin in New Jersey. Navka/Kostomarov won the World title in 2004 and again in 2005.
They also won three European titles from 2004–2006. They retired from competition after winning gold at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, but continue to skate in shows together.
