"Every time Nikita Filippov races, it's an uphill struggle. At the Olympics, even more so. The 23-year-old from Russia's far eastern Kamchatka peninsula is a medal contender in the rugged new Olympic sport of ski mountaineering sprinting up a slope and then skiing back down. At the Milan Cortina Olympics, he'll be one of the few Russians competing as Individual Neutral Athletes. They cannot wear any Russian symbols and won't hear the Russian national anthem if they win a gold medal."
"Many sports barred Russian athletes from competing as part of the diplomatic fallout after Russian troops moved into Ukraine four days after the last Winter Olympics in 2022. Ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the International Olympic Committee gradually opened up paths for athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus to qualify with neutral status. Fifteen Russians competed as neutral athletes in Paris, winning their only medal in tennis."
Nikita Filippov is a 23-year-old from Russia's far eastern Kamchatka peninsula and a medal contender in ski mountaineering sprint, which involves sprinting up a slope and skiing back down. Filippov will compete at the Milan Cortina Olympics as an Individual Neutral Athlete, prohibited from wearing Russian symbols or hearing the Russian national anthem if he wins gold. Filippov said neutral status increases his competitive zeal and motivates him to prove strength without a flag. Many sports barred Russian athletes after Russian troops moved into Ukraine in 2022. The IOC later allowed neutral qualification paths for athletes from Russia and Belarus ahead of Paris 2024. Russian officials estimated up to 15-20 athletes could qualify.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]