It was a triumphant weekend for Russian athletes who competed at the European Athletics Championships and European Aquatics Championships, where they reaped medals and helped the country advance in competition standings.
Reigning synchronized swimming world champion Svetlana Romashina — who was a gold medalist in the team events at the Beijing and London Olympics — won gold for the European Championships' solo free final in Berlin on Sunday where she garnered 95.83 points. The title of European champion had evaded the 24-year-old athlete, who has now won every possible medal in synchronized swimming.
With seven days of competition remaining, Russia was ranked second Sunday in the medal standings with three gold medals and one bronze, trailing behind the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, at the European Athletics Championship in Zurich, Russia's national track-and-field team won four medals on Saturday, propelling the country to third place in the medal standings.
Yekaterina Koneva, a two-time triple jump gold medalist at the Summer Universiade, and Irina Gumenyuk finished second and third in the triple jump competition, with respective results of 14.69 and 14.46 meters.
Sergei Litvinov finished third in the hammer throw with a distance of 79.35 meters and Irina Davydova, a gold medalist at the 2012 Championships, finished third in the 400-meter hurdles, which she ran in 54.60 seconds.
With few competitions remaining before the championships closed Sunday evening, Russia had garnered three gold, three silver and 12 bronze medals.
See also:
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.