Russian skeleton racer Nikitina takes bronze at 2021 IBSF World Championship in Germany

MOSCOW, February 12. /TASS/. Russian skeleton racer Yelena Nikitina won bronze on Friday at the 2021 IBSF (the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation) Bobsleigh World Championship, which is hosted by Germany’s Altenberg between February 5 and 14. Nikitina showed an aggregate result of 3 minutes 54.65 seconds after four runs, which was 1.68 seconds behind gold medal winner Tina Hermann of Germany (3 minutes 52.97 seconds). Hermann’s teammate Jacqueline Lolling showed second best result of 3 minutes 53.08 seconds to take the silver. The 2020 IBSF Bobsleigh World Championship was also hosted by Germany’s Altenberg and the Russian team of bobsledders failed to win any medal at that championship. The team of Russian bobsledders and skeleton racers is competing in Altenberg under the flag of the Bobsleigh Federation of Russia (BFR). When Russian athletes win medals at the championship, an official IBSF anthem is played for them during the awarding ceremonies instead of the Russian national anthem. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland’s Lausanne partially upheld on December 17 WADA’s (the World Anti-Doping Agency) previous ruling on a number of sanctions against Russian sports. According to the CAS decision as of December 17, 2020, Russian athletes are deprived of the right to participate in all world championships and Olympic and Paralympic Games under the national flag of Russia for a two-year period. The national anthem of Russia was also ruled out to be played at international sport tournaments in the course of the next two years, including at the upcoming Olympic Games in Japan this year. The ruling of the Swiss-based court also stripped Russia of the right to bid for the organization of all international sports tournaments for the period of two years. WADA’s sanctions will be in force until December 2022. Read more