Skeleton rider messes up at the start, rides the rest of the course in shame
Ooooof.
Skeleton rider Alexander Tretiakov had an incredibly bad run during Friday’s heats at the Skeleton World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria. Right before riding the course, Tretiakov’s sled popped out of the starting groove, which led to a really awkward (and probably painful) landing on top of the sled. The rest of Tretiakov’s run was just watching him ride the course in icy, high-speed shame while commentators expressed dismay at what they had seen.
Tretiakov won skeleton gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, until he was stripped of it this year because of Russia’s doping scandal. He was one of the athletes banned from future Olympics by the International Olympic Committee (IOC); the IOC would later ban Russia from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) provisionally suspended Russia in the wake of the IOC’s decision but lifted the suspension days later, saying “there is still not yet sufficient evidence ... that would justify the provisional suspension being maintained for the time being.” This meant Tretiakov and his fellow athletes were allowed to participate at Friday’s World Cup. It remains to be seen if the IBSF will reinstate the suspension at a later date.
Martins Dukurs, who won silver in Sochi, would end up on top:
