A Russian speedskater on Tuesday displayed the most colorful — well, off-color, actually — celebration of the 2022 Winter Olympics thus far.
After earning Russia a win over the U.S. in the men’s team pursuit semifinals, Daniil Aldoshkin threw up a double-bird in celebration. He displayed the two middle fingers shortly after he crossed the finish line with teammates Ruslan Zakharov and Sergey Trofimov in an Olympic-record time, beating the U.S. and clinching a spot in the gold medal race.
“I threw up my hands, I have the first medal, the first Olympics,” Aldoshkin said, according to RT.com. “I didn’t mean anything like that. I’m sorry if this offended anyone.”
The ol’ double bird from Russia to the US, or to the world. Good day for it. https://t.co/w3kzc5FVDm
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) February 15, 2022
Russian Skating Union president Alexei Kravtsov also gave a half apology on behalf of Aldoshkin, citing the 20-year-old’s young age.
“Emotions took over at the finish line, there was no subtext in this action,” Kravtsov said, per RT.com. “We are sorry if someone differently perceived this situation and [it] offended someone. On behalf of the Russian Skating Union, we offer our official apologies.”
Russia later lost to Norway in the final, claiming the silver medal in the event, while the U.S. defeated the Netherlands for the bronze medal.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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