BEIJING (Reuters) – Russian biathlete Valeria Vasnetsova will miss the Beijing Olympics that begin this week after twice testing positive for COVID-19 and is expected to be replaced by Evgenia Burtasova, the Russian Biathlon Union said.
Vasnetsova, 24, is currently in quarantine in Beijing.
“Unfortunately my Olympic dream will remain just a dream,” Vasnetsova wrote on her Instagram account on Monday, RIA news agency reported. “Maybe one day I will find the strength to rise again but it will be a completely different story.”
Burtasova won gold in the 15 km individual and the single mixed relay at the Open European Championships this month.
Several Russian athletes, including figure skater Mikhail Kolyada and skeleton racer Nikita Tregubov, tested positive for the coronavirus before travelling to China. While Kolyada has been ruled out of the Games, Tregubov is hoping to recover in time so that he can still travel to the Chinese capital.
At the Beijing Games, which run Feb. 4-20, Russians will be competing as representatives of the Russian Olympic Committee without their flag or anthem because of doping sanctions imposed on Russia.
(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
