- Russian speed skater Daniil Aldoshkin had an unconventional reaction to winning a race Tuesday.
- After the semifinal of the men's team pursuit he threw up two middle fingers to the stands.
A speed skater representing the
20-year-old Daniil Aldoshkin, part of the ROC men's pursuit team in Beijing, made the gesture after he and his teammates Sergey Trofimov and Ruslan Zakharov defeated Team USA in the semifinals of the event Tuesday.
The semi-final win meant that the ROC team was guaranteed at least the silver medal.
As the team crossed the finish line in a new Olympic record time, Aldoshkin threw up his middle fingers and gestured them towards the stands. It was unclear exactly who the gesture was aimed at.
The ROC team went on to finish second to Norway in the team pursuit final getting them the silver. The US took third, defeating the Netherlands in the bronze medal race.
Footage of Aldoshkin's gesture was widely shared on social media, with Norwegian Olympic speed skater Espen Aarnes Hvammen posting video of the incident to Twitter alongside the caption: "What kind of celebration is it from the Russian after the semifinals? The Olympic Spirit or The Middle Finger?"
—Espen Aarnes Hvammen (@ehvammen) February 15, 2022
Aldoshkin later apologized, saying he meant no offense with the gesture.
"I threw up my hands," he said, per Russian state media outlet RT. "I have the first medal, the first Olympics. I didn't mean anything like that. I'm sorry if this offended anyone."
His teammate Zakharov also defended Aldoshkin's action, saying it was "purely an emotional reaction," per RT.
In a statement, Alexei Kravtsov, the Russian Skating Union's president apologized on Aldoshkin's behalf, describing the gesture as an "outburst of emotion."
"Emotions took over at the finish line, there was no subtext in this action. 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."
Speed skating has been at the center of a number of controversies during the 2022 Winter Olympics, with judging and refereeing decisions a particular bone of contention.
Early in the games there were suggestions of pro-Chinese bias by some athletes, including Kwak Yoon-gy of South Korea.
"Looking at the way China won the gold medal, I felt bad that my younger teammates had to watch something like that," Kwak said after the mixed team relay semifinals. In that event, China only made the final after the ROC and US teams were disqualified. China went on to win gold.
"I thought to myself, 'Is this really what winning a gold medal is all about?' Things all just felt very hollow."
Pro-Chinese bias evaporated somewhat, however, when the hosts' star skater Ren Ziwei was disqualified from a race.