Olympic champion’s coach injured by American rockets – media

Russian judo coach Igor Romanov, whose protege Arsen Galstyan won Olympic gold at London 2012 Games, has been injured by a Ukrainian shelling in Zaporozhye Region, media reported on Friday.

According to the Telegram channel Mash, the trainer was among those recruited as part of the partial mobilization announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin last month.

Romanov reportedly underwent a week-long training course before being deployed at the Zaporozhye nuclear power station, which has repeatedly been targeted by Ukrainian shelling and drone strikes over the past few months. Kiev also tried sending sabotage teams to gain control of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, but those attacks have been repelled.

The 47-year-old coach was injured after his unit came under Ukrainian fire with the use of US-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, Mash claimed. No further details as to the exact location have been revealed.

Romanov has been hospitalized with shrapnel wounds to his back and other body parts, but his life is currently not in danger, the head of his sports club, based in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar, told the RBK media outlet.

Galstyan has also confirmed that his coach was injured by Ukrainian forces. “The main thing is that he’s alive. He’s now undergoing treatment at the hospital. Yes, he was taking part in the military operation and suffered shrapnel wounds,” the Olympic champion told the Russian channel MatchTV.

Zaporozhye Region was officially incorporated into the Russian Federation in early October, together with Kherson Region and the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, after the population of those territories overwhelmingly supported the move during referendums. Kiev and its Western backers have labeled the votes a “sham” and continue to view the territories as parts of Ukraine.