Olympia 2018: Russian speed skater Graf does without Olympic start

Claudia Pechstein’s long-time speed skating rival Olga Graf has decided not to start at the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. The Russian based her decision on the exclusion of several team-mates. Participation in the team pursuit is no longer possible.

“I’m glad that the IOC commission has classified me as a clean athlete. But it’s unfortunate that more than half of the Russian team, including my team-mates for the pursuit, are not allowed to start,”wrote the 34-year-old at Instagram.

Graf had won bronze at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi over 3000 meters and relegated Pechstein to fourth place. Graf had also won bronze in the team pursuit. This season their best World Cup result is an eleventh place over 3000m. Graf emphasized that the decision did not mean the end of her career.

Last week, the IOC invited 169 Russian athletes to participate in February’s competitions under a neutral flag. Many stars have to stay at home.