He said he didn't mean to offend anyone.
Russian Olympic Committee speed skater Daniil Aldoshkin apologized for giving two middle fingers after crossing the finish line against Team USA on Tuesday. Aldoshkin, 20, celebrated the finish that qualified his team for the gold medal race by flipping the bird with both hands. He later said he didn't mean to offend anyone.
“I threw up my hands,” he said, per rt.com. “I have the first medal, the first Olympics. I didn't mean anything like that. I'm sorry if this offended anyone.”
Aldoshkin, along with his teammates Ruslan Zakharov Sergey Trofinmov, eventually won the silver medal, losing to only Norway. Zakharov and Norway's Halgeir Engebroten both said it was purely emotional reaction and don't think any ill will was meant by it.
“In speed skating, we fight against time, not against an opponent,” Zakharov said, per rt.com. “It was purely an emotional reaction.”
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Alexei Kravtsov, president of the Russian Skating Union, chimed in and again said Aldoshkin meant no disrespect.
“Today was a very emotional day for our team,” Kravtsov said. “Daniil is a debutant of the games, he has the first Olympic medal in his career. In the semifinals, the team set an Olympic record. It was an outburst of emotion.
“We talked with the athlete, he made a statement at a press conference. 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.”
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