After the Biathlon World Championships

Scandal over veteran: theft, beating, ultimatum!

Andrejs Rastorgujevs (pictured) and assistant coach Ilmars Bricis are causing a stir.

(Bild: GEPA)

Great excitement in the biathlon world! The Latvian veteran Andrejs Rastorgujevs has made serious accusations against a coach. It's about ski theft, a fight with consequences and an ultimatum that the athlete is now said to have issued. The coach counters with his own version. 

Rastorgujevs is boiling with rage! The Latvian veteran accused co-coach Ilmars Bricis of stealing skis in an interview, as reported by "Latvijas Sabiedriskais medijs". The incident is said to have taken place on the sidelines of the World Championships mass start in Lenzerheide. 

According to the report, the biathlete discovered an attempted ski theft and immediately blamed Bricis. This was followed by a fight in which Rastorgujevs was injured. The coach has now confirmed that there was an altercation. However, he tells a different story.

Wild scenes in the hotel room
According to the story, the experienced player caught a hotel employee and then stormed into Bricis' room to reproach him. As the co-trainer's one-year-old son was also there, he asked Rastorgujevs to leave the room. This led to violence. 

"Of course it wasn't good, it was very bad, but it was the right thing to do," Bricis justifies to Latvian media. His wife also added: "I think it would be clear to any father that such a person should be pushed out of the room." 

Rastorgujevs was subsequently treated by the team doctor. He now wants to be examined again in hospital. There is a suspicion of a broken finger and a torn ligament. The 36-year-old is now said to have issued an ultimatum: Either Bricis is out or the veteran retires. The association has not yet issued a statement.