Former Russian sledgeman Vladimir Zaitsev dies of leukemia at 31

On May 5, the bobsleigh community was shocked by the terrible news – Vladimir Zaitsev died at the age of 32. The death of the athlete was reported in social networks by his wife Saina.

From an early age, Vladimir demonstrated his success in bobsleigh. He became the winner and laureate of the junior championship of Russia and the laureate of the Russian championship. In 2014, the athlete entered the junior world championship, where he managed to win a silver medal. It seems that such a start should have ensured an excellent future in the bobsleigh.

Soon Vladimir entered the main Russian team and received the title of international master of sports in bobsleigh. However, he could not get a place in the team, his career in the national team was short-lived. Zaitsev’s last performance on the international stage for the Russian national team was the European Cup stage in January 2016, where he was sixth in his four-man team. At the age of 30, he ended his sled career. Recently, she lived in the city of Kovrov, Vladimir Region, where she worked in a local fitness club.

In February 2023, a terrible post appeared on the Instagram account of Vladimir’s wife: on the 18th, Zaitsev was diagnosed with acute leukemia.

Saina supported her husband in everything and hoped for a positive outcome. She raised money for treatment through social networks, she. But the methods chosen in Russia did not give positive dynamics, the condition of the athlete worsened. Only foreign expensive clinics had options.

After some time, they managed to collect a third of the required amount, and Vladimir went to Istanbul. After consultation, local doctors made a decision – a bone marrow transplant and an even larger sum of money are required for treatment. Zaitsev’s condition remained stable. At the end of April, the first chemotherapy was applied. There was hope that everything would start to improve, but then the bobsleigh got worse. Vladimir passed away this morning.