Russian-Born Figure Skater Dies After Fall From Moscow Window

Olympic figure skater Yekaterina Alexandrovskaya, a 20-year-old Australian national who was born in Russia, has died after falling out of a window in Moscow, her coach said.

Russian officials did not immediately comment on the cause of death, but coach Andrei Khekalo told AFP news agency that she had fallen from a sixth-floor window in central Moscow.

Russian media said she had left a note reading “I love” in Russian, suggesting it could have been a suicide.

The coach said Aexandrovskaya missed a training session in January and was later diagnosed with epilepsy, leading her to quit the sport.

He said she had earlier suffered from depression.

The Australian Olympic Committee confirmed her death.

“It is enormously sad to lose Katia who was a vibrant and talented person and an incredible athlete,” AOC Vice President Ian Chesterman, who was the team’s chef de mission in PyeongChang, said in a statement.

Alexandrovskaya, who obtained her Australian citizenship in 2016, competed in the pairs with Harley Windsor at the 2018 PyeongChang Games in South Korea. The pair won the 2017 world junior title.

Windsor, Australia’s first indigenous athlete to compete at a Winter Olympics, said he was “devastated” by the news of Alexandrovskaya’s death.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP