An Olympic gold medal for a Russian athlete is a triumph for the whole country, regardless of ethnic divisions, a judo champion famous for celebrating with President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.
Tagir Khaibulaev won judo gold in the 100 kilogram category on August 2 and soon afterwards posed for photographs with Putin, who had been watching from the stands and is a noted judo fan.
Khaibulaev hails from the southern province of Dagestan, where a local insurgency regularly mounts attacks on the Russian police and army and carries out suicide bombings that have left many civilians dead.
“There was a question about the ethnicity of medals; these medals are for all of Russia,” he said.
“They don’t have any ethnicity, it’s our shared victory.”
Khaibulaev was speaking after a ceremony at which Putin presented Russia’s gold medalists with Russian state honors, with Khaibulaev receiving the Order of Friendship, typically given to those who improve ties between Russia and foreign countries.
