Roman Kostomarov Biography: How Olympic Champion Losses Legs and Could Lose Hands Due to Pneumonia in The 21st Century

On February 8, Roman Kostomarov turned 46. His wife, Olympic ice dancing champion Oksana Domnina, said they couldn't have imagined a year ago how their lives would turn out. On January 10, the famous former figure skater was hospitalized with pneumonia. His condition gradually improved, but in early February, news spread about the amputation of the athlete's foot. Telecom Asia Sport brings you the biography of Roman Kostomarov, who is currently fighting for his life. Today we'll recall his fascinating career and try to find the answer to the question: Why is pneumonia still a threat in 2023?

Childhood and Youth

Roman Kostomarov was born in Moscow on February 8, 1977. The parents of the future Olympic champion had nothing to do with sports. His mother was a cook, and his father was an electrician. Kostomarov later said that if he hadn't been in figure skating, he would have been an ordinary man, working as an electrician like his father.
Before figure skating, Kostomarov wanted to try other sports. His mother took him to gymnastics and swimming, but things didn't work out for the boy in those areas. Then they decided to bring Kostomarov to the AZLK Ice Palace. 

Early Career

Kostomarov's first partner was Ekaterina Davydova. The girl's mother, Lidiya Karavaeva, was a family friend and a coach. When she was looking for a partner for the figure skater, the choice was made in favor of Kostomarov.

It is worth noting that at first, Roman was embarrassed to admit that he was into the "girls' sport" and didn't tell his friends what he was doing. When asked about his training, he said he went to figure skating or ice hockey.

He and Davydova skated together for about ten years. Their major accomplishment was a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships. They also finished third at the 1997 Russian Championship for adults.

The next stage of his career started when the skater moved to the United States. In 1998 he joined Natalya Linichuk's team and was immediately paired with Tatiana Navka, but the coach soon became frustrated with the pair. This was mainly due to the duo's poor results. They finished eleventh at the European Championships and twelfth at the World Championships. And even a third place at the national championships couldn't save the duo from falling apart. The coach insisted that Roman spend the 1999/00 season with Anna Semenovich.

However, the figure skater didn't achieve great results with the future singer: they finished tenth at the European Championships and thirteenth at the World Championships. Their best result was a silver medal at the national championships. Despite all their efforts, the coaches didn't take Kostotmarov seriously. Semenovich was the main focus of their attention, which caused frequent arguments within the pair.

Soon the skater was convinced that he had no future with Semenovich and left Linichuk's team. He was left alone in a foreign country and didn't know what to do. Kostomarov was already thinking about quitting the sport and returning to Russia, but at that moment Alexander Zhulin unexpectedly contacted him. The young coach was dating Tatiana Navka at that time. He offered Kostomarov to team up with his former partner again. And Roman agreed.

The reunion didn't bear fruit right away. Yes, everything was fine at the national competitions. A silver medal at the Russian Championships was important proof. But their results in international competitions were still mediocre. They finished seventh at the 2003 European Championships and eighth at the World Championships. At their first Olympic Games in Salt Lake City in 2002, they finished in tenth place. 

Highlights of Roman's Career

The next season, however, their results skyrocketed. In 2003 they became national champions for the first time, then won bronze at the European Championships, and at the World Championships they were just one step away from the podium. But even then, it was clear that this duo was going to make a statement.

And they did. Starting in the 2003/04 season, they became the dominant team in figure skating. They won the national championship three times, the European championship three times, and made the same hat trick in the Grand Prix finals. As for the World Championships, they climbed to the top step of the podium twice - in 2004 and 2005.

Kostomarov and Navka at the 2006 Torino Olympics

They came to the Torino Olympics as double European and World Champions. Naturally, they were the headliners in the competition.

However, the most important Olympic season began badly. Navka was injured and had to stop training for a month, leaving Kostomarov to practice alone to maintain his form. When his partner returned, she had trouble adjusting to the previous training regime and lacked stamina. So they had to train more, even though Kostomarov hated it. But eventually he had to make an effort - the Olympics were at stake.

It should be noted that just before the Games, Navka accidentally cut her arm during a figure skating routine at the European Championships. She finished her routine while bleeding.

At the Turin Olympics, Navka and Kostomarov were in second place after the first day of competition, followed by Italy's Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio.

Things went much better in the Original Dance. They took the lead thanks to numerous mistakes by their closest competitors and their clean skating. The lead was minor - 1.38 points. Everything had to be solved in the Free Dance (the dancers had to skate three programs back then).

They had to perform "Carmen". This dance would become the trademark of the duo Navka/Kostomarov, but at first, everyone criticized Zhulin's production. People blamed Zhulin for the cheesy choice of music (in figure skating, the "Carmen" theme is used all the time), the garish costumes, and even the color of Navka's hair. It was thought that the gypsy Carmen could only be a brunette.

But in the end, everyone fell in love with Zhulin's extravagant production. The skaters performed "Carmen" flawlessly at the Turin Olympics. Although they almost fell at the end of the program, everything went smoothly. They became Olympic champions and ended their careers shortly thereafter.

Roman Kostomarov: Health Condition

After the end of his career, Kostomarov returned to Russia and began to perform in various shows. He gained national fame thanks to his participation in the "Ice Age" project, which he won several times.

Before going to the hospital, the figure skater participated in numerous New Year's Eve shows. For example, he was one of the headliners in the winter fairy tale "The Wizard of Oz". On January 8, Roman took to the ice for the last time. He appeared in three open-air performances in the Moscow suburbs. The temperature that day was below 20 degrees Celsius.

Kostomarov was hospitalized on January 10th. It was reported that the skater had pneumonia. It soon became known that the former figure skater had undergone a procedure of artificial blood oxygenation (ECMO) to provide temporary life support. After a while, there was some reassuring news about the skater's improved condition. But on February 7, multiple sources reported shocking news. According to the news agency TASS, Kostomarov's foot was amputated due to gangrene and sepsis caused by Roman's ECMO treatment. It is reported that doctors are still fighting for the athlete's hands and life.

Why is Pneumonia So Hard to Cure?

Pneumonia, an infection in the lungs caused by various microorganisms, is still a challenge to cure in the twenty-first century. The main reason for this is that many cases of pneumonia are caused by multiple pathogens and can be hard to identify accurately. Additionally, even when the correct pathogen has been identified, effective treatments may not exist or be easily accessible due to misdiagnosis or inadequate funding for research and development of new therapeutic agents. Finally, some bacteria have evolved resistance to existing antibiotic drugs, making them difficult to treat effectively. This combination of factors makes curing pneumonia a complex problem that continues to challenge healthcare professionals despite the advances in medical science.

Kostomarov's Personal Life

On Roman Kostomarov's birthday on February 8, his wife, Oksana Domnina published a touching post on her social networks.

Their marriage wasn't an easy one. An interesting detail: Domnina was a bridesmaid at Kostomarov's first wedding to Julia Lautowa. A year later, Kostomarov and Lautowa separated (but didn't officially end their marriage until three years later).

Kostomarov and Olympic bronze medalist Domnina began dating while touring for various shows. They moved in together and had a daughter, Anastasia, in 2011. However, they didn't register their relationship. In 2013, Domnina began dating her partner from "Ice Age" Vladimir Yaglych, as she was tired of waiting for Kostomarov to propose. But unexpectedly for many, Oksana married Kostomarov in 2014. In 2016, the couple had a son, Ilya.

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