Ice-dancing Olympic champion Roman Kostomarov has had both feet amputated while in hospital, according to the news agency TASS, citing a source close to the situation.
According to the source, the surgery went without complications and the patient is recovering, but there is still a battle for the athlete's hands. The ice skater remains in intensive care under the close supervision of doctors. Earlier it was reported that a probable amputation could be fatal according to experts.
On January 10, Match TV reported that 45-year-old Kostomarov was hospitalized with signs of unilateral pneumonia and influenza in a serious condition. Two weeks later, the athlete was placed in a medically induced coma and put on ECMO and a ventilator. The skater's condition improved, but there were complications after the illness, in particular the development of gangrene and sepsis.
Kostomarov won the 2006 Turin Olympics in a duet with Tatyana Navka. They are also two-time world champions and three-time European champions.
