Alexandr Zubkov

Alexandr Zubkov

File:Alexandr Zubkov.jpg Alexandr Zubkov at the 2014 Olympics
Personal information
Full name	Alexandr Yuryevich Zubkov
Nationality	Russian
Born	(1974-08-10) 10 August 1974 Bratsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	100 kg (220 lb)
Sport
Country	Russia
Sport	File:Bobsleigh pictogram.svg Bobsleigh (pilot)
Turned pro	1999
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	File:Olympic rings.svg 2nd place, silver medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Medal record Representing Russia Olympic Games Disqualified 2014 Sochi Two-man Disqualified 2014 Sochi Four-man Silver medal – second place 2006 Turin Four-man Bronze medal – third place 2010 Vancouver Two-man World Championships Gold medal – first place 2011 Königssee Two-man Silver medal – second place 2005 Calgary Four-man Silver medal – second place 2008 Altenberg Four-man Silver medal – second place 2013 St. Moritz Four-man Bronze medal – third place 2003 Lake Placid Four-man Bronze medal – third place 2008 Altenberg Two-man World Cup Championships Gold medal – first place 2004–05 Four-man Gold medal – first place 2005–06 Four-man Gold medal – first place 2008–09 Combined Gold medal – first place 2008–09 Four-man Gold medal – first place 2010–11 Two-man Gold medal – first place 2011–12 Four-man Gold medal – first place 2012–13 Four-man Silver medal – second place 2003–04 Four-man Silver medal – second place 2004–05 Combined Silver medal – second place 2005–06 Combined Silver medal – second place 2005–06 Two-man Silver medal – second place 2007–08 Combined Silver medal – second place 2007–08 Four-man Silver medal – second place 2010–11 Combined Silver medal – second place 2011–12 Combined Silver medal – second place 2012–13 Combined Bronze medal – third place 2004–05 Two-man Bronze medal – third place 2007–08 Two-man Bronze medal – third place 2010–11 Four-man Bronze medal – third place 2011–12 Two-man

Alexandr Yuryevich Zubkov (Russian: Александр Юрьевич Зубков; born 10 August 1974) is a Russian retired bobsledder who has competed since 1999. Competing in four Winter Olympics, he won two medals with a silver in 2006 (four-man) and a bronze in 2010 (two-man). On 24 November 2017, he was found guilty of doping offences and stripped of his medals from the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Career

File:Vladimir Putin and Aleksandr Zubkov 24 February 2014.jpeg

Zubkov with President Vladimir Putin at the award ceremonies for Russian athletes, 24 February 2014

Zubkov also won four medals at the FIBT World Championships with two silvers (Four-man: 2005, 2008) and two bronzes (Two-man: 2008, Four-man: 2003). He won the Bobsleigh World Cup in the four-man event three times as well (2004–5, 2005–6, 2008–9).

Prior to competing in bobsleigh, he competed in luge. Zubkov finished 20th in the men's singles event at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.

2014 Winter Olympics

In 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, he was the flag bearer of Russia for the Opening Ceremony. Zubkov won Gold in both Two-Man and Four-Man Bobsleigh.

In the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Zubkov was coached by a former rival, Canadian Pierre Lueders. Zubkov also paid a fee to borrow personal skids from the 2011 World Champion, Germany's Manuel Machata. Machata bought the skids for €29,000 in Switzerland, and had not qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics. The 2014 Olympics saw Germany failing to win a bobsleigh medal at an Olympics for the first time since Innsbruck 1964. Machata did not inform German Bobsleigh Luge and Skeleton Federation of this loan and received a one-year competitive ban and fine of €5,000 (250,000 rubles) from the German Federation.

After the 2014 Olympics, Zubkov received the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" award 4th class with Russian President Vladimir Putin handing the state awards.

In October 2014 Zubkov announced his retirement from the sport due to a long-term injury which prevented him from competing at the start of the 2014–15 season.

In May 2016, Zubkov was named in a New York Times investigation of the state-sponsored steroid program in Russia. On 24 November 2017, he was found guilty of doping offenses by the International Olympic Committee and stripped of his medals from the 2014 Winter Olympics. On 1 February 2018, following a Russian appeal, the CAS removed the sanctions from Alexey Negodaylo and Dmitry Trunenkov in bobsleigh, but upheld them on their teammates Alexandr Zubkov and Alexey Voyevoda. In 2018, Zubkov appealed this decision in the Moscow City Court, which decided not to recognise the CAS decision in Russia. Despite no longer being an Olympic gold medallist, the Russian government has continued to classify him as an Olympic champion and pay him the lifetime Presidential stipend which is awarded to all Olympics medal winners.

Personal life

His daughter, Elisaveta Zubkova, is a Russian skeleton slider.

External links

• Bobsleigh four-man Olympic medalists for 1924, 1932–56, and since 1964 Archived 23 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine
• Bobsleigh two-man world championship medalists since 1931
• Bobsleigh four-man world championship medalists since 1930
• Alexsandr Zubkov at the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation
• List of combined men's bobsleigh World Cup champions: 1985–2007
• List of four-man bobsleigh World Cup champions since 1985
• List of two-man bobsleigh World Cup champions since 1985