In an athlete’s mind, he is programmed to “win”. Roman Kostomarov proves it after coma and amputations

Last week, the Olympic ice dancing champion dared to show the world what is going on in his life for the first time. He posted a video of his training sessions with prosthetic legs and bandaged stumps instead of hands. “The hardest part is ahead, bitch-life! – the skater comments on the video. He also winks at the camera and says with a glance, “I have accepted the tragedy and I am learning to live. I will overcome everything!

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Now the situation has been clarified: Roman really suffered several amputations due to complications from pneumonia. It all started in January, and during these six months there was a lot of different information – about death, medical coma, resuscitation, transport abroad, help from foreign doctors, operations, depression…Somewhere inside, somewhere speculation. Those close to the athlete were mostly silent. As a result, Kostomarov himself confirmed the sad news about the disability. But above all, he survived! Although – as it turned out recently – the doctors gave only a 2% chance of salvation.

The columnist discusses the psychological causes of the drama and explains why it was Roman’s generation of skaters who sparked a new wave of mass love for their sport.

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How fragile are the “eternal values”: life, health, well-being, fame… Today you have all of these, however, obtained through years of hard work and deprivation. You once again show off your skills in front of many fans, literally sparkling, and after a few days you find yourself in a hospital bed on the brink of life or death. Yes, everything can change in a day, a few hours, in an instant! We do not know the exact interval during which the life of Roman Kostomarov changed dramatically. But I’m sure of one thing: neither he nor his family expected it.

Roman ended up in intensive care shortly after the New Year holidays, and a collective struggle began for his life. We have connected the best doctors, all the modern achievements of medicine and, last but not least, great emotional support. First, family and friends, then fans. I can’t remember where and when the first news of Roman’s hospitalization broke. Now it doesn’t matter anymore. I only remember with what horror the world of figure skating perceived this information. A middle-aged man, an experienced athlete, hardened by injuries and obviously used to controlling his health… suddenly finds himself on the brink of death from a common cold.

Personally, I could not believe it for a long time, and each subsequent news – “coma”, “resuscitation”, “miracle devices”, “sepsis”, “gangrene”, “amputation” – seemed something unreal by relation to this person. First, it is not the result of an unexpected accident, injury, etc. Second, when a tragedy happens to a media person, a lot of misrepresentation happens. Therefore, you don’t know what is true from the information flow and what is not. Heart and brain prefer to believe in the best, so for a long time it seemed to me that the scary news about the great athlete was greatly exaggerated. Soon he will recover and refute many horrors himself.

For me personally, Roman Kostomarov is not just a famous figure skater, an Olympic champion (of which there are many in our country), an ice show performer, etc. But one of the symbols of the birth of my love for figure skating. I remember the very first ice shows of Ilya Averbukh, how our titled athletes began to perform in an unusual format – with actors and musicians. On Saturday, my mother and I sat down to watch the next episode of the show, where each number on ice is a mini-performance and a source of emotion.

Roman is one of the main stars of this generation. She and Tatyana Navka have just won the Turin Olympics in enchanting fashion, ended their careers and returned to Russia to take part in the show. Young, but already experienced, titled and full of energy. It also opened up a lot of room for creativity. After all, the artists who became partners enriched the ice numbers with acting skills. I admired the performances of Kostomarov paired with Ekaterina Guseva, then Chulpan Khamatova, Alena Babenko, Yulia Kovalchuk, Sati Kazanova, then ballerina Natalya Osipova. I remember how I was waiting for new numbers of these duets (and not only), recording them on videotapes (at that time not everyone was quickly published on the Internet), then I admired them several times occasions.

But I was more impressed with Roman’s demo performances with his main partner Tatyana Navka. I remember how I saw the premiere of their “Loving Do Not Renounce” at the New Year’s Ice Rink in Red Square. I watched this moving dance so many times that over time I learned the song and remembered every move – even gestures, turns. I could simply activate the song on the player and visually replicate how skaters skate to a specific musical note. I think in this program – the first joint after the show experience – there is a new artistic momentum. And Tatyana and Roman’s rich sporting past, of course. And I also love their “Picky Horses”, because they conveyed the meaning of Vysotsky’s song. After a while it became one of my favorites.

Many people fell in love with figure skating at that time. By the way, several heroes of my interviews have already confessed that in their childhood they also watched ice shows with delight and it was thanks to them that they decided to become figure skaters. My interest in the show inspired me to explore sports programming as well. I remember how I found on the Internet the performances of all the professional participants of the Ice Age, in particular Navka and Kostomarov. I reviewed their performance in different years, and how many times the Olympic “Carmen”!

All of this couple’s programs are history. By the way, Tatyana and Roman are the last Russian athletes who won individual Olympic gold in ice dancing. It was the generation zero figure skaters and the brilliant project that made thousands of people fall in love with this sport. Therefore, it even pains me to learn that many current figure skating fans were imbued with it after the 2018 Olympics – against the backdrop of inflated scandals around competition between single skaters and coaching teams. As if this sport did not exist in Russia before, and that we did not have a scattering of champions in all genres!

Still, it’s great that the majority appreciates athletes from different years. People like Roman Kostomarov and his peers have been performing in ice shows of various formats for years and continue to be in demand at home. It’s no surprise that they all hold their own in the performances and are in no rush to leave for coaching, commentary or in general other areas.

It seems to me that it is not just about money, but about attachment to his profession. If health permits, the energy is still there, so why give up? A job that makes a person happy turns into a hobby. And if you like your work, you must be faithful to it even in difficult situations.

Now, I’m not trying to justify Roman for the fact that he played in an open rink with a temperature. I’m just trying to understand his thinking. On the one hand, the banal thesis: “Watch out for your health! It is more valuable than any money and status. But let’s be honest. Which of us at least once in his life did not go to work (study) with a fever, headache? Who hasn’t rushed to an important meeting or even a plane on a business trip, even slipping on a dirty sidewalk? Who canceled going to the exam if your head was pounding from sleepless nights and now it looked like you were going to pass out from stress and an overabundance of information? Not everyone can always be right and avoid victims. It’s not even about diligence, but about optimism: a person wants to believe that now he will make an effort on himself, the problem will go away, everything will somehow work out. And then he will still be proud of not having spared himself, of having reached the goal. And athletes are a special people. They are so programmed in their minds to “win” – even after a sports career – that they are eager to perform even with a concussion.

Of course, Roman couldn’t predict how such a rental would end. I would have known in advance the sad consequences… But we are all smart with hindsight. And how many cases are there when a cold passes easily even in a person with weak immunity. And, perhaps, the fate of Roman was decided by bad skiing in the cold? Bad treatment, for example, or other illnesses that a cold only exacerbated. We won’t know, it’s hard to blame anyone here. But the main thing is that he survived, accepted the circumstances and, judging by active training, he is learning to live.

I can’t know where this strongman sees himself in the future. Maybe he will take an administrative job in sports, or start participating in ice projects in a new format (TV presenter, commentator), or choose the classic way of ‘a trainer. Given the notoriety and strong support, all doors are open.

Or maybe Kostomarov wants to get back on the ice and get on some prosthetics? Even though it sounds fantastic, I think Roman will pull it off! After all, he was saved when the odds were only two percent. Now the athlete has a 102% chance of building a new, full life.