Yuri Ryazanov, third all-around at last week’s World Championships, was killed in a car crash on 20 October. The 22-year old was driving in the Sobinsky area of his home region of Vladimir when his car collided with another vehicle at 12:50 Moscow time. Ryazanov was killed instantly. The reason for the collision is currently unknown. The Russian team had returned to Moscow on Monday from London. Ryazanov was scheduled to drive home to Vladimir today.
Ryazanov was born on 21 March 1987 in Vladimir and coached by Igor Kalabushkin. A 2008 Olympian, he won Russia’s first all-around world medal in since 1999 at this year’s World Championships and also took the bronze medal all-around at the 2007 and 2009 European Championships. Often overshadowed by his team mates, he was an integral part of the Russian national team over the past years, contributing to the team’s silver medal at the 2006 World Championships and the European team title in 2008.