He fled to Ukraine. The Russian two-time Universiade champion refused to compete for Russia and changed his citizenship

Valeriy Gontar, the two-time champion of the 2017 Summer Universiade in skiing, changed his sports citizenship and joined the Slovenian national team, according to the website of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). In 2022, the then 28-year-old athlete announced that he planned to join the national team of another country, but did not specify which country.

At the same time, information appeared on the Internet that Gontar had fled to Ukraine, where he had already received a passport with a trident. The last time the skier competed in Russian events was in the 2019/20 season.

Valeriy Gontar was born in the Mordovian village of Shuvary into a large family, becoming the sixth child. Having lost his parents at an early age, he and his siblings ended up in an orphanage. It was at boarding school No. 1 in Ruzayivka that he first got acquainted with skiing. His first coach was Yevhen Nastiunin, who immediately recognized the young athlete's talent. Within a year, Gontar began to win against his peers.

However, Gontar's skiing journey was not easy. At one point, he quit the sport because of a disagreement with his coach and decided to take up BMX. He managed to return to skiing thanks to the persistence of Nastiunin, who supported Valeriy even in difficult times. Despite his resentment and doubts, Gontar started training again and soon showed excellent results.

Later, Valeriy had to face another set of difficulties. Due to failures in the project "On Skis to the North Pole," he left the sport again. This time, Vasyl Velkin became his mentor, but to get into his group, Gontar had to prove his worth by winning several test races.

After high school, Valeriy entered the Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute, but due to a lack of support, he transferred to the Penza Pedagogical Institute. The skier simultaneously combined studies, competitions and training camps. His first success in the international arena was a bronze medal at the Student Universiade in Slovakia. However, financial difficulties continued to haunt the athlete, forcing him to change regions and move to the Samara region.

In an interview in the fall of 2022, Gontar compared sports to a social elevator that helped him get out of difficult life circumstances. Valeriy then admitted that he had not yet reached his peak and wanted to win more significant victories than those at the Universiades.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Vladyslav Geraskevych, the first skeleton athlete in the history of Ukraine to receive an Olympic license and compete at the Olympics, strongly opposed Gontar competing for Ukraine.

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