Russia’s Olympic medalist Artur Naifonov a survivor of Beslan massacre

By Huseyin Burak Demirer

ANKARA (AA) - Russian wrestler Artur Naifonov, who won his first Olympic medal in the Tokyo 2020, is a survivor of the 2004 Beslan school massacre.

The 24-year-old Naifonov's bronze medal in the men's freestyle 86 kg for the Russian Olympic Committee is undoubtedly more than a sporting achievement.

He spent his childhood years in the town of Beslan in the North Ossetia-Alania.

Naifonov and his family were taken hostage by Chechen militants in the three-day school siege that began on Sept. 1, 2004.

Chechen separatists occupied the school building and took more than 1,100 people hostages, including children and school staff, on the seven-year-old Naifonov's first day at school.

On the third day of the siege, Russian security forces launched an operation and entered the school building. Some 334 people, including 186 children, were killed in the siege.

Artur and his sister Sabina survived the attacks but their mother died in the crossfire.

Having become a European champion in 2018, 2020 and 2021, Naifonov's first Olympic medal is a symbol of his determination and effort in the Tokyo Games to overcome his trauma.

*Writing by Muhammed Enes Calli in Ankara