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Russian cyclist's murderer sentenced
A court in St. Petersburg, Russia, has sentenced the murderer of Olympic gold medalist Dmitry Nelyubin to 18 years in prison and fined him 45,000 Euros.
The court had earlier found Alim Azagoyez guilty of stabbing Nelyubin in the early hours of January 1, 2005. Nelyubin was a member of the gold-medal-winning Soviet team pursuit squad at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul Olympics.
Then just 17-years-old, Nelyubin teamed with Giantautas Umaras, Arturas Kasputis and Viatcheslav Ekimov in winning the gold in the team pursuit in Seoul. He later embarked on a relatively anonymous career in the professional peloton between 1993 and 1997.
Following an evening of New Years’ celebration, Nelyubin and several friends were attacked by a group of men in the yard of a friend's house in St. Petersburg.
Nelyubin and two friends were rushed to hospital after being stabbed. Doctors, however, were unable to save the life of the Olympic champion, who had suffered several stab wounds in his abdomen.
The court ordered Azagoyez to serve 18 years in prison and to pay two million rubles (45,000 Euros) in compensation to Nelyubin’s parents. Another defendant was sentenced to three years for complicity in the attack and “hooliganism.”
