Information about the loss of the Robinson helicopter, the five-time world champion in biathlon among juniors Igor Malinovsky, appeared on July 16 at around 14.00 Moscow time. Telegram channel 112 reported that the plane flying from the Uzon valley of the Kronotsky Reserve to the village of Milkovo suddenly cut off communication and disappeared from radar. According to the Mash Telegram channel, Malinovsky could land a helicopter to wait for bad weather.
Rescuers flew in to search for the missing helicopter, along with three people on board, at around 04:00 Moscow time. According to RIA Novosti, the Main Directorate of the Kamchatka Region of the Ministry of Emergencies of Russia with the personnel of the search and rescue team began to search for a Mi-8 helicopter. In addition, the helicopter of the regional disaster medicine center and the reshuffle of the regional search and rescue base on the An-26 aircraft were ready to start the rescue operation.
The missing helicopter was discovered during an aerial survey near the Semyachkov Pass, 13 kilometers from the Uzon volcano, it was immediately reported that it burned badly. At around 8 am Moscow time, the information that Robinson was found was confirmed on the Telegram channel by Vladimir Solodov, the governor of the Kamchatka Region.
“Rescuers from Kamchatka, 13 km south of the Uzon volcano, discovered a burned-out Robinson helicopter that disappeared from communication yesterday. The helicopter with two passengers and a pilot was on a private flight, the group was not registered as a tourist. Yesterday, low cloud cover and unfavorable weather for flights were observed at the helicopter crash site, ”wrote Solodov.
A short time later, RIA Novosti, citing the Russian Ministry of Emergencies, reported that Malinovsky and his passengers had died. There were three people in the helicopter – the biathlete himself, Zoya Kaigorodova and Sergey Kolesnik.
The Robinson helicopter belonged to the private company Vzlyot, which was headed by the father of the former biathlete, Vladimir Malinovsky. The athlete himself also loved to fly – he studied at the Omsk Flight Technical College and retrained in Vladivostok, was a certified pilot and had a flying license. In one of the interviews, the athlete himself stated that, despite the end of his professional career, he did not completely quit the sport, even comparing flights and races.
“It’s a completely different feeling. Let’s say they complement each other. Racing is a kind of adrenaline, and if it’s a world championship and you win it, then you’re emotionally worn out and you’ll be fine within a week. And the flights are mostly calm, peaceful, happy, joyful, generally, continuous. is a romance.
I haven’t had my last race yet. I will not give up the sport completely, I will continue to perform at local regional competitions. Of course, it won’t be a big sport anymore, but I never gave up on the sport,” Malinovsky told KamchatMedia in May 2021.
The Russian Biathlon Union expressed its condolences on the death of the five-time world champion among juniors.
“Multiple junior world champion Igor Malinovsky died. He loved biathlon and aviation. After completing his sports career, Igor became a pilot and worked in his hometown of Kamchatka. The whole biathlon family is in mourning. The Russian Biathlon Union offers its deepest condolences to Igor’s family and friends.
Yury Kaminsky, head coach of the Russian men’s national team, stated that the whole team has been following the news of the missing helicopter closely for the last 24 hours and expressed his sadness at the death of an athlete. He has been in the national team for a long time.
“We are all very upset. The whole team has been closely following the news in the last few days. For a long time he was part of our men’s team and had great hopes. First of all, it is sad for one person, and for an athlete in second place. As far as I know, he hesitated – to leave the biathlon or not leaving either, just focusing on flying or not. I can totally go back, reboot and perform. The guy is still young,” quotes Match TV Kaminsky.
Four-time Olympic champion Alexander Tikhonov noted that Malinovsky had high hopes in biathlon and ended his sports career very early. According to the famous athlete, the deceased was once the best young biathlete in Russia.
“It’s a pity. My condolences to the families and friends of the victims. Igor finished his career early in biathlon before he really started. He is a strange man – he showed very serious results and suddenly finished very quickly. Sorry. He was the best young biathlete in the country!” Quoted by Tikhonov, Sport24.
Two-time Olympic champion Dmitry Vasiliev shared the memory of Malinovsky that he really wanted to become a helicopter pilot and even skipped some training camps and competitions to devote time to training. For him, this goal was the most important thing in life.
“Unfortunately, everything turned into a tragedy. Of course, I feel sorry for Igor. As an athlete, he was very talented and promising. His first regret was that he finished the sport so early.
He made a big promise to become one of the leaders of the biathlon team! It was a pity that he quit the sport.
When a young, talented and handsome man dies, it’s always tripled sad. I am really sorry. Igor was one of those talented and rare people. It’s a big loss when such talent leaves, ”Vasiliev told Sport24.