The cause of death of Pavel Krotov, a renowned 30-year-old Russian freestyle skier who died in Moscow on March 25, has been disclosed. According to Alexander Pongilsky, head coach of the Russian national team, the tragedy resulted from a cerebral hemorrhage.
Doctors confirmed that Pavel Krotov passed away due to a cerebral hemorrhage. A memorial service taking place in Yaroslavl was announced, with the farewell set for Tuesday in the Yaroslavl region, where his burial would also occur on the same day.
The International Ski Federation (FIS) sent condolences to Pavel’s family, friends, and loved ones, expressing sympathy in a formal statement.
Speaking to TASS, Pongilsky, who coached the national team and served as Krotov’s personal mentor, described the situation as a tough blow. He noted that an autopsy had not yet been performed at that moment and would be conducted in the following days. He added that Pavel had spent the season recovering from a knee injury after the Olympic Games and planned to return to competition after his recovery.
Krotov trained at the same children’s and youth sports school in Yaroslavl as another prominent Russian freestyle skier, Ilya Burov, who has earned two Olympic bronze medals. The two athletes shared early roots and later careers that intertwined with the region’s sporting legacy.
Pavel made his World Cup debut at the age of 19 in 2011. The next season marked his first World Cup victory at Mont Gabriel, signaling the start of a notable competitive arc. He achieved a second World Cup win in Moscow during the 2020 season and accumulated several podium finishes across other venues, including Beijing in 2014, Krasnoyarsk in 2020, and the Finnish event at Hand in 2020, as well as a strong showing in Yaroslavl in 2021.
Among his achievements, Krotov secured a World Cup title in 2019 at a stage held in China, competing in aerobatic team events alongside Maxim Burov and Lyubov Nikitina. In addition to this partnership, he earned runner-up standings and third-place finishes in team events with partners such as Veronika Korsunova, Ilya Burov, Alexandra Orlova, and Vasily Polenov. These results contributed to his recognition within the sport at both national and international levels.
In the overall World Cup standings for Russia, his best individual performance reached eighth place, reflecting competitive consistency across seasons. Krotov represented Russia at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. He advanced to the second qualifying round and showed a strong performance, briefly contending for a place in the finals before the final results were determined. Ultimately, he finished outside the final round in that edition of the Games.
One of the most notable moments in Krotov’s career occurred at the World Championship held in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, shortly before his knee injury. In the qualifying rounds, he posted the second-best result, ahead of the highly regarded Burov brothers. Although Maxim Burov ultimately captured the world title, Krotov progressed to the final from his second-place standing and earned a bronze medal, highlighting a peak in his competitive journey. In the same event, Lyubov Nikitina teamed with Maxim Burov to win the world championship in the team event, and Russian acrobats secured a decisive victory against Switzerland and the United States.