Russian Olympic champion figure skater Alexei Yagudin made headlines in his home country after a recent interview, where among other controversial statements, the athlete stated that he would "shoot himself" if he were overweight.
In a rapid-fire question and answer session with Russian outlet Starhit, the four-time world gold medalist stressed that “being fat is very uncomfortable” adding that he would “shoot himself” if he weighed 100kg (220 lb).
“If I weighed 100kg I would shoot myself. I know my point of view is not fashionable nowadays, but I don’t consider stout people to be beautiful: you should fight off extra weight. In addition, being fat is not comfortable,” the 39-year-old said.
The retired athlete also voiced fears that same-sex marriage ideals will spread throughout Russia in the future, expressing a hope that his daughters will not marry women.
Also on rt.com ‘It was just my skating’: Russian star Medvedeva laughs off EARTHQUAKE at Japan show (VIDEO)“In the future, I don’t want my daughters to marry women. In 20 years it can easily happen in our society. But I do hope it will not affect my family,” Yagudin added.
In 2002, the skater triumphantly won gold at the Salt Lake City Olympics, beating his principal rival and the pre-tournament favorite Evgeni Plushenko, who settled for silver.
Three years ago, after a long-term relationship, Yagudin tied the knot with fellow Olympic champion skater Tatiana Totmianina, who had given birth to his two daughters before their official marriage.