Alexandr Yuryevich Zubkov (Russian: Александр Юрьевич Зубков; born 10 August 1974) is a Russian retired bobsledder who has competed since 1999. Competing in four Winter Olympics, he won two medals with a silver in 2006 (four-man) and a bronze in 2010 (two-man).[1] On 24 November 2017, he was found guilty of doping offences and stripped of his medals from the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Career
Zubkov with President Vladimir Putin at the award ceremonies for Russian athletes, 24 February 2014
Zubkov also won four medals at the FIBT World Championships with two silvers (Four-man: 2005, 2008) and two bronzes (Two-man: 2008, Four-man: 2003). He won the Bobsleigh World Cup in the four-man event three times as well (2004–5, 2005–6, 2008–9).
In 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, he was the flag bearer of Russia for the Opening Ceremony. Zubkov won Gold in both Two-Man and Four-Man Bobsleigh.
In the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Zubkov was coached by a former rival, Canadian Pierre Lueders.[2] Zubkov also paid a fee to borrow personal skids from the 2011 World Champion, Germany's Manuel Machata. Machata bought the skids for €29,000 in Switzerland, and had not qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics. The 2014 Olympics saw Germany failing to win a bobsleigh medal at an Olympics for the first time since Innsbruck 1964. Machata did not inform German Bobsleigh Luge and Skeleton Federation of this loan and received a one-year competitive ban and fine of €5,000 (250,000 rubles) from the German Federation.[3][4][5][6]
In October 2014 Zubkov announced his retirement from the sport due to a long-term injury which prevented him from competing at the start of the 2014–15 season.[8]
In May 2016, Zubkov was named in a New York Times investigation of the state-sponsored steroid program in Russia.[9] On 24 November 2017, he was found guilty of doping offenses by the International Olympic Committee and stripped of his medals from the 2014 Winter Olympics.[10] On 1 February 2018, following a Russian appeal, the CAS removed the sanctions from Alexey Negodaylo and Dmitry Trunenkov in bobsleigh, but upheld them on their teammates Alexandr Zubkov and Alexey Voyevoda.[11] In 2018, Zubkov appealed this decision in the Moscow City Court, which decided not to recognise the CAS decision in Russia. Despite no longer being an Olympic gold medallist, the Russian government has continued to classify him as an Olympic champion and pay him the lifetime Presidential stipend which is awarded to all Olympics medal winners.[12]
Personal life
His daughter, Elisaveta Zubkova, is a Russian skeleton slider.[13]
