27.07 Russian Biathlon Champion Killed in Road Accident

MOSCOW, July 27 (R-Sport) - A former Russian biathlon champion has been killed in a road accident at the age of 24, her former coach told R-Sport on Saturday.

Maria Demidova, the country's 2010 national champion, was run over in the Siberian city of Omsk at 11 p.m. on Friday night, Valery Medvedtsev said.

Demidova had already retired from the sport after winning the title that year in the relay, he said.

Road safety is a key concern in Russia, where rules are routinely flouted and traffic police notoriously corrupt.

In a 2013 report, the World Health Organization said there were 26,567 road deaths in Russia in 2010, which translates into an estimated 18.6 deaths per 100,000 population.