The world of biathlon and cross-country skiing has lost a winter sports legend this week. On Friday, October 20, it became known that Anfisa Reztsova passed away. She was only 58 years old.

The tragedy was reported by the ex-husband of the famous athlete Leonid. As it turned out, she was hospitalized on October 15, and on Thursday evening, the three-time Olympic champion died without regaining consciousness. Her heart stopped.

It should be noted that Anfisa Anatolyevna had health problems before. In the spring, she spent several weeks in the hospital after suffering a heart attack. The athlete also complained of low hemoglobin levels, she received blood transfusions several times. However, despite this, she continued to enjoy life. "Everything is fine," Reztsova joked after being discharged from the hospital.

Upon learning about the incident, the Ministry of Sports, the ROC, the FLGR expressed their condolences, and the RBU expressed a desire to bury the legend of domestic sports.

"We are contacting our relatives, but there is no clear answer yet. I don't think we're the only ones who would like to be a part of it, because she's also a great skier. I assume that both the FLGR and the Dynamo society, which Reztsova represented, will take part," the press service of the organization told RIA Novosti.

Condolences were also expressed at the IBU. "A very successful biathlete left us. Our thoughts and condolences to her family," Match TV quotes the head of the organization, Olle Dahlin, as saying.

Reztsova remained in the memory not just as a successful, but as a unique athlete. At the 1988 Olympics, she won gold in cross-country skiing in the relay, and then switched to biathlon and climbed to the top step of the podium twice more, at the Games in 1992 and 1994.

For a long time, Anfisa Anatolyevna remained the only woman in the world who managed to win at the main start of the four-year period in two winter sports. Only in 2018 in Pyeongchang, her achievement was repeated by Esther Ledecka, who won gold medals in alpine skiing and snowboarding at one Olympics.

Despite her high status, Reztsova remained a very open and sociable person who was not afraid to express her opinion.

"Once, when I was doing a big interview with her, I wrote: 'There are athletes that I adore. I accept it completely and completely, with all its advantages and disadvantages. With harshness in statements, the ability to offend terribly and apologize from the heart. In general, as they say, with giblets. Anfisa Reztsova has always been like that for me."

It was really difficult to accept and understand her. The directness and harshness in the Internet comments, repeatedly reinforced by catchy headlines, led to the fact that even those with whom more than one pound of salt in half stopped communicating with Reztsova," said RT columnist Elena Vaitsekhovskaya.

At the same time, according to four-time Olympic champion Alexander Tikhonov, he has never been offended by Anfisa Anatolyevna.

"I remember her both for her results and for her directness, frankness - she said that Tikhonov should not be the president of the RBU. But I forgave her for everything—she deserved to say what she thought was right. Then she asked me for forgiveness, but I told her: "Anfisa, I am the same." She was also noted by critical statements addressed to the younger generation, she said: "Remember: to achieve results, you need to train, not plow." She has always emphasized this," Tikhonov said.

Former head coach of the Russian national biathlon team Alexander Kasperovich recalled the incredible diligence of the famous athlete.

"I had the honor and opportunity to work with her. She has achieved outstanding results with her hard work. She went to the start only to win, she did not consider other places," the specialist said.

Two-time Olympic champion Dmitry Vasilyev, in turn, noted that Reztsova has always remained an incredibly bright personality.

"We met when I was 20 and she was 18. We trained together in the USSR national team in cross-country skiing and biathlon... At any event, she is always ahead of the curve, the loudest. Her main difference was her active life position, and all her life. Anfisa always spoke straightforwardly, although not everyone liked these statements.

And Reztsova had the right to do so. Because there are very few people in the world who have achieved such success in two sports at the same time. This characterizes her as an outstanding person. Our big biathlon family will mourn her. This is a huge loss not only for our sport, but for the entire sport," Vasilyev told RT.

According to two-time Olympic champion Sergey Chepikov, Reztsova has always amazed everyone with her energy and cheerfulness, becoming the soul of the team.

"I express my condolences to all relatives and friends. This is a big loss for Russian biathlon," the source told RT.

Sergei Rozhkov called the news of Anfisa Reztsova's death a shock. In his opinion, she should have lived a long life.

"Knowing Anfisa, everyone really understood that a person like her, with her activity and sports health, which God gave her, would live at least 100 years. She was a reference point for us in our attitude to sports, to our career, she gave all her strength and soul to sports. For all of us, Anfisa's death is a great loss. She was a person with charisma, an active life position, she always had a personal opinion, even if at times it differed from the opinion of the majority," the world champion said.

A touching story about meeting Anfisa Anatolyevna was recalled by commentator Dmitry Guberniev, with whom she entered into verbal skirmishes almost every biathlon season.

"Reztsova and I met on the Khimki-Moscow train!! In the summer of '95... Together we went to the State Center for Physical Education and Physical Education to take the state exams... And we passed the exams together... My condolences to the family," the journalist wrote on his Telegram channel.

Daughters Dasha and Kristina continue their mother's path, performing in biathlon. And now, according to Vancouver Olympic champion Svetlana Sleptsova, it will be especially difficult for them to prepare for the competition.

"Losing my mother is very painful. Last year I lost my mother myself, I know how difficult it is. I want to support them so that they stick together. In my life, I have personally seen Anfisa Reztsova only once, she came to us for the Ugra Marathon. We always watched her performances on TV, cheered for her," Sleptsova said.

And now it doesn't matter at all what an ambiguous and difficult person she was. First of all, it has become a phenomenon in world sports.

"As bright as a welding arc. If you look at it for a long time, you will go blind...," Vaitsekhovskaya added.