02:28Russian athletes returning from the Beijing Winter Olympics were greeted with an orchestra and applause on Wednesday at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport.
Fans, family and friends cheered the Olympians on with motivational posters and rattles.
Ski jumping silver medalists Danil Sadreyev and Evgeny Klimov as well as figure skating champion Mark Kondratyuk were among those arriving.
Kondratyuk explained that it wasn't possible to walk around Beijing due to athletes being restricted to the Olympic village 'bubble,' in an attempt to mitigate the COVID-19 risk.
"But, honestly, I remember everything. The atmosphere, people, [Olympic] village, competitions. It's such a unique experience. And the Olympic Games are radically different from any other competitions," Kondratyuk continued.
In addition, the figure skater spoke about how he supported his teammate Kamila Valieva throughout the Games.
"I was just doing my best. Somewhere in a word, somewhere in a deed, [I supported Kamila Valieva], and just tried to distract her so that she would not think about what was happening," Kondratyuk added.
The 2022 Winter Olympic Games kicked off in Beijing on February 4, 2022. 212 athletes from Russia went to the Games under the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) flag. As of Saturday evening, Russia had accumulated 13 medals.
Russia: Cheering fans greet ROC athletes upon return from Beijing Winter Olympics
Russian athletes returning from the Beijing Winter Olympics were greeted with an orchestra and applause on Wednesday at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport.
Fans, family and friends cheered the Olympians on with motivational posters and rattles.
Ski jumping silver medalists Danil Sadreyev and Evgeny Klimov as well as figure skating champion Mark Kondratyuk were among those arriving.
Kondratyuk explained that it wasn't possible to walk around Beijing due to athletes being restricted to the Olympic village 'bubble,' in an attempt to mitigate the COVID-19 risk.
"But, honestly, I remember everything. The atmosphere, people, [Olympic] village, competitions. It's such a unique experience. And the Olympic Games are radically different from any other competitions," Kondratyuk continued.
In addition, the figure skater spoke about how he supported his teammate Kamila Valieva throughout the Games.
"I was just doing my best. Somewhere in a word, somewhere in a deed, [I supported Kamila Valieva], and just tried to distract her so that she would not think about what was happening," Kondratyuk added.
The 2022 Winter Olympic Games kicked off in Beijing on February 4, 2022. 212 athletes from Russia went to the Games under the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) flag. As of Saturday evening, Russia had accumulated 13 medals.
Russian athletes returning from the Beijing Winter Olympics were greeted with an orchestra and applause on Wednesday at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport.
Fans, family and friends cheered the Olympians on with motivational posters and rattles.
Ski jumping silver medalists Danil Sadreyev and Evgeny Klimov as well as figure skating champion Mark Kondratyuk were among those arriving.
Kondratyuk explained that it wasn't possible to walk around Beijing due to athletes being restricted to the Olympic village 'bubble,' in an attempt to mitigate the COVID-19 risk.
"But, honestly, I remember everything. The atmosphere, people, [Olympic] village, competitions. It's such a unique experience. And the Olympic Games are radically different from any other competitions," Kondratyuk continued.
In addition, the figure skater spoke about how he supported his teammate Kamila Valieva throughout the Games.
"I was just doing my best. Somewhere in a word, somewhere in a deed, [I supported Kamila Valieva], and just tried to distract her so that she would not think about what was happening," Kondratyuk added.
The 2022 Winter Olympic Games kicked off in Beijing on February 4, 2022. 212 athletes from Russia went to the Games under the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) flag. As of Saturday evening, Russia had accumulated 13 medals.