Olympic fencing champion Sergei Sharikov dies in car crash

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MOSCOW (AP) — Sergei Sharikov, a two-time Olympic fencing champion from Russia, has died in a car crash, the Russian Olympic Committee said Monday. He was 40.

Sharikov won gold in the team saber event at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Games, as well as individual saber silver in 1996 and team saber bronze in 2004.

Russian media reported that Sharikov lost control of an off-road vehicle while driving southwest of Moscow on Saturday and crashed head-on into a car carrying two police officers.

In addition to his Olympic medals, Sharikov was also a three-time world champion in the team saber event. In recent years, he had worked as a coach for Russia's reserve national fencing team.