Life and Death
Ryazanov was born in Vladimir, Vladimir Oblast. He died in a car crash in the village Vorsha in the Sobinsko Region, about 125 miles east of Moscow, on October 20, 2009, just two days after the World Championships had concluded.
Police spokesman Oleg Kurochkin told The Associated Press that Ryazanov died at the scene after his car was involved in a head-on collision.
Natalia Kalugina, a spokesperson for the Russian Gymnastics Federation, said "This is very tragic news for Russian gymnastics. He was one of our most talented young athletes who could have achieved great things", as reported by Reuters.
Teammate Maxim Devyatovsky said some members of the junior team had noticed that the car, left at the training center, had been too low in the front.
The head of Russian men's gymnastics, Yevgeny Nikolko, told All Sport "I'm still in shock. When he told me he was going to drive home I just told him 'Please, be careful'. And now this terrible thing happened. I have no words to describe it."
Ryazanov was buried in the Ulybyshevskoe Cemetery in Vladimir on October 22.
Read more about this topic: Yuri Ryazanov
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