Shock. Disbelief. Tragedy. Konstantin Koltsov, former Belarusian professional hockey player and boyfriend of tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, passed away at the age of 42, announced the Russian club Salavat Yulaev on Tuesday.
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“With deep sorrow, we inform you that Salavat Yulaev coach Konstantin Koltsov has passed away,” starts the statement from Salavat Yulaev, based in the Russian city of Ufa. “He was a strong and cheerful person, loved and respected by players, colleagues, and fans. Konstantin Yevgeniyevich has forever inscribed himself in the history of our club.”
Hockey club Salavat Yulaev confirms Konstantin Koltsov’s death.https://t.co/JzCQ5IiuSk pic.twitter.com/RhO3arfYo5
— Belarushockey.com (@Belarushockey) March 19, 2024
Koltsov played for the Belarus national team at the 2002 and 2010 Olympic Games and spent part of three seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2002 to 2006. He won the Russian championship and the Gagarin Cup as part of Salavat Yulaev and did a tremendous job in the team’s coaching staff.
Sabalenka and Koltsov were first linked in June 2021 and the world No.2 tennis player often posted their photos together on her Instagram account. The premature passing of her boyfriend is the second tragedy in the 25-year-old WTA star’s life. Her father, also a former ice hockey player, passed away suddenly at the age of 43 in 2019.
In her birthday message to Koltsov in April last year, the two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka called him her “dearest person, my best friend, and my strongest support.” Sabalenka also wished her 42-year-old boyfriend “peace of mind” with her and “strength, patience, and health.” She expressed her hope that they would have everything they planned and ended the message with “I love you.” Responding to his girlfriend’s birthday message, Koltsov left a comment saying, “love you madly,” accompanied by a cluster of red heart emojis.
Koltsov is survived by three children from his previous relationship with Julija Mihailova.
Sabalenka lost in the round of 16 at Indian Wells last week, and she is now scheduled to compete in Miami. However, there is little chance that she will have the strength to do so after such a shock and tragedy.
IMPORTANT UPDATES: Initial reports suggested a blood clot was the cause of death, then it was said to be a suicide, while the latest development comes from Koltsov’s ex-wife Julija Mihailova who claims that he must have been very drunk and accidentally fallen from the 23rd floor of the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort in Miami. Not long after the disturbing news, Sabalenka confirmed that she would not withdraw from the Miami Open and two days after Koltsov’s passing the Belarusian tennis player made a shocking revelation that he was actually her ex-boyfriend at the time of the tragedy.
