Putin injures finger training with national judo team

The Russian president still went on to play hockey later that evening. 

Vladimir Putin, the incumbent President of the Russian Federation, suffered a minor injury while training with the national judo team during a photo op in Sochi.

Putin, who has been filmed training alongside the national team numerous times in the past, was filmed facing off against Natalia Kuzyutina, a bronze medalist at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Footage of the sparring session on state broadcaster RT shows Kuzyutina tossing the president to the mat.

Following the training session, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated revealed that the president had injured himself during the sparring session.

”During one grapple he cut his finger a bit, or it was a bruise,” Putin’s spokesman told journalists. “But this is a normal injury, not a big deal, it’s not even really an injury. Sport is sport.”

According to a report from The Telegraph’s Alec Luhn, it appears Putin injured his finger after throwing Olympic gold medalist Beslan Mudranov. After tossing his opponent to the mat, the president paused to examine his finger and eventually walked to the team coach to show him his hand.

Putin has long used sports as a tool to enhance his image as a healthy and masculine leader. A blackbelt in judo, Putin has regularly been quoted speaking fondly of the sport he considers his “first love.” He even authored a book on the sport, Judo: History, Theory, Practice (2004). He has repeatedly been shown landing hip tosses on state TV while dressed in an immaculate judogi.

Despite his injury, Putin nonetheless held negotiations with Belarus and played ice hockey later that same day.