Skeletonistka Elena Nikitina admitted that if she had met WADA informant, she would have just regretted him. "First, I do not know who made him say all this. Maybe he was threatened. Or his family. Secondly, recently heard many stories about him from people who knew him personally. He's a sick man. And the patients do not take offense, "- said Nikitina in an interview with Sport24. She added that she had never met Rodchenkov personally and only saw him on TV. Elena Nikitina was the first in history to win gold for the European Championships in skeleton and the first Olympic medal for Russia - at the Olympics in Sochi, the athlete took the third place.

Unfortunately, Nikitina along with many Russian athletes fell under the sanctions of the International Olympic Committee after the scandalous revelations of the former head of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory Grigory Rodchenkov. IOC announced that Nikitin was suspended from the competition, for life deprived of the opportunity to participate in the Olympics, she was asked to return the bronze of Sochi-2014. As a result, the Sports Arbitration Court acquitted the athlete, but she did not qualify for the Olympics in Pyeongchang. IOC representatives stated that the quotas for the Games have already been redistributed among the other athletes.