The key facts
- Maria Shurochkina is scheduled to undergo a skin graft on her chest and abdomen within a couple of days, her brother told the Super outlet.
- According to her brother, the athlete's face, neck, arms and scalp were not injured — contrary to previously circulated reports.
- The fire broke out late in the evening on November 8 in an apartment on the 17th floor on Bagritsky Street; the preliminary version is that it was caused by a bio-fireplace.
Planned surgery and the athlete's condition
Two-time Olympic champion in synchronized swimming Maria Shurochkina, who was injured in a fire in her Moscow apartment, is scheduled to undergo a skin graft surgery. This was reported to the Super outlet by her brother Ivan Shurochkin. According to him, the main injuries are to the chest and abdomen, the surgery is expected within a couple of days, and the prognosis is favorable. The 31-year-old athlete is in the burn intensive care unit of the Sklifosovsky Institute under medical supervision, and her condition remains stable.
What is known about the incident
The fire broke out late in the evening on November 8 in the athlete's apartment on the 17th floor of a residential complex on Bagritsky Street in Moscow. According to the preliminary version, the fire is linked to a bio-fireplace; Ivan Shurochkin suggested that the cause could have been a malfunction of the device, but the final circumstances are yet to be established. The brother said that Maria remained conscious the whole time and contacted her relatives herself: she managed to put out her burning clothes on her own, after which she ran out into the common hallway and knocked on her neighbors' doors, asking them to call the fire brigade. Earlier, her older sister, the singer Nyusha, said that the champion was in intensive care with burns to her body but her condition was stable, and thanked everyone who was supporting the family.
Contradiction over facial burns and possible recovery timeline
Ivan Shurochkin clarified that the previously reported information about burns to the head and face does not match the family's information: according to him, Maria's scalp, face, neck and arms were not injured. About the possible recovery timeline, Life.ru previously wrote citing physician Denis Prokofyev: in his assessment, with deep burns requiring skin grafts, treatment and rehabilitation may last up to a year, and the exact timeline depends on the severity of the injuries. This is a specialist's assessment, not data on the athlete's actual condition. Maria Shurochkina is the winner of the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro and the Tokyo Olympics; she also holds 11 gold medals from world championships.
