A schoolgirl who died when a classmate threw a javelin towards her has been pictured for the first time.
13-year-old Anastasia Ryzhenko was struck in the eye with a javelin, sending her into a coma from which she never woke up.
During a gym class, coach Vladimir Miroshnichenko had paired Anastasia with 16-year-old Timur in Prokhladny, Russia.
The coach had ‘turned away’ when the javelin was thrown, but Timur warned Anastasia when it was too late.
Anastasia’s mum, Elena, said: ‘At that very moment, he threw it, then he called out to her. She raised her head, and the spear hit her in the eye.’
Her eye socket was stabbed with the javelin, and her jaw also broke, sparking internal bleeding into her lungs, her mum said.
An investigation has been launched by the Russian Investigative Committee.
Tributes have been shared online for young Anastasia, who would have celebrated her 14th birthday today.
Mum Elena shared gratitude for the first responders and doctors who tried to save Anastasia.
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But she added: ‘The boy’s mother does not admit her son’s guilt at all,’ said Elena. During all this time, she never came. And the coach didn’t come, only on the day of the funeral.
‘As a mother, I would have crawled on my knees pleading: ‘Forgive me, excuse me, maybe I can help, let me at least take you there?’
The Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement: ‘The investigation has studied all the circumstances of the incident, interrogated eyewitnesses, employees of the sports school and the relevant ministry, seized documentation regulating the procedure for conducting field training sessions and ensuring safety, and other measures are being taken to collect evidence.
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