A Latvian sportsman changed his last name because of the war in Ukraine: “I don’t want my children to suffer”

Latvian sledgeor Kristens Putins, 27, decided to change his last name after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, writes the delfi publication.

The athlete, who gave up his professional career in 2020, has now become Kristens Rode, after the last name of his wife, Elizabete.

“The formalities are being resolved,” he confirmed, per the newspaper Sporta Avīze. 

Putin, “a war criminal”

“I don’t want my name and that of my children to be associated in the future with a war criminal,” Kristens explained.

“The fact that Moscow’s troops have invaded Ukraine is a crime. It is unacceptable for a war to break out in Europe today,” added the Latvian, who confessed that, until now, Russian opponents treated him with respect, and ukrainians were “more cautious”.

In his last professional season, in 2020, alongside compatriot Imants Marcinkēvičs, Kristens won the sprint World Cup stage in Sigulda. He has another success, at Innsbruck, a second place and two third places. In 2018, he finished fourth in the overall standings of the competition.

Em