An elite 16-year-old Russian swimmer was stabbed to death by her boyfriend, who flew into a fit of rage when she dumped him to pursue her Olympic dream, according to a new report.
Safia Askarova, who won a silver medal at a national youth swimming championship last year, told her boyfriend, Nikita Malygin, that she wanted to end the relationship to focus on her blossoming career, .
Malygin, also an elite swimmer but not as successful, retaliated by stabbing her at least 30 times in the neck, chest and stomach in her home city of Tolyatti, detectives told the outlet.
Her body was discovered around 10 p.m. Saturday. A knife was recovered at the scene, which police described as an abandoned building site.
Malygin was detained soon after the discovery, the outlet reported.
He confessed to murdering her — alleging that she told him to “Go to hell” when he pleaded to continue their relationship, according to the report.
“I lost control,” the jilted boyfriend told investigators as he demonstrated the attack on a mannequin. “I took out my knife. I can hardly remember where exactly I stabbed her. … I remember the stab after which she fell down. She tried to run away, but I kept stabbing her.”
“I dropped the knife somewhere near,” he added. “At first I didn’t realize what I had done. I realized only on the way home.”
A friend of the couple claimed jealousy may have also played a role in the heartless killing: Malygin had suspected Askarova had gotten close to a love rival.
“It led to such tragic consequences,” the friend said. “It is hard to believe he could go that far.”
Askarova had told her parents she was going to the store, but instead met up with Malygin, a source told the outlet.
“Later her relatives got worried she didn’t return and called her mobile but it was blocked,” the source said.
Her jewelry and phone were also gone after the attack.