THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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MOSCOW - Olympic cross - country ski gold medallist Alexei Prokurorov died Friday after being hit by a car as he crossed a road, officials said. He was 44.

A police official said the Russian - who won gold in the 30-kilometre freestyle at the 1988 Calgary Games - was crossing the road toward a train station in the town of Vladimir, 160 kilometres east of Moscow, when the accident occurred. He died immediately at the scene.

The official would not give her name because she said she was not authorized to speak until her superior returned from the local hospital.

A Russian Cross Country Ski Federation official said Prokurorov was about to board a train to Moscow for a post-season medical examination for insurance purposes. The official requested anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the media.

Prokurorov competed in five Winter Games, his last in 2002 at Nagano, Japan, where he was also the Russian team's flag-bearer, according to the International Ski Federation.

Cross Country Ski Federation secretary Yuri Garmash said Prokurorov was also a 13-time national champion, and received state honours for his services to sport.