Kseniya Olegovna Ryzhova, née Vdovina (Russian: Ксения Олеговна Рыжова; born April 19, 1987) is a Russian track and field sprint athlete, originally from Lipetsk.

[1] During the medal ceremony for the women's 4×400 metres relay images of Kseniya Ryzhova and Yuliya Gushchina[n 1] sharing a kiss on the lips spread through social media and were interpreted as a protest against the anti-gay laws.

[4] Both Ryzhova and Gushchina denied any intention to make such a protest, rather they were simply happy with their athletic success, and stated that they were married to men.

[5] Although reports were principally focused on the pair, all four of the Russia relay runners briefly kissed each other on the podium.

[7] The Russian Minister for Sport, Vitaly Mutko, said that Western media had over-emphasised the issue, noting that same-sex relations are not illegal in Russia and sparser coverage of the issue in domestic media.