Raman Piatrushenka
Encyclopedia
Raman Piatrushenka (or Roman Petrushenko) (born December 25, 1980 in Kalinkavičy) is a Belarus
ian sprint canoer
who has competed since 2000. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won three medals with one gold (K-4 1000 m: 2008
) and two bronzes (K-2 500 m: 2004
, 2008).
Piatrushenka's first success on the international stage came at the 2000 European under-23 Championships in Boulogne
, France as a member of the Belarus K-4 crew which won both the 500 m and 1000 m gold medals.
One by one, the members of the under-23 crew were being promoted to the Belarus senior boat. In 2001 however, Piatrushenka destroyed a field of more experienced paddlers to become Belarus K-1 national champion. Now wishing to concentrate on the K-1, he initially refused to join the senior K-4 crew as the coaches had planned.
At the 2001 European championships in Milan
he was persuaded to enter the K-4 races, winning his first senior medals – the 500 m and 1000 m bronze. In the K-1 1000m however, he could only finish 17th.
At the 2002 European under-23 Championships in Zagreb
he won the K-1 1000 m gold medal, as well as retaining both K-4 titles. Having rejoined the senior K-4 crew on a permanent basis he won his first world championship
medal, the K-4 1000 m silver, in Seville
. Senior K-1 races were proving harder though and he again failed to reach any major finals in 2002.
Realising he was not yet ready to challenge for senior K-1 medals he instead teamed up with Vadzim Makhneu
to compete in K-2 races. The partnership was an instant success. On their first World Cup outing in Szeged
in May 2003 they beat a world-class field including Germans Rauhe
and Wieskötter
over 500 m. At the 2003 World Championships
in Gainesville
, USA, they claimed the silver medal.
In 2004 at the Athens Olympics they won the K-2 500 m bronze medal. They were disappointed not to do better but in the final a false start by eventual silver-medalists Nathan Baggaley
and Clint Robinson
went unpunished. To make matters worse, Makhneu had stopped paddling after just two strokes, waiting in vain for the Australians to be called back by the starter. The Belarusians had to come through from last place to snatch the bronze medal ahead of the Polish duo of Twardowski
and Wysocki
.
In 2005 they took a break from the K-2 (and each other). Meanwhile, the Belarusian four, with Piatrushenka as the "engine", established themselves as the top K-4 500m crew in the world. A gold medal at the European Championships in Poznań
was followed by victory in the World Championship final in Zagreb. This was Belarus's first world championship team kayak gold medal since independence. He also won nine more medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with six gold (K-2 200 m: 2007, 2009
; K-2 500 m: 2009, 2010
; K-4 200 m: 2009, K-4 1000 m: 2009), two silvers (K-2 500 m: 2007, K-4 1000 m: 2010), and a bronze (K-4 1000 m: 2006).
Paying tribute to Piatrushenka's strength and stamina, national team leader and former double Olympic canoe champion Viktor Reneysky
has said that he has never seen another kayak spinter who can cope with such heavy training loads.
Piatrushenka is 192 cm (6'4") tall and weighs 88 kg (194 lbs). He is a member of the Mozyr club and is trained by Vladimir Shantarovich.
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian sprint canoer
Canoe racing
This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....
who has competed since 2000. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won three medals with one gold (K-4 1000 m: 2008
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
) and two bronzes (K-2 500 m: 2004
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, 2008).
Piatrushenka's first success on the international stage came at the 2000 European under-23 Championships in Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
, France as a member of the Belarus K-4 crew which won both the 500 m and 1000 m gold medals.
One by one, the members of the under-23 crew were being promoted to the Belarus senior boat. In 2001 however, Piatrushenka destroyed a field of more experienced paddlers to become Belarus K-1 national champion. Now wishing to concentrate on the K-1, he initially refused to join the senior K-4 crew as the coaches had planned.
At the 2001 European championships in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
he was persuaded to enter the K-4 races, winning his first senior medals – the 500 m and 1000 m bronze. In the K-1 1000m however, he could only finish 17th.
At the 2002 European under-23 Championships in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
he won the K-1 1000 m gold medal, as well as retaining both K-4 titles. Having rejoined the senior K-4 crew on a permanent basis he won his first world championship
2002 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2002 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Seville, Spain.The men's competition consisted of nine Canadian and nine kayak events...
medal, the K-4 1000 m silver, in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
. Senior K-1 races were proving harder though and he again failed to reach any major finals in 2002.
Realising he was not yet ready to challenge for senior K-1 medals he instead teamed up with Vadzim Makhneu
Vadzim Makhneu
Vadzim Makhneu or Vadim Makhnev is a Belarusian flatwater canoer who has competed since 2000...
to compete in K-2 races. The partnership was an instant success. On their first World Cup outing in Szeged
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
in May 2003 they beat a world-class field including Germans Rauhe
Ronald Rauhe
Ronald Rauhe is a German sprint canoer who has competed since 1997. Competing in three Summer Olympics, he won a complete set of medals in the K-2 500 m event...
and Wieskötter
Tim Wieskötter
Tim Wieskötter is a German sprint canoer who has competed since the late 1990s...
over 500 m. At the 2003 World Championships
2003 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2003 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held September 10–14, 2003 in Gainesville, Georgia, United States at Lake Lanier. Located north of Atlanta, this was also where the canoe sprint and rowing events for the 1996 Summer Olympics took place....
in Gainesville
Gainesville, Georgia
-Severe Weather:Gainesville sits on the very fringe of Tornado Alley, a region of the United States where severe weather is common. Supercell thunderstorms can sweep through any time between March and November, but are concentrated most in the spring...
, USA, they claimed the silver medal.
In 2004 at the Athens Olympics they won the K-2 500 m bronze medal. They were disappointed not to do better but in the final a false start by eventual silver-medalists Nathan Baggaley
Nathan Baggaley
Nathan Baggaley is an Australian sprint canoer and surfski champion. He is a three-times world champion in the K-1 500 m events and has also won two Olympic silver medals. His career has been tarnished by drug scandal.-Career summary:He made his international debut for Australia in 1997, initially...
and Clint Robinson
Clint Robinson
Clint Robinson is an Australian sprint kayaker and surf lifesaver who has won a complete set of medals at the Summer Olympics ....
went unpunished. To make matters worse, Makhneu had stopped paddling after just two strokes, waiting in vain for the Australians to be called back by the starter. The Belarusians had to come through from last place to snatch the bronze medal ahead of the Polish duo of Twardowski
Marek Twardowski
Marek Twardowski is a Polish sprint canoer who has competed since the late 1990s. He won fifteen medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with two golds , nine silvers , and four...
and Wysocki
Adam Wysocki
Adam Wysocki is a Polish sprint canoer who competed from 1994 to 2008. He has won eighteen medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with two golds , ten silvers , and six...
.
In 2005 they took a break from the K-2 (and each other). Meanwhile, the Belarusian four, with Piatrushenka as the "engine", established themselves as the top K-4 500m crew in the world. A gold medal at the European Championships in Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
was followed by victory in the World Championship final in Zagreb. This was Belarus's first world championship team kayak gold medal since independence. He also won nine more medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with six gold (K-2 200 m: 2007, 2009
2009 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2009 International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint World Championships were held 12–16 August 2009 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, on Lake Banook. The Canadian city was selected to host the championships in October 2003 after having done so previously in 1997...
; K-2 500 m: 2009, 2010
2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held 19–22 August 2010 in Poznań, Poland, on Lake Malta. This is the third time that the Polish city will host the championships, having done so previously in 1990 and 2001...
; K-4 200 m: 2009, K-4 1000 m: 2009), two silvers (K-2 500 m: 2007, K-4 1000 m: 2010), and a bronze (K-4 1000 m: 2006).
Paying tribute to Piatrushenka's strength and stamina, national team leader and former double Olympic canoe champion Viktor Reneysky
Viktor Reneysky
Viktor Iosifovich Reneysky , born January 24, 1967 in Babruysk, is a sprint canoer from Belarus who won three Olympic medals for the USSR and Moldova in the C-2 event with his teammate Nikolaï Juravschi. He also won a total of nine world titles, more than any other Canadian canoe paddler of his...
has said that he has never seen another kayak spinter who can cope with such heavy training loads.
Piatrushenka is 192 cm (6'4") tall and weighs 88 kg (194 lbs). He is a member of the Mozyr club and is trained by Vladimir Shantarovich.