Raman Piatrushenka

Sport: Canoe Sprint

Born: 25 December 1980

Birthplace: Kalinkovichi, Gomel Region

Career highlights:

Gold (K-4 1000m), Olympic Games in Beijing, 2008

Silver (K-2 200m), Olympic Games in London, 2012

Bronze (K-2 500m), Olympic Games in Athens, 2004

Bronze (K-2 500m), Olympic Games in Beijing, 2008

Seven-time champion, Canoe Sprint World Championships, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010

Eleven-time champion, Canoe Sprint European Championships, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Bronze (K-2 1000m), 1st European Games, Baku, 2015

Bronze (K-4 1000m), 1st European Games, Baku, 2015

Honors:

Order of the Fatherland 2nd Class, 2010

Order of the Fatherland 3rd Class, 2008

Honored Master of Sport of the Republic of Belarus, 2004

Biography:

Raman Piatrushenka was born in the town of Kalinkovichi on 25 December 1980. When he was a little boy, his father often took him fishing, which had a decisive impact on his future. Raman was really fond of fishing and enjoyed the water a lot. Even today, he can spend hours fishing. He believes that this is the best type of recreation.

At the age of eight he tried to enroll in the rowing section, but he was turned down because he was too young. He was accepted the following year. The first coach - Dmitry Klevakin - did not recognize his potential, but later on the future Olympic champion met the coach who had a great eye for talent. Vladimir Shantarovich invited Piatrushenka to his canoe club. At that time it was a sports school that later grew into a national training center. Later, Vladimir Shantarovich called his student ‘Platini in a kayak’ because he was equally good in the sprint and also in the 1000m and even 10km.

Raman Piatrushenka formed a K-2 partnership with Vadzim Makhneu in 2003. The following year they won the K-2 500m bronze at the Athens Olympics. Fearing a false start, Makhneu stopped paddling after just two strokes. The Belarusians had to come through from last place to snatch the bronze medal. However, there was also a possibility that the crew could have caught out by gust of wind had Makhneu kept paddling. Anyway, the crew was satisfied with the result.

The Beijing Olympics in 2008 turned out to be triumphant for Piatrushenka. The Belarusian athletes arrived in the Chinese capital as the leaders of the season. The Belarus K-4 1000m crew of Piatrushenka, Abalmasau, Litvinchuk and Makhneu beat a world-class field, including the Slovaks and the Germans. That was Belarus’ first Olympic team kayak gold medal since the country gained independence. The next day after the golden triumph, Piatrushenka and Makhneu sought to challenge the famous German duo Rauhe-Wieskotter over 500m, but did not have enough strength to do it. As a result, Piatrushenka added the K-2 500m bronze to his medal haul.

At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the Piatrushenka-Makhneu crew clinched silver in the 200m doubles and were second only to the Russian duo Dyachenko-Postrigai.

In 2009 Piatrushenka was named the athlete of the year in Belarus.

For a long time he taught at Mozyr Pedagogical University at the department of sports.

He currently continues his career as an athlete.