Yevgeny Redkin

Sport: Biathlon

Born: 2 February 1970, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russian SFSR, USSR

Career highlights:

Gold, Olympic Games in Albertville, 1992

Gold (Relay), IBU Biathlon World Championships, 1992

Gold (15km), IBU Junior World Championships, 1990

Winner, CIS informal championships Izhevsk Rifle,1992

Honors:

Honored Master of Sport

Biography:

Yevgeny Redkin was born in Khanty-Mansiysk. The family of his coach Vladimir Putrov was originally from Vitebsk Region. During the collectivization campaign they were deported to Siberia where they settled down. The coach always wanted to visit the land of his ancestors, and when the time came, he moved to Belarus together with his talented student Yevgeny Redkin, who had a great respect for his coach. The capable athlete was immediately admitted to the Belarusian State Institute of Physical Culture and Sport.

Yevgeny Redkin is known for several impressive wins in his career. The first one came at the IBU Junior World Championships in the 15km race. After the gold medal, Vladimir Putrov sought to include the 20-year-old guy in the Soviet Union team.

However, it took more than two years for Yevgeny Redkin to make the national team. At the Izhevsk rifle tournament in Udmurtia he stunned everybody with his impressive performance in the 20km. According to the terms of the competition, the winner of the tournament (in fact, the CIS championships) was guaranteed a spot on the CIS Unified Team.

At the Olympic Games in Albertville the coaches still regarded Yevgeny Redkin as not likely to succeed. They entered him only into one race. More so, they put him in the starting group, making his result a target for attack by other athletes. Not a great sprinter, Redkin focused on the main component of the long-distance race – clean shooting. A miss in the 20km warranted a one-minute penalty. He hit all 20 targets while all others faulted. Thus, the unheralded 22-year-old representative of Belarus became an unexpected Olympic champion.

After Albertville, Yevgeny Redkin had another major success. At the Biathlon World Championships in 1992 Yevgeny Redkin ran the first leg as part of the CIS relay team while the renowned Alexander Popov anchored the race. Though Redkin missed one target, the team raced to win a gold medal. Thus, Yevgeny Redkin got his career first gold medal of the world championships.

Nothing major happened afterwards. “The Sensation of Albertville” no longer impressed anyone with either accurate shooting or competitive skiing. After several years in Belarus, Redkin and his coach returned to Siberia.

Upon retiring from sport, the Olympic champion worked as a sport functionary. He headed the Department of Physical Culture and Sports in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous District.