Discipline | Performance | Wind | Venue | Date | Records | Results Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10,000 Metres Race Walk | 44:02.00 | Kaunas (LTU) | 23 JUL 2005 | 965 | ||
10 Kilometres Race Walk | 38:50 | Moskva (RUS) | 30 AUG 2014 | 1180 | ||
20 Kilometres Race Walk | 1:18:37 | Taicang (CHN) | 04 MAY 2014 | NR | 1221 |
Discipline | Performance | Wind | Venue | Date | Records | Results Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5000 Metres Race Walk | 18:21.76 | Samara (RUS) | 30 JAN 2014 | NR | 1198 | |
10,000 Metres Race Walk | 41:13.31 | Sumy (UKR) | 24 FEB 2008 | 1079 |
Discipline | Performance | Wind | Place | Date | Records | Results Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 Kilometres Race Walk | 1:21:12 | Lutsk (UKR) | 10 MAR 2018 | 1165 |
Discipline | Performance | Wind | Place | Date | Records | Results Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5000 Metres Race Walk | 18:52.94 | Kiev (UKR) | 09 JAN 2018 | 1154 |
Performance | Place | Date | |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | 44:02.00 | Kaunas (LTU) | 23 JUL 2005 |
Performance | Place | Date | |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | 41:03 | Lutsk (UKR) | 26 JUN 2016 |
2015 | 39:43 | Ayvalik (TUR) | 28 MAR 2015 |
2014 | 38:50 | Moskva (RUS) | 30 AUG 2014 |
2005 | 42:15 | Miskolc (HUN) | 21 MAY 2005 |
2004 | 44:55 | Yevpatoriya (UKR) | 13 MAR 2004 |
Performance | Place | Date | |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | 1:21:12 | Lutsk (UKR) | 10 MAR 2018 |
2017 | 1:22:26 | Olympic Stadium, London (GBR) | 13 AUG 2017 |
2016 | 1:20:33 | Roma (ITA) | 07 MAY 2016 |
2015 | 1:21:25 | Rio Maior (POR) | 18 APR 2015 |
2014 | 1:18:37 | Taicang (CHN) | 04 MAY 2014 |
2013 | 1:20:38 | Lugano (SUI) | 17 MAR 2013 |
2012 | 1:23:21 | Olympic Stadium, London (GBR) | 04 AUG 2012 |
2009 | 1:21:21 | Sumy (UKR) | 13 JUN 2009 |
2008 | 1:25:26 | Cheboksary (RUS) | 10 MAY 2008 |
2007 | 1:23:31 | Yevpatoriya (UKR) | 17 MAR 2007 |
2006 | 1:27:16 | La Coruña (ESP) | 13 MAY 2006 |
Performance | Place | Date | |
---|---|---|---|
2017/18 | 18:52.94 | Kiev (UKR) | 09 JAN 2018 |
2016/17 | 19:24.6h | Kiev (UKR) | 09 JAN 2017 |
2015/16 | 18:47.55 | Kiev (UKR) | 08 JAN 2016 |
2013/14 | 18:21.76 | Samara (RUS) | 30 JAN 2014 |
Performance | Place | Date | |
---|---|---|---|
2007/08 | 41:13.31 | Sumy (UKR) | 24 FEB 2008 |
2005/06 | 41:59.72 | Sumy (UKR) | 23 FEB 2006 |
Place | Discipline | Mark | Wind | Place | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
6. | 20 Kilometres Race Walk | 1:22:14 | Luzhniki, Moskva (RUS) | 11 AUG 2013 |
Place | Discipline | Mark | Wind | Place | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 20 Kilometres Race Walk | 1:18:37 | Taicang (CHN) | 04 MAY 2014 | |
9. | 20 Kilometres Race Walk | 1:20:33 | Roma (ITA) | 07 MAY 2016 |
Place | Discipline | Mark | Wind | Place | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
3. | 20 Kilometres Race Walk | 1:19:46 | Letzigrund, Zürich (SUI) | 13 AUG 2014 |
Place | Discipline | Mark | Wind | Place | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2. | 20 Kilometres Race Walk | 1:20:54 | Central Stadium, Kazan (RUS) | 08 JUL 2013 |
Place | Discipline | Mark | Wind | Place | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 20 Kilometres Race Walk | 1:21:21 | Sumy (UKR) | 13 JUN 2009 |
Place | Discipline | Mark | Wind | Place | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 10,000 Metres Race Walk | 41:13.31 | Sumy (UKR) | 24 FEB 2008 |
Date | Competition | Cnt. | Cat | Race | Pl. | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
09 JAN 2018 | Kiev Christmas Starts Meet, Kiev |
![]() |
F | F | 1. | 18:52.94 |
Date | Competition | Cnt. | Cat | Race | Pl. | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
24 FEB 2018 | Antalya Turkish Race Walking Ch., Antalya |
![]() |
B | F | DNF | |
10 MAR 2018 | Lutsk Ukrainian Winter Race Walking Ch., Lutsk |
![]() |
F | F | 2. | 1:21:12 |
Focus on Athletes biographies are produced by the IAAF Communications Dept, and not by the IAAF Statistics and Documentation Division. If you have any enquiries concerning the information, please use the Contact IAAF page, selecting ‘Focus on Athletes Biographies’ in the drop down menu of contact area options.
Updated 21 April 2014
Ruslan DMYTRENKO,
Ukraine (20 km Race Walk)
Born: 22 March 1986 in Kirovo village in Kyiv
region
1.80m/65kg
Lives: Donetsk
Coach: Denys Tobias
Sport club: CSKA
Ruslan Dmytrenko was the best runner in his school class, but never
dreamed to become an athlete. He likes basketball better than all other sports,
but never had ability to play this game. He tried many sports and was
successful enough in boxing. In his 8th year at school, Ruslan took 4th place
at national championships in the youth category, but after a jaw fracture he
didn’t want to continue his boxing training.
Fortunately, at that time the schoolteacher of physical culture
introduced Ruslan to athletics coach Oleksandr Grygorenko. Dmytrenko passed the
school examinations and athletics tests to enter the Sport College in Brovary
and joined the group of middle distance runners. However, in his 10th year at college,
at about 16, Dmytrenko achieved 2.07.00 at 800m with great difficulty and got additional
evidence that he has to change specialisation.
“My coach had trained walkers some years before and suggested I try
Race Walking as well. To be honest, I had no choice if I wanted to continue my studies
at the Sports College. I started to do Race Walking but I hated everything I
did during practice. I wanted to jump and run like all my peers, but I had to
do very special exercises and covered lap after lap in the stadium accompanied
by mockeries and misunderstandings from my friends. I did a lot of technical
work and it looked like daily drilling. Nevertheless, my technique became
perfect very soon,” Dmytrenko recalls.
In 2003 Ruslan entered Kyiv Sport University and changed coach. A
very few months later he won the annual competitions for “Zerkalo nedeli”
newspaper prize and was invited to the group of the senior coach of the Ukrainian
Race Walking team, Anatoliy Solomin. Dmytrenko began to attend different seaside
and altitude training camps and followed the example of stronger group-mates from
the national team during his practice.
The first results were evident already in 2005, when Dmytrenko first
won the National Winter Race Walking Championships among juniors clocking 42:27
at 10km on 5 March, and two month later debuted in the national junior team at
the European Cup Race Walking in Miskolc, where he finished 6th and improved
his PB by 12 seconds. After another victory at the national champs in Sumy on 3
June with 42:20:98 at 10,000m, Ruslan cherished hopes for a podium spot at the
European Junior Championships in Kaunas, but emotions “burned him out” before
competitions started. He was only 11th to finish with a modest 44:02:00.
In 2006, Ruslan’s training loads
became double those of previous years, as he had to move up to 20km distance.
“Certainly, I became stronger, faster and a greater stayer. During 2006-2008 I was
gaining in strength that is why my results grew, in the way they should, but I
constantly was unsuccessful at major events. If in 2006 I took my 52nd place at
World Race Walking Cup in La Coruña as more or less a good achievement, in 2008
I was too upset when I was 52nd to finish again at the same competitions in
Cheboksary,” Dmytrenko says. “That time I felt very powerful and aimed to clock
the B qualifying standard for the Beijing Olympics, but I could do nothing!
That was the last drop which made the cup overflow. I started to look
attentively at training methods of our other walkers and was very interested in
the practices of Oleksiy Kazanin. I spoke to his coach Denys Tobias and asked
him to give me the chance to join his group. Denys was young, very curious,
enthusiastic about new approaches for practices and his eyes lit up when he
spoke about Race Walking. His sincerity won my heart!”
In autumn 2008, Dmytrenko went to Donetsk for his first training
camp with the new coach. “I’ll never forget my first practice in Denys Tobias’
group. We walked 8km and I had no power to overcome even half the length of
road. Much later, coach told me that he was shocked and cast doubt on the rightness
of his decision.”
That was a difficult time for Dmytrenko. Ruslan had to make frequent
trips from Kyiv to Donetsk though his financial condition was far from
satisfactory and his wife was pregnant. But Dmytrenko was so inspired by
training in the new group that he wasn’t going to give up. Personal contact and
frank communication with the coach solved many problems. Tobias explained for the
newcomer why they do one or another work, what is the reason of any training
change and what results it should bring.
As a result, Dmytrenko made an unexpected breakthrough at the
National Winter Race Walking Championships in Yevpatoria, taking the win and
improving his PB to 1:21:50. More than 2 months later, he finished 15th at the
European Cup Race Walking in Metz, where the very hot weather conditions forced
almost half the participants to withdraw from the race. Despite a lowly 1:30:50
result in France, Dmytrenko was very positive about his shape and aimed to make
the qualifying standard for the World Championships in Belin. He won once more
national championships in Sumy with a solid 1:21:21, but that course was not
certificated by the IAAF. That is why Ruslan decided to take part in the World
University Games in Belgrade. Though Dmytrenko was 7th to finish in the Serbian
capital, his result (1:22:46) was quite enough to book the ticket to
Berlin.
“I fulfilled my objective in Beograd, but I lost the desire to
continue the season. I definitely felt tired,” Dmytrenko explained. “I had never
had such a long season before. My training became more intensive, but my body
wasn’t ready to manage and transform this into strong result. We started to
experiment on training loads but unsuccessfully. I was 33rd to finish in Berlin
with 1:27:01 only. In any case, of all people I should be the last one to
complain. I was happy to go to the first World Championships in my career.”
Dmytrenko devoted 2010 to increasing the speed. At the National Cup
in Yalta on 29 May he improved his PB at 10,000 to 39:33.91 and was very
satisfied with his achievement. Inexplicably however, at the same time his
results at 20km were very unstable. Going to the European Championships in
Barcelona, Dmytrenko couldn’t even predict what time he was ready to clock in
the race. Finally, 1:22:45 and 12th place upset him too much.
Early performances in 2011 plunged Dmytrenko into panic. He couldn’t
understand what was happening. First 1:24:52 at the National Champs in
February, then 1:26:42 at the international meeting in Lugano and finally
1:32:55 at the European Cup Race Walking in Olhão… “It was too much for one
season,” Dmytrenko grieves. “In Olhão I walked the most hellish 20km in my
life! I was ready to leave the race after 2nd km and I had 18km more ahead! I
even didn’t remember my finish as all the race was like torture for me,” Ruslan
recalls. “After a whole number of failures my coach was sure I’d retire from
athletics, but on the contrary I was more motivated and very angry after such
setbacks and aimed to rehabilitate myself as soon as possible.”
Dmytrenko asked the national team management to give him the chance
to perform on a certificated course to achieve the entry standard for the World
Championships in Daegu, instead of participation at the National Championships
in Sumy, and went to Russian Saransk.
“It was the first time in my life when I understood what second
breathe means. Until the 15th km I just worked hard and kept my patience, but
then I felt like somebody pushed me on to the finish. I flew each of the last
5km under 4 minutes! I even forgot I could walk with such speed.”
Dmytrenko clocked 1:22:20 in Saransk and was included into the
national team for Daegu. He even withdrew from competing at the World
University Games to have enough time for specific preparation for the Worlds.
He came to South Korea confident in success and ready to show his great shape.
However, if anybody had said to him that he would be able to be in top 10 to
finish in Daegu, Dmytrenko would have burst out laughing.
“It was unbelievable. I looked in wide-eyed astonishment when I
passed one strong rival after other on the Daegu course,” Dmytrenko says.
“Shivers ran down my spine and I developed a taste for real fight. When I
finished 7th with 1:21:31 I even could not to trust my eyes.”
After such success, Dmytrenko was included in the national Olympic
team. He was granted bonuses and scholarship by the state and received ability
to prepare at different training camps abroad. As a result, his speed grew
appreciably. On 5 February 2012 Dmytrenko broke the 20-year-old 5000m National
Indoor Record at the Russian Winter meeting in Moscow, clocking 18:44.45. Ten
days later, he won the National Indoor Championships in Sumy at 10,000m a with
perfect PB 39:26.90 and opened his outdoor season at the annual Race Walking
meeting in Lugano clocking another personal best, 1:20:19 over 20km on 18
March, which allowed him to prepare for
the World Race Walking Cup with optimism. He was very spiritual and inspired
going to Saransk.
“I knew I could fight for medals there, but even being 4th with PB
1:20:17, I felt like I had won the event,” Dmytrenko smiles. “Finally we took 3rd
place in team competitions and it became the greatest achievement of Ukrainian
race walkers in the international arena.”
Preparing for the London Olympics, Dmytrenko had two altitude
training camps in Kislovodsk, but unfortunately he injured his foot one month
before the Olympic Games. Different methods of treatment didn’t bring any
results. Ruslan trained with strong pain. Doctors advised him to take just
two-week break from practice for full rehabilitation, but Dmytrenko had no time
to relax.
“Usually I don’t pay attention to any pain if I prepare for major
competitions, but that situation was critical,” Dmytrenko says with sadness. “I
couldn’t do all the work we planned for London and undermined my health trying
different treatments. I lost my shape gradually and I didn’t know what I have
to expect from my London performance. It would be a miracle or nothing… but
miracle did not happen.”
Dmytrenko was only 30th at the London Olympics with a modest
1:23:21. He took two months holidays and came back for training in November
only, full of power. Pain disappeared as if he never had it before, but Ruslan
wasn’t in a hurry to force his preparation and missed all the 2013 indoor
season.
His preparation for the summer season was excellent. He was in great
condition two weeks before the European Cup Race Walking, but caught the flu
with fever about 40 degrees. As the result, he didn’t have power and energy to
compete, but even feeling too weak Dmytrenko was 5th in Dudince and fought hard
till the last metre of the distance.
Like two years before, Dmytrenko withdrew from the Universiade, but
the coaches kindly asked him to go to Kazan as a reserve. “We discussed that
with my coach and decided that one more performance before World Championships
will not damage our preparation,” Dmytrenko says. “It would be a training race
for me, but I take every competition with full responsibility. Moreover, I didn’t
know what result I was ready for, as we had made some experiments in training
and I came to Kazan only 5 days after an altitude training camp.”
The experiment was successful. Dmytrenko was 2nd at the World
University Games with solid a 1:20:54 and they decided to repeat that model of
preparation before the World Championships, but the timing was a little off.
Coming to Moscow, Dmytrenko felt too loaded.
“I was in good shape but I didn’t feel fresh,” Ruslan explains. “I
worked hard all the distance and when I already came into the stadium, I saw
only blinking stars before my eyes and the backs of my rivals. I made huge kick
to overcome two of them, but it was my greatest mistake! I didn’t know I had to
walk one lap more inside the stadium. After stopping short, I threw myself on for
further fight. I remember well I saw the marks of the 200m start line and…
nothing more! I recovered consciousness
much later in an ambulance car and couldn’t understand what had happened. I
even didn’t remember whether I was able to cross the finish line or no. Fortunately,
yes (1;22:14), but I was too disappointed when I heard that I finished only 7th,
especially as only 9 seconds divided the
4th and 7th placers. However, everything that happened in Moscow did not
implant doubt in my mind. Quite the contrary I became more self-confident and
felt the desire for a sporting revenge.”
After Moscow, the sport tandem Dmytrenko – Tobias made very deep analysis
of Ruslan’s international experience. They took notice of an interesting fact:
when Ruslan has indoor competitions at 5000m, his speed increases and then he
prepares for summer season more easily. That is why Dmytrenko went to Samara on
30 January to take part in the Governor Cup, where he improved the National
Indoor record at 5000m once more, to 18:21.76. He was included in the national
team for World Race Walking Cup in Taicang without any trials, but Dmytrenko
confirmed his great shape at the international meeting in Lugano with another
personal best, 1:20:08, and a resolute victory.
“I liked how easily I did it,” Dmytrenko smiles. “I didn’t have the
goal to win in Lugano, but just to walk following my own rhythm and
time-schedule. It is interesting to note that I passed 10km mark to the second
– 40:30. The last 4km I walked enjoying everything I do.”
All of April 2014 Dmytrenko spent in an altitude (900m) training
camp in Turkey. “I am in good shape, I train to my heart's content and look
forward to a great fight in Taicang. I don’t want to make any predictions. My
result in Taicang will show if my feeling are truthful,” said Dmytrenko two
weeks before the World Race Walking Cup in China.
Ruslan Dmytrenko graduated from Kyiv National Sports University as
teacher of physical culture and coach in athletics. He was married on September
16, 2007. His son Nikita was born on 13 February 12009.
One week before any competition, Ruslan doesn’t listen to any music,
focusing on future events and accumulating energy.
His hobby is fishing and his largest catch is a 6.2kg carp.
Personal Bests
5000m Indoor: 18:21.76 NR (2014)
10,000m: Outdoor 39:33.91 (2010) / Indoor
39:26.90 (2012)
20km: 1:20:08 (2014)
Yearly Progression:
20km: 2006: 1:27:16; 2007: 1:23:31; 2008:
1:25:26; 2009: 1:21:21; 2010: 1:21:54; 2011: 1:21:31; 2012: 1:20:17; 2013:
1:20:38; 2014: 1:20:08
Career Highlights
2005 | 6th | European Cup Race Walking (Miskolc) (10km) |
2005 | 11th | European Junior Championships (Kaunas) (10,000m) |
2006 | 52nd | World Race Walking Cup (La Coruña) |
2007 | 47th | European Cup Race Walking (Leamington) |
2007 | 6th | European U23 Championships (Debrecen) |
2008 | 52nd | World Race Walking Cup (Cheboksary) |
2009 | 15th | European Cup Race Walking (Metz) |
2009 | 7th | World University Games (Belgrade) |
2009 | 33rd | World Championships (Berlin) |
2010 | 12th | European Championships (Barcelona) |
2011 | 31st | European Cup Race Walking (Olhão) |
2011 | 7th | World Championships (Daegu) |
2012 | 4th | World Race Walking Cup (Saransk) |
2012 | 30th | Olympic Games (London) |
2013 | 5th | European Cup Race Walking (Dudince) |
2013 | 2nd | World University Games (Kazan) |
2013 | 7th | World Championships (Moscow) |
Prepared by Liudmyla Iakusheva for the IAAF
‘Focus on Athletes’ project. Copyright IAAF 2014.