Dziamyan Turchyn

Dziamyan Turchyn (or Demian Turchin), born 2 March 1985 in Minsk, is a Belarusian flatwater canoer and current world champion.

Turchyn represented Belarus at the 2003 Junior World Championships in Komatsu, Japan, finishing fourth in the kayak K2 500m and fifth in the K4 1000m finals.

Senior team leader Viktor Reneysky was looking for fresh talent for his K4 boat which had failed to maintain the progress of previous years. Turchyn was surprisingly chosen ahead of Stanislau Strelchanka to replace Aliaksei Skurkouski in the senior K4 500m crew.

Turchyn had been selected not just for his athletic ability but also for his phlegmatic temperament. Indeed some observers worried that he would not "wake up" for big races. His new team-mates, however, laughed off such fears and at Turchyn's first major championship, he justified their faith as the Belarusian four took the 2004 European K4 500m silver medal in Poznań, Poland.

At the Olympics the only K4 race is over 1000m and Reneysky dropped Skurkouski from the 1000m line-up as well in favour of Turchyn. Belarus finished sixth in the Olympic final.

Still a teenager, Turchyn was the first of the juniors from Komatsu to win a senior medal and, despite the inevitable distractions, he handled his sudden success better than most. His coaches were relieved to see that their young star was still progressing well through the winter of 2004/05.

Just how well was shown when Turchyn beat the previously invincible Raman Piatrushenka in a 2005 Belarus Cup K1 200m race. A shocked Reneysky called for a photo-finish before confirming the result. Turchyn was typically unfazed by his victory and even had the temerity to look aggrieved when Piatrushenka edged him out in the K1 1000m final.

At the 2005 European Championships, again held in Poznań, the Belarusians went one better than in 2004, taking the K4 500m gold medal ahead of Slovakia. This was a first senior title not just for Turchyn but for his team-mates too. Perhaps understandably they celebrated a little too enthusiastically with the result that they only came in fifth in the 200m final.

A month later they were world champions as well, beating rivals Slovakia at the World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. This was the first team kayak world title won by a Belarus crew since independence, but this time they delayed their celebrations and picked up a bronze medal in the 200m final too. The K4 crew were voted Belarus Sports Team of the Year 2005.

In 2006 they began in impressive form with victories at the Poznan and Duisburg regattas. However Reneysky then changed his strategy in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics. With only one K4 event, the 1000m, on the Olympic schedule, the K4 crew would not be entered for the 500m at the European and World Championships. This strategy was logical in that it allowed Piatrushenka and Makhneu the necessary rest time to compete in the K2 500m. It also allowed the formation of a second K4 500m kayak crew to accommodate other up-and-coming Belarusian paddlers. Nonetheless it was hard on Turchyn and Abalmasau who were denied the chance to defend their hard-won titles of 2005.

At the European Championships in Račice, Czech Republic, Turchyn and his team-mates won an encouraging silver medal in the K4 1000m behind Slovakia. This was their best-ever result over 1000m in a major championship. But their background as sprinters was demonstrated the following day as they took gold in the K4 200m.

At the 2006 World Championships, held in Szeged, Hungary, the Belarusian four claimed a bronze medal in the 1000m final (this time behind hosts Hungary and Poland) - their first world championship medal over the Olympic distance.

Coach Vladimir Shantarovich was unimpressed with their Szeged bronze medal, accusing the crew of lacking the mental strength to reproduce their best form on the biggest stage. He argued that their times in training meant they were already well capable of winning major titles over the Olympic distance of 1000m.

Turchyn is 190 cm {6'3") tall and weighs 90 kg (198 lbs).

ee also

*List of Canoe/Kayak athletes by Country