Additional Information
Highlights
| Rank | Event | Year | Location | Result |
|---|
| Olympic Winter Games |
| 2 | Singles | 2006 | Torino, ITA | 3:26.198 |
| 4 | Singles | 2010 | Vancouver, BC, CAN | 3:14.405 |
| 5 | Singles | 2002 | Salt Lake City, UT, USA | 2:58.996 |
| 7 | Doubles | 1994 | Lillehammer, NOR | 1:37.477 |
| 8 | Doubles | 1992 | Albertville, FRA | 1:33.299 |
| 9 | Singles | 1994 | Lillehammer, NOR | 3:22.627 |
| 10 | Doubles | 1998 | Nagano, JPN | 1:42.556 |
| Singles | 1998 | Nagano, JPN | DSQ |
| World Championships |
| 2 | Singles | 2012 | Altenberg, GER | 1:47.660 |
| 2 | Team Relay | 2012 | Altenberg, GER | 2:22.092 |
| 7 | Singles | 2013 | Whistler, BC, CAN | 1:37.130 |
| 7 | Team Relay | 2013 | Whistler, BC, CAN | 2:05.193 |
| 32 | Singles | 2011 | Cesana Pariol, ITA | DNQ |
| World Cup Rankings overview - displays all rankings from 2010/11, top three for earlier seasons |
| Season | Singles |
|---|
| 2013/2014 | 14 |
| 2012/2013 | 5 |
| 2011/2012 | 8 |
| 2010/2011 | 3 |
| 2009/2010 | 2 |
| 2007/2008 | 3 |
| 2004/2005 | 1 |
| Best performance per season in World Cup events from 2010/2011 |
| Season | Singles | Relay |
|---|
| 2013/2014 | 1 x 2nd | 1 x 1st |
| 2012/2013 | 1 x 1st | 1 x 2nd |
| 2011/2012 | 1 x 4th | 3 x 3rd |
| 2010/2011 | 1 x 1st | 1 x 1st |
| Rank | Event | Year | Location | Result |
|---|
| Ten best World Cup performances in current season |
| 1 | Team Relay | 2013/2014 | Altenberg, GER | 2:25.570 |
| 2 | Singles | 2013/2014 | Altenberg, GER | 1:49.223 |
| 4 | Singles | 2013/2014 | Oberhof, GER | 1:27.722 |
| 7 | Singles | 2013/2014 | Lillehammer, NOR | 1:38.773 |
| 10 | Singles | 2013/2014 | Igls, AUT | 1:41.334 |
| 31 | Singles | 2013/2014 | Winterberg, GER | 53.572 |
| Singles | 2013/2014 | Konigssee, GER | DNF |
| Team Relay | 2013/2014 | Igls, AUT | DSQ |
| Singles | 2013/2014 | Sigulda, LAT | DNS |
| European Championships |
| 1 | Team Relay | 2014 | Sigulda, LAT | 2:13.485 |
| 1 | Team Relay | 2012 | Paramonovo, RUS | 2:31.975 |
| 1 | Singles | 2010 | Sigulda, LAT | 1:36.748 |
| 1 | Singles | 2006 | Winterberg, GER | 1:48.918 |
| 2 | Singles | 2008 | Cesana Pariol, ITA | 1:44.682 |
| 2 | Singles | 1996 | Sigulda, LAT | 1:39.587 |
| 3 | Team Relay | 2013 | Oberhof, GER | 2:25.048 |
| 3 | Doubles | 1996 | Sigulda, LAT | 1:27.776 |
| 4 | Singles | 2012 | Paramonovo, RUS | 1:32.184 |
| 6 | Singles | 2013 | Oberhof, GER | 1:27.914 |
LegendDNS-Did not start, DNQ-Did not qualify for final run, DNF-Did not finish, DSQ-Disqualified
- Education: Ural State University of Physical Culture, Chelyabinsk, RUS
- Languages Spoken: Russian
- Sporting Relatives: His daughter Viktoria has also competed in luge but missed out on selection for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. His wife Olga is an international referee, and his brother Oleg is a coach and mechanic for the Russian national team. (ONS, 07 Feb 2014; sport-express.ru, 18 Dec 2012; newizv.ru, 07 Nov 2012)
- Previous Olympics: Vancouver 2010, Torino 2006, Salt Lake City 2002, Nagano 1998, Lillehammer 1994, Albertville 1992
- Family: Wife Olga, daughters Viktoria and Vitalina
- Coach: Alexander Vasin [national] (light-chusovoy.rf, 26 Mar 2013)
- Other Sports: He has participated in skeleton at international level and in bobsleigh at national level. (nbcolympics.com, 12 Feb 2006)
Additional Information
Start of sporting career
He took up luge at age 12. (nbcolympics.com, 12 Feb 2006)
Reason for taking up this sport
After first trying luge he gave bobsleigh a go, but felt he wasn't fast enough. He also tried skeleton, but ultimately decided to return to luge. "I only have hands and a head, I don't have fast legs." (nbcolympics.com, 12 Feb 2006)
Training
He trains for up to eight hours per day. (sport-express.ru, 18 Dec 2012)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"You win and lose as a team." (sport-express.ru, 24 Feb 2013)
Awards
He holds the title of Master of Sport in Russia. (infosport.ru, 25 Feb 2013)
He receivedВ the Order of Friendship on 22 February 2007 from theВ president of Russia. This was in recognition of his contribution to the development of physical culture and sport. (sports.ru, 11 Feb 2010)
General
RECORD OLYMPIC APPEARANCE
The 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi will be the seventh winter Games he has competed at, a record for an athlete at the Olympic Winter Games. Japanese ski jumper Noriaki Kasai will also compete in his seventh Games in Sochi. (rsport.ru, 05 Jan 2014)
AGE NO FACTOR
He will be 42 by the time the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi begin. "I simply race against myself on the luge and I don't pay any attention to age. But I want to finish my career adequately. God alone knows if I will or won't make the top three in Sochi." (kommersant.ru, 23 Nov 2012)
PSYCHOLOGICAL ADVANTAGE
After he began working with psychologist Vasily Korneyev, he won silver at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin and finished first in the overall standings for the 2006 World Cup. He continued to work with Korneyev, although he did not put his success down to one specific thing. "I'm not sure if it was due to psychological experiments, new training or a combination of both." (kommersant.ru, 23 Nov 2012)
NATIONAL FIRST
In January 2005 he became the first Russian to win the overall World Cup luge title. (cbc.ca, 23 Jan 2005)
NATIONAL TEAMS
Since 1990 he has represented three national teams, competing for the Soviet Union, the Unified Team at the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, and Russia. (sports.ru, 11 Feb 2010)