Dziamyan Turchyn
Encyclopedia
Dziamyan Turchyn (alternate listings: Demian Turchin or Demyan Turchin, born 2 March 1985 in Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...

) is a Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...

ian sprint canoer
Canoe racing
This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....

.

Turchyn represented Belarus at the 2003 Junior World Championships in Komatsu
Komatsu, Ishikawa
is a city located in Ishikawa Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 109,285 with a density of 294 persons per km². The total area is 371.13 km²....

, Japan, finishing fourth in the kayak K-2 500 m and fifth in the K-4 1000 m finals.

Senior team leader Viktor Reneysky
Viktor Reneysky
Viktor Iosifovich Reneysky , born January 24, 1967 in Babruysk, is a sprint canoer from Belarus who won three Olympic medals for the USSR and Moldova in the C-2 event with his teammate Nikolaï Juravschi. He also won a total of nine world titles, more than any other Canadian canoe paddler of his...

 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 K-4 500 m 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 K-4 500 m silver medal in Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...

, Poland.

At the Olympics the only K-4 race is over 1000 m and Reneysky dropped Skurkouski from the 1000 m line-up as well in favour of Turchyn. Belarus finished sixth in the Olympic final
Canoeing at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's K-4 1000 metres
These are the results of the men's K-4 1000 metres competition in canoeing at the 2004 Summer Olympics. The K-4 event is raced by four-man canoe sprint kayaks.-Medalists:-Heats:...

.

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
Raman Piatrushenka
Raman Piatrushenka is a Belarusian sprint canoer who has competed since 2000...

 in a 2005 Belarus Cup K-1 200 m 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 K-1 1000 m 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
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

. 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
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...

, 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 200 m final too. The K-4 crew were voted Belarus Sports Team of the Year 2005.

In 2006 they began in impressive form with victories at the Poznan and Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...

 regattas. However Reneysky then changed his strategy in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

. With only one K-4 event, the 1000 m, on the Olympic schedule, the K-4 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 K-2 500 m. It also allowed the formation of a second K-4 500 m 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 K-4 1000 m behind Slovakia. This was their best-ever result over 1000 m in a major championship. But their background as sprinters was demonstrated the following day as they took gold in the K-4 200 m.

At the 2006 World Championships, held in Szeged
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....

, Hungary, the Belarusian four claimed a bronze medal in the 1000 m 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 1000 m.

Turchyn won a gold in the K-4 200 m event at the 2009 championships
2009 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2009 International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint World Championships were held 12–16 August 2009 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, on Lake Banook. The Canadian city was selected to host the championships in October 2003 after having done so previously in 1997...

 in Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Dartmouth founded in 1750, is a community and planning area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour, Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes after the large number of lakes located in the city.On April 1, 1996, the provincial...

.

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