The second day of the Altai regatta ended with the triumph of Belarusian athletes

On Saturday, September 16, the second day of the international competition Altai Regatta: Cup of the Ageev Brothers and Olympic champions Yuri Postrigay and Alexander Dyachenko took place on the Barnaul Rowing Canal. On this day, the first winners of the tournament in three types of rowing were determined.

In standing board rowing, medals were won in the SUP, SUP PRO disciplines at distances of 200, 2000 and 4000 meters, and in mixed crews on Dragon boats, finals were held in two age categories – up to 40 years old and 40+. The highlight of the second day of the Altai Regatta: AAA Cup was the exciting final races in the ELITE category – “Race of Champions”, in which some of the strongest rowers in the world compete, as well as the opening ceremony of the competition.

The colorful opening ceremony was attended by the Governor of the Altai Territory, Viktor Tomenko, who made a welcoming speech and wished the athletes beautiful and exciting starts. The organizers of the tournament, Olympic champions Yuri Postrigai and Alexander Dyachenko, also wished success to the competition participants. Also during the opening ceremony, a parade of flags took place – a presentation of the eight countries participating in the Altai Regatta: the AAA Cup, vibrant performances by dance groups and young students of sports schools in wushu and rhythmic gymnastics.

In the “Race of Champions” in the single kayak at a distance of 500 meters, Belarusian athletes made a splash, occupying the entire podium. The gold medal was won by the winner of the youth world championship Vladislav Kravets, European and world champion Dmitry Natynchik finished second, world champion Nikita Borikov completed the top three, in a heated battle ahead of the European and world championship winner, Russian Maxim Spesivtsev, who became fourth.

In the women’s single kayak at a distance of 500 meters, the representative of the Belarusian national team also had no equal – the victory was won by three-time Olympic medalist and five-time world champion Olga Khudenko. In a fierce struggle, another top Belarusian kayaker, Marina Litvinchuk, a three-time Olympic medalist and six-time world champion, lost to her and took second place. The bronze medal in this race was won by the winner of the Junior World Championship, Russian Yulia Babashinskaya.

The Belarusian athletes were not going to stop there and won the entire set of medals in the women’s single 500-meter canoe final. The victory was celebrated by three-time world champion Elena Nozdreva. Three-time world champion Olga Klimova finished second, and Yulia Trushkina took third place.

In the final of the men’s canoe singles at a distance of 500 meters, the main sensation of the day was presented by 19-year-old Russian Zakhar Petrov. He rushed from the very start, confidently covered the entire distance and won the gold medal, overtaking Ivan Shtyl himself, the Olympic silver medalist, 17-time world champion as part of the Russian team. Shtyl eventually finished second, and Colombian Alejandro Rodriguez took third place in this hot race.

Moreover, a beautiful struggle unfolded not only for first, but also for third place. The rowers were so close that even after the finish it was not clear who ultimately won the bronze medal. The judges had to resort to a photo finish. After a long viewing, when not only the athletes themselves, but also the spectators were waiting for a decision, the result of viewing the photo finish was announced – Rodriguez became third, and the Bulgarian Angel Kodinov, who finished with him, took fourth place.