Andrey Silnov
Silnov in 2018
Personal information
Nationality Russia
Born (1984-09-09) 9 September 1984
Shakhty, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight83 kg (183 lb)
Sport
SportTrack and field
EventHigh jump
ClubCSKA Moscow
Coached bySergey Starykh and Yevgeniy Zagorulko
Medal record
Men’s athletics
Representing  Russia
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2008 BeijingHigh jump
World Indoor Championships
Silver medal – second place 2012 Istanbul High jump
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2006 GothenburgHigh jump
Updated on 19 May 2012.

Andrey Alexandrovich Silnov (Russian: Андрей Александрович Сильнов; born 9 September 1984) is a Russian high jumper and the 2008 Olympic champion. Born in Shakhty, Rostov Oblast, he is 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) and weighs 83 kg (183 lbs).

Biography

In a late 2006 interview, Andrey said he was the younger son of working-class parents and that he got into athletics as a boy, inspired by the triple-jumping exploits of an older brother.[1] He quickly realized that his height was an advantage in the high jump. After winning the Russian Under-23 Indoor title in Moscow in 2005 – with a jump of 2.24 m – he was asked to join an elite-level group of Russian jumpers training under coach Yevgeniy Zagorulko.

Silnov burst onto the world scene in 2006, when he won the gold medal at the 2006 European Championships with a jump of 2.36 metres, improving the old championship record which was set by Steinar Hoen with 2.35 m in 1994. A week after the European Championships Silnov jumped 2.37 metres in Monaco. This was the world leading jump in 2006 by a comfortable margin.[2]

Indoors, he has made much of his progression at the Hochsprung mit Musik, setting personal bests in 2006 and 2007 before setting his current best of 2.37 to win the competition.

Silnov was suspended in 2020, backdated to 2013, for doping use, but retained his Olympic gold medal.

Olympic champion in 2008

He jumped a new personal best of 2.38, in the London Grand Prix 25 July 2008, and was selected at the last minute to join the Russian team at the 2008 Olympics, where he won the gold medal with a jump of 2.36. His performance in Beijing was astonishing, as he was the only competitor to clear every height on his first attempt and was the only jumper to succeed at 2.36. He then by-passed the Olympic Record of 2.39 and had the bar raised to 2.42, where he missed all three attempts.

2009 and 2010 seasons

Silnov's 2009 season was blighted by injury and he was ruled out of competition with an Achilles injury for nearly 12 months. He returned to competition in early 2010.[3]

2011 outdoor season

Silnov's first major outdoor competition of 2011 was at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday 4 June. This Diamond League invitational brought together an elite field of 8 of the world's best jumpers. Silnov opened at 2.16 (as did every jumper except Spank) and he cleared every height on his first jump, until missing once at 2.32. When none of the three remaining jumpers could clear 2.35, German Raul Spank was the winner on the basis of his first-try clearance at 2.32, Silnov was second, and American Jesse Williams was third (with a third try clearance at 2.32).

Post-career and doping

In December 2016, Silnov stood to be president of the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF), but lost the election by 36 votes to 31 to Dmitry Shlyakhtin so took the position of first vice-president instead. In June 2019, Silnov stood down from his position as vice president as he was under investigation for a possible anti-doping rule violation.[4]

Silnov's doping ban was confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 7 April 2021 when he was banned for four years with all of his results from 8 July 2013 disqualified.[5] In 2023, he was seen awarding athletes at a Russian domestic competition for which the World Anti-Doping Agency extended his ban for a further year.[6]

Politics

In 2014, Silnov was elected a member of Legislative Assembly of Rostov Region.

International competitions

YearCompetitionVenuePositionNotes
Representing  Russia
2005 European U23 Championships Erfurt, Germany 9th 2.23 m
2006 European Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 1st 2.36 m CR, PB
World Athletics Final Stuttgart, Germany 2nd 2.33 m
World Cup Athens, Greece 2nd 2.24 m
2007 World Championships Osaka, Japan 11th 2.21 m
2008 Olympic Games Beijing, China 1st 2.36 m
World Athletics Final Stuttgart, Germany 1st 2.35 m CR
2012 World Indoor Championships Istanbul, Turkey 2nd 2.33 m

References

  1. ↑ IAAF.org, News Centre, 18 January 2007, "Silnov is fishing for the World High Jump record"; accessed 5 June 2011.
  2. ↑ IAAF top lists – men's high jump 2006
  3. ↑ Russia's Olympic champion Silnov ready to return. Runnerspace (2010-02-02). Retrieved on 2014-04-21.
  4. ↑ "Olympic gold medallist steps down as first vice-president of Russian Athletics Federation while facing doping case". www.insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  5. ↑ CAS Media Release (tas-cas.org)
  6. ↑ Сильнов отстранен еще на год
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Andrey Silnov.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.