Pavel Sankovich Explained

Pavel Sankovich
Full Name:Pavel Paulavich Sankovich
Strokes:Backstroke, butterfly
Club:SK VS Minsk
Coach:Henadziy Vishniakou
Frank Bradley (U.S.)
Collegeteam:Florida State University (U.S.)
Birth Date:29 June 1990
Birth Place:Grodno, Belarusian SSR, Soviet Union
Height:1.82 m
Weight:78 kg
Show-Medals:no

Pavel Paulavich Sankovich (Belarusian: Павел Паўлавіч Санковіч; born 29 June 1990) is a Belarusian swimmer, who specialized in sprint backstroke and butterfly events.[1] [2] He represented his native Belarus in three editions of the Olympic Games (2008, 2012 and 2016), and has won a total of seven bronze medals in major international competition, in both the long and short course European Championships.[1] [3]

Career

Early years

Sankovich made his first Belarusian team, as an 18-year-old, at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, competing in both the 100 m backstroke and the medley relay. Leading up to the Games, he broke a Belarusian record and cleared a FINA B-cut of 56.10 at the Belarusian National Championships in Minsk.[4] In the 100 m backstroke, Sankovich came second in his heat behind Colombia's Omar Pinzón by 0.28 of a second with 55.39 seconds, but failed to advance to the semifinals, finishing twenty-ninth out of 45 entrants in the prelims.[5] Few days later, he joined with Yauheni Lazuka, Viktar Vabishchevich, and two-time Olympian Stanislau Neviarouski for the men's 4 × 100 m medley relay. Swimming the backstroke leg, Sankovich recorded a time of 55.11 seconds, and the Belarusian team went on to finish the heats in sixteenth place, for a total time of 3:39.39.[6]

Four years after competing in his last Olympics, Sankovich qualified for his second Belarusian team, as a 22-year-old, at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, by eclipsing a FINA B-standard entry time of 54.56 in the men's 100 m backstroke.[7] [8] He was third heat of his 100 m backstroke, and won it with a new Belarusian record of 54.53, but narrowly missed a spot in the semifinals by one hundredth of a second (0.01) behind Olympic veteran Aristeidis Grigoriadis, placing eighteenth out of 43 swimmers in the prelims.[9] In the 100 m butterfly, Sankovich finished the race in thirty-fourth overall by seven hundredths of a second (0.07) behind Switzerland's Dominik Meichtry with 53.47.[10]

Post-London era

In January 2013, Sankovich attended the Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, where he majored in social science.[11] While swimming for the Florida State Seminoles under head coach Frank Bradley, Sankovich had obtained a total of five individual event All-America honors at the NCAA Championships, and set five university records for two consecutive seasons in the 100 m backstroke, 100 m butterfly, and 200 m individual medley.[12]

Sankovich showed a tremendous improvement on the international scene at the 2014 European Championships in Berlin, Germany, overhauling the 52-second barrier in the 100 m butterfly to produce his own lifetime best (51.92) and collect his first ever bronze medal of the meet.[13] [14] The 2015 season brought a stellar feat for Sankovich, as he swam a career best and the world's third fastest time (51.57) in the 100 m butterfly at the Belarus Open, but could not beat his rival Yauhen Tsurkin, who was faster by 0.13 of a second, lowering the Belarusian record.[15]

At the 2016 Olympics, he took part in the 100 m butterfly, finishing in 28th place.

Pavel is now co-owner (with his wife) of the United Swim Club in Tallahassee and was named in 2019 as the head swim coach for Maclay School in Tallahassee, Florida.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pavel Sankovich. London2012.com. London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 9 February 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130517021435/http://www.london2012.com/athlete/sankovich-pavel-1043103/. 17 May 2013.
  2. Pavel Sankovich. https://web.archive.org/web/20200418050443/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sa/pavel-sankovich-1.html. dead. 18 April 2020. 15 February 2020.
  3. News: European Short Course Championships: Jeanette Ottesen Has Impressive Day. 9 December 2011. 9 February 2013. dead. https://archive.today/20130411221255/http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/World/29015.asp. 11 April 2013. Swimming World Magazine.
  4. Web site: Olympic Cut Sheet – Men's 100m Backstroke. 23. Swimming World Magazine. 9 April 2013.
  5. Web site: Swimming: Men's 100m Backstroke Heat 2 . . . 9 February 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120821032334/http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/swimming/resultsandschedules/rsc%3DSWM041900/index.html . 21 August 2012 .
  6. Web site: Men's 4×100m Medley Relay Heat 1. Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. 9 February 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20120821062615/http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/swimming/resultsandschedules/rsc=SWM451900/index.html. 21 August 2012. dead. dmy-all.
  7. News: Qualifying Athletes – Men's 100 m backstroke. FINA. 9 February 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121116031956/http://www.fina.org/H2O/docs/events/london2012/sw/qual_lists/men_100back.pdf. 16 November 2012.
  8. News: Swimmer Pavel Sankovich qualifies for 2012 Olympics. Belarusian Telegraph Agency. 22 June 2012. 9 February 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131109112609/http://news.belta.by/en/news/sport?id=685421. 9 November 2013. dead. dmy-all.
  9. Web site: Men's 100m Backstroke Heat 3. London2012.com. London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 9 February 2013. 9 December 2012. https://archive.today/20121209231237/http://www.london2012.com/swimming/event/men-100m-backstroke/phase=swm041900/index.html. dead.
  10. Web site: Men's 100m Butterfly Heat 2. London2012.com. London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 9 February 2013. 10 December 2012. https://archive.today/20121210183441/http://www.london2012.com/swimming/event/men-100m-butterfly/phase=swm021900/index.html. dead.
  11. News: Herdt. Layne. The Belarusian Bullet. Florida State Seminoles. 26 March 2013. 9 April 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130512025856/http://www.seminoles.com/sports/c-swim/spec-rel/032613aaa.html. 12 May 2013. dead. dmy-all.
  12. News: Virginia Tech Ahead of N.C. State After Day Three of ACCs; FSU's Pavel Sankovich With Stellar Night. Swimming World Magazine. 28 February 2014. 15 March 2016.
  13. News: Mireia Belmonte Garcia Posts Eye-Catching Double During Night Six at European Championships. Swimming World Magazine. 23 February 2014. 15 March 2016.
  14. News: Craig. Lord. Euro Champs: Czerniak & Kawecki End Title Drought For Poland With One Day To Go. Swim Vortex. 25 February 2014. 15 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160324214205/http://www.swimvortex.com/euro-champs-czerniak-kawecki-end-title-drought-for-poland-with-one-day-to-go/. 24 March 2016. dead.
  15. News: Christa. Salerno. Sankovich Shines at Belarus Open. Florida Swim Network. 20 April 2015. 15 March 2016.