Pavel Sankovich

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]

Pavel Sankovich
Sankovich with bronze medal won at the 4×50m mixed medley relay, 2015 European Short Course Championships, Netanya
Personal information
Full namePavel Paulavich Sankovich
National team Belarus
Born (1990-06-29) June 29, 1990
Grodno, Belarusian SSR, Soviet Union
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight78 kg (172 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBackstroke, butterfly
ClubSK VS Minsk
College teamFlorida State University (U.S.)
CoachHenadziy Vishniakou
Frank Bradley (U.S.)

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.[2]

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.

References
  1. "Pavel Sankovich". London 2012. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Pavel Sankovich". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  3. "European Short Course Championships: Jeanette Ottesen Has Impressive Day". Swimming World Magazine. 9 December 2011. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  4. "Olympic Cut Sheet – Men's 100m Backstroke" (PDF). Swimming World Magazine. p. 23. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  5. "Swimming: Men's 100m Backstroke Heat 2". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  6. "Men's 4×100m Medley Relay Heat 1". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  7. "Qualifying Athletes – Men's 100 m backstroke" (PDF). FINA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  8. "Swimmer Pavel Sankovich qualifies for 2012 Olympics". Belarusian Telegraph Agency. 22 June 2012. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  9. "Men's 100m Backstroke Heat 3". London 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  10. "Men's 100m Butterfly Heat 2". London 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  11. Herdt, Layne (26 March 2013). "The Belarusian Bullet". Florida State Seminoles. Archived from the original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  12. "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. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  13. "Mireia Belmonte Garcia Posts Eye-Catching Double During Night Six at European Championships". Swimming World Magazine. 23 February 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  14. Lord, Craig (25 February 2014). "Euro Champs: Czerniak & Kawecki End Title Drought For Poland With One Day To Go". Swim Vortex. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  15. Salerno, Christa (20 April 2015). "Sankovich Shines at Belarus Open". Florida Swim Network. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
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