Dmitriy Balandin

{{Infobox swimmer

| name = Dmitriy Balandin

| image = Dmitry Balandin Olympic champion - Men's 200 metre breaststroke Rio-2016.jpg

| imagesize=

| caption = Balandin in 2016

| fullname = Dmitriy Igorevich Balandin

| nicknames =

| national_team = {{KAZ}}

| strokes = Breaststroke

| club =

| coach = Vladimir Rybchenko

| collegeteam =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1995|4|4}}

| birth_place = Almaty, Kazakhstan

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{height|m=1.95|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|85|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}

| medaltemplates=

{{MedalCountry|{{KAZ}}}}

{{MedalCount

|Olympic Games|1|0|0

|Asian Games|3|0|3

|Summer Universiade|1|1|2

|Total|5|1|5

}}

| show-medals = yes

| updated =

}}

File:Dmitriy Balandin 2016 stamp of Kazakhstan.jpg

Dmitriy Igorevich Balandin ({{langx|ru|Дмитрий Игоревич Баландин}}; born 4 April 1995) is a retired Kazakh breaststroke swimmer. He won the 200 m breaststroke at the 2016 Summer Olympics, as well as the 50, 100 and 200 m breaststroke events at the 2014 Asian Games.{{cite web|title=Dmitriy Balandin|url=http://www.incheon2014ag.org/Sports/Biographies/Athletes_Profile/?ParticCode=5105693&lang=en|publisher=Incheon 2014|access-date=25 September 2014|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924103958/http://www.incheon2014ag.org/Sports/Biographies/Athletes_Profile/?ParticCode=5105693&lang=en|archive-date=24 September 2014}}

Career

Balandin currently holds two Kazakh records in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke, and also set a historic milestone for his nation by striking the breaststroke triple at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.{{cite news|title=Boring blown out of the water by Kazakhstan's speedy pair|url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=21&art_id=149862&sid=43056523&con_type=1&d_str=20140926&fc=7|work=Hong Kong Standard|access-date=25 September 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202041539/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=21&art_id=149862&sid=43056523&con_type=1&d_str=20140926&fc=7|archive-date=2 December 2014}}

In the 2016 Rio Olympics, Balandin won a gold medal in the 200 m breaststroke, setting up new national record with 2:07.46. This was his first Olympic medal, and Kazakhstan's first-ever medal in a swimming event.{{cite news|title=Olympic swimming results 2016: Dmitriy Balandin wins men's 200m breaststroke, first swimming medal for Kazakhstan|url=https://www.sbnation.com/2016/8/10/12432998/olympics-2016-swimming-results-200m-breaststroke-mens-gold-Dmitriy-Balandin|publisher=SB Nation|access-date=10 August 2016}}

Balandin emerged as an unexpected medal contender at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, where he competed in all breaststroke events. In the men's 200 m breaststroke, Balandin moved from a top seed in the prelims to stun the entire crowd and crush the twelve-year-old meet record set by Japanese swimmer and four-time Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima in a time of 2:07.67 for the gold medal, jumping him into third in the world rankings.{{cite news|title=China Dominates Third Night of Swimming at Asian Games|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/china-dominates-third-night-of-swimming-at-asian-games/|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|access-date=23 September 2014}}{{cite news|last=Xu |first=Haijing |title=China sweeps 6 more golds to lead swim tally |url=http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/xinhua-news-agency/140923/sports-focus-china-sweeps-6-more-golds-lead-swim-tally |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140926053224/http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/xinhua-news-agency/140923/sports-focus-china-sweeps-6-more-golds-lead-swim-tally |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 September 2014 |publisher=GlobalPost |date=23 September 2014 |access-date=25 September 2014 }} The following day, in the men's 100 m breaststroke, Balandin threw down a Kazakh record in 59.92 to pick up his second gold of the meet. Additionally, he raced his stretch to overhaul a minute barrier for the first time in Asian Games history.{{cite news|title=China Sets Asian Record in 400 Free Relay to Close Night|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/china-sets-asian-record-in-400-free-relay-to-close-night/|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|access-date=24 September 2014}}{{cite news|last=Linden|first=Julian|title=Hagino and Shen each collect fourth golds at Asiad|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-games-asian-swimming-idUKKCN0HJ17Q20140924|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122205819/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-games-asian-swimming-idUKKCN0HJ17Q20140924|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 January 2016|publisher=Reuters|location=Incheon|date=24 September 2014|access-date=25 September 2014}} On the final day of swimming, Balandin completed a remarkable meet with another Games record of 27.78 for his third straight gold of the meet in the 50 m breaststroke.{{cite news|title=China Caps Amazing Meet With Four More Golds at Asian Games|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/china-caps-amazing-meet-with-four-more-golds-at-asian-games/|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|access-date=26 September 2014}}{{cite news|title=Kazakhstani swimmer Dmitriy Balandin wins 3 gold medals at Asian Games|url=http://en.tengrinews.kz/laws_initiatives/Kazakhstani-swimmer-Dmitriy-Balandin-wins-3-gold-medals-at-Asian-Games-256464/|publisher=Tengri|access-date=27 September 2014}}

Recognition

In 2016, a new pool was opened and named after Dmitry Balandin at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Alma-Ata.{{Cite web|url=https://baigenews.kz/news/obshchestvo/v_chest_dmitriya_balandina_v_almati_otkrili_bassein_foto/}}

In 2016, Dmitry Balandin was chosen as one of the nominees in the "proposed candidates" category of the national project «El Tulgasy» (Name of the Motherland) The idea of the project was to select the most significant citizens of Kazakhstan whose names are now associated with the achievements of the country. More than 350,000 people voted in this project, and Balandin was voted into 3rd place in his category.{{Cite web|title=ЕЛ ТҰЛҒАСЫ / ИМЯ РОДИНЫ / События / Разделы сайта / Деловой журнал Exclusive|url=http://exclusive.kz/el-tulgasy-2016/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321153157/http://exclusive.kz/el-tulgasy-2016/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2017-03-21|date=2017-03-21|access-date=2020-05-13}}

Personal best times

class="wikitable"
Event ! Time ! Location ! Date ! Notes
50 m breaststroke \|27.24 \|Kazan \|4 August 2015 \|
100 m breaststroke \|59.38 \|Kazan \|2 August 2015 \|
200 m breaststroke \|2:07.46 \|Rio de Janeiro \|10 August 2016 \|NR

class="wikitable"

Event

! Time

! Location

! Date

! Notes

50 m breaststroke

|27.24

|Kazan

|4 August 2015

100 m breaststroke

|59.38

|Kazan

|2 August 2015

200 m breaststroke

|2:07.46

|Rio de Janeiro

|10 August 2016

|NR

References

External links

{{World Aquatics}}
{{Olympedia}}
{{Olympics.com profile|dmitriy-balandin}}
{{Olympic.kz profile|69-dmitriy-balandin|kk=yes}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304044237/http://www.aquatics.kz/en/federation/swimming/athletes/sports/balandin/?sid=23jc8906482pueht1575o3ufs4 Profile – Aquatics Kazakhstan]