Pavel Sankovich

{{Infobox swimmer

| name = Pavel Sankovich

| image = PavelSankovich-0085.jpg

| caption = Sankovich with bronze medal won at the 4×50m mixed medley relay, 2015 European Short Course Championships, Netanya

| full_name = Pavel Paulavich Sankovich

| national_team = {{BLR}}

| strokes = Backstroke, butterfly

| club = SK VS Minsk

| coach = Henadziy Vishniakou
Frank Bradley (U.S.)

| collegeteam = Florida State University (U.S.)

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1990|6|29}}

| birth_place = Grodno, Belarusian SSR, Soviet Union

| height = 1.82 m

| weight = 78 kg

| show-medals = no

| medaltemplates =

}}

Pavel Paulavich Sankovich ({{langx|be|Павел Паўлавіч Санковіч}}; born 29 June 1990) is a Belarusian swimmer, who specialized in sprint backstroke and butterfly events.{{cite web|title=Pavel Sankovich|url=http://www.london2012.com/athlete/sankovich-pavel-1043103/|website=London2012.com|publisher=London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games|access-date=9 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517021435/http://www.london2012.com/athlete/sankovich-pavel-1043103/|archive-date=17 May 2013}}{{cite sports-reference|title = Pavel Sankovich|url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sa/pavel-sankovich-1.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200418050443/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sa/pavel-sankovich-1.html|url-status = dead|archive-date = 18 April 2020|access-date = 15 February 2020}} 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.{{cite news|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/World/29015.asp|title=European Short Course Championships: Jeanette Ottesen Has Impressive Day|date=9 December 2011|access-date=9 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411221255/http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/World/29015.asp|archive-date=11 April 2013|publisher=Swimming World Magazine}}

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.{{cite web|title=Olympic Cut Sheet – Men's 100m Backstroke|url=http://magazines.swimmingworld.com:9997/SPIPDF/080508olyscutsheet.pdf|page=23|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|access-date=9 April 2013}} 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.{{cite web|title=Swimming: Men's 100m Backstroke Heat 2 |url=http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/swimming/resultsandschedules/rsc=SWM041900/index.html |work=Beijing 2008 |publisher=NBC Olympics |access-date=9 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821032334/http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/swimming/resultsandschedules/rsc%3DSWM041900/index.html |archive-date=21 August 2012 }} 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.{{cite web|title=Men's 4×100m Medley Relay Heat 1|url=http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/swimming/resultsandschedules/rsc=SWM451900/index.html|work=Beijing 2008|publisher=NBC Olympics|access-date=9 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821062615/http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/swimming/resultsandschedules/rsc=SWM451900/index.html|archive-date=21 August 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

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.{{cite news|title=Qualifying Athletes – Men's 100 m backstroke|url=http://www.fina.org/H2O/docs/events/london2012/sw/qual_lists/men_100back.pdf|publisher=FINA|access-date=9 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116031956/http://www.fina.org/H2O/docs/events/london2012/sw/qual_lists/men_100back.pdf|archive-date=16 November 2012}}{{cite news|title=Swimmer Pavel Sankovich qualifies for 2012 Olympics|url=http://news.belta.by/en/news/sport?id=685421|publisher=Belarusian Telegraph Agency|date=22 June 2012|access-date=9 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109112609/http://news.belta.by/en/news/sport?id=685421|archive-date=9 November 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} 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.{{cite web|title=Men's 100m Backstroke Heat 3|url=http://www.london2012.com/swimming/event/men-100m-backstroke/phase=swm041900/index.html|website=London2012.com|publisher=London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games|access-date=9 February 2013|archive-date=9 December 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121209231237/http://www.london2012.com/swimming/event/men-100m-backstroke/phase=swm041900/index.html|url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite web|title=Men's 100m Butterfly Heat 2|url=http://www.london2012.com/swimming/event/men-100m-butterfly/phase=swm021900/index.html|website=London2012.com|publisher=London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games|access-date=9 February 2013|archive-date=10 December 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121210183441/http://www.london2012.com/swimming/event/men-100m-butterfly/phase=swm021900/index.html|url-status=dead}}

=Post-London era=

In January 2013, Sankovich attended the Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, where he majored in social science.{{cite news|last=Herdt|first=Layne|title=The Belarusian Bullet|url=http://www.seminoles.com/sports/c-swim/spec-rel/032613aaa.html|publisher=Florida State Seminoles|date=26 March 2013|access-date=9 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512025856/http://www.seminoles.com/sports/c-swim/spec-rel/032613aaa.html|archive-date=12 May 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} 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.{{cite news|title=Virginia Tech Ahead of N.C. State After Day Three of ACCs; FSU's Pavel Sankovich With Stellar Night|url=https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/virginia-tech-ahead-of-n-c-state-after-day-three-of-accs-fsus-pavel-sankovich-with-stellar-night/|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|date=28 February 2014|access-date=15 March 2016}}

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.{{cite news|title=Mireia Belmonte Garcia Posts Eye-Catching Double During Night Six at European Championships|url=https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/mireia-belmonte-garcia-posts-eye-catching-double-during-night-six-at-european-championships/|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|date=23 February 2014|access-date=15 March 2016}}{{cite news|first=Craig|last=Lord|url=http://www.swimvortex.com/euro-champs-czerniak-kawecki-end-title-drought-for-poland-with-one-day-to-go/|title=Euro Champs: Czerniak & Kawecki End Title Drought For Poland With One Day To Go|publisher=Swim Vortex|date=25 February 2014|access-date=15 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324214205/http://www.swimvortex.com/euro-champs-czerniak-kawecki-end-title-drought-for-poland-with-one-day-to-go/|archive-date=24 March 2016|url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite news|first=Christa|last=Salerno|title=Sankovich Shines at Belarus Open|url=http://www.floridaswimnetwork.com/sankovich-shines-at-belarus-open/|publisher=Florida Swim Network|date=20 April 2015|access-date=15 March 2016}}

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.

References

External links

{{Twitter}}
{{Cite web |url=http://www.seminoles.com/sports/c-swim/mtt/pavel_sankovich_837312.html |title=Player Bio – Florida State Seminoles |access-date=2013-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030140028/http://www.seminoles.com/sports/c-swim/mtt/pavel_sankovich_837312.html |archive-date=2013-10-30 |url-status=dead }}
[https://archive.today/20130411112533/http://www.2012.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=sankovich-pavel-1043103/index.html NBC Olympics Profile]

Category:1990 births

Category:Living people

Category:Belarusian male swimmers

Category:Olympic swimmers for Belarus

Category:Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Category:Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Category:Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Category:Male backstroke swimmers

Category:Belarusian male butterfly swimmers

Category:Male medley swimmers

Category:Sportspeople from Grodno

Category:Florida State Seminoles men's swimmers