Boat race: Zakhar Petrov took half of the Russian medals at the World Rowing Championships

Zakhar Petrov, an athlete from the Ryazan region, became a five-time world champion in canoeing, winning gold in singles and doubles (together with Ivan Shtyl) at the 500 m World Championships in Milan. Last year, Petrov, after two fourth places at the Paris Olympics, won three titles at the World Cup in Samarkand (Uzbekistan), and now he has consolidated his success in the battle with the strongest. The Russians, who competed in a neutral status, also won two bronze medals in the 200-meter singles in Milan, with Ekaterina Shlyapnikova and Sergey Svinarev scoring.

The bold dot

If the tops did not come to Uzbekistan for the World Cup last year (due to fatigue after the Olympics), then our athletes had maximum competition in Italy. In the decisive 500 m individual medley, Petrov clocked 1:46.27 and beat his famous rivals. Martin Fuchs, Olympic champion from the Czech Republic, came second, 0.44 seconds behind, while Sergey Tarnovsky from Moldova finished third (+1.11). The current success cannot be separated from last year's Petrov drama in Samarkand.

Then Zakhar was the first to cross the finish line at a distance of 500 m, but at the moment of the final dash he turned over and ended up in the water. First, the judges recorded his victory, and then, after the opponent's appeal, they disqualified the neutral Russian for "finishing without a boat."

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That story turned into a real scandal. After a series of trials and revisions, the Board of Directors of the International Canoe Federation nevertheless recognized the correctness of the Russian side. A month and a half later, Zakhar got the gold back. "I was sure that part of my leg or arm was still in the boat [during the finish]. I crossed that line," Petrov explained his position at the time.

In fact, the medal was awarded to the Russian twice — first on the channel in Samarkand, and then officially six weeks later. But the current final in Milan, where our athlete won cleanly and without any reservations, put a bold end to this saga.

The rivals have become stronger

In Sunday's doubles final, Petrov and 39-year-old Ivan Shtyl also performed above all praise — they overcame the distance in 1:39.63. The second place in the race was taken by Chinese athletes Yu Yuebin and Yu Chenwen, who completed the race in 1:40.60. Hungarians Krystaf Kollar and Istvan Juhas finished third (1:40.74).

— I send my regards to Mom and dad, and thank you all for your support. I also want to say thank you to Vanya (Shtyl. — Ed.) — we worked well together, — Petrov said in an interview with the press service of the Russian Canoe Federation.

For Ivan, gold in the double was the only one in Milan, but far from the first in his long career. Previously, Shtyl became the world champion 17 times. In addition, he won silver at the London Olympics in 2012, but was not allowed to compete in Paris 2024 due to the IOC's political decision. In a comment after the finish at the 2025 World Cup, Shtyl noted that the level of rivals had increased.

— To be honest, the rivals have become stronger, — the experienced canoer told Izvestia. — It is clear that the level is increasing at this distance. There are more and more cool crews, as we saw in the preliminary races. But the race went well. The whole team did a five-plus job, and thank them for that. Honestly, it's hard to work. But this victory is all the more pleasant.

Waiting for new medals

Petrov almost reached the Olympic podium in Paris last year: he stopped a step away from the award twice, taking fourth place — in the singles race at a distance of 1000 m and in the deuce at 500 m with Alexey Korovashkov. Then, due to the decisions of the IOC admission commission, our tandem had to urgently learn how to work together, despite the fact that both row on the same side. Following the results of the 2024 Games, Zakhar said that he was "not offended by the result" and that he still had many starts ahead of him. And now the words have been confirmed by deeds.

Petrov is only 23 years old, he was born in the Ryazan region and in his youth began rowing on the Oka River. He has already won five gold medals at the World Championships, as well as silver at the European Championships. The Olympic title has not yet been won, but the athlete has both wrestling experience and confidence that he is able to beat the best in the world. The current victories in Milan are not only a sporting success. This is the final point in the history of controversial decisions and an indicator that Petrov is one of the leaders of the new generation in canoeing.