Valery Spitsyn
Valery Spitsyn (Вале́рий Анато́льевич Спи́цын; born 1965 in Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk region) is a retired Russian race walker who specialized in the 50 kilometers race walk. He finished fourth in the event at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics for the Unified Team, won bronze at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, and won the 1994 European title in Helsinki.1
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Valery Anatolyevich Spitsyn (Валерий Анатольевич Спицын)1 |
| Born | 1965, Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk region1 |
| Event | 50 kilometers race walk2 |
| Personal best | 3:37:26, set 21 May 2000 in Moscow; World Athletics lists the mark with a "Not legal" notation2 |
| Major medals | Bronze, 1993 World Championships (Stuttgart); gold, 1994 European Championships (Helsinki)1 |
| Olympic results | 4th, 1992 Barcelona (3:54:39); DNF, 2000 Sydney1 |
| Measurements and club | 178 cm, 60 kg; Spartak Chelyabinsk1 |
Competitive career
Spitsyn won the 1992 championship of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) at 50 km, which qualified him for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
World and European medals. At the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, now representing Russia, Spitsyn took the bronze medal in 3:42:50, finishing behind Jesús Ángel García of Spain (3:41:41) and Valentin Kononen of Finland (3:42:02, a Finnish national record).3
He failed to finish at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg and at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.1
Personal best and the 50 km record
A race walking record compilation lists the same time and date, Valeriy Spitsyn, Russia, May 21, 2000, Moscow, in the progression of the 50 km world record.4 World Athletics' athlete profile lists 3:37:26 as his personal best with a "Not legal" notation attached to the mark.2
Domestic honors and later life
After retiring he became a coach, working from 2004 as a coach-instructor at the Metallurg-Magnitogorsk sports club, where he trained Tatyana Gudkova, the 2005 Russian champion. From 2012 he worked as a life-safety fundamentals (OBZh) teacher-organizer at the Magnitogorsk Technological College named after V. P. Omelchenko.
References
- Olympedia – Valery Spitsyn
- Valeriy SPITSYN – Profile, World Athletics
- Track & Field News, 1993 World Championships results, ETN Vol. 46 No. 5
- Race Walking record compilation, ORW 2010-08
Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Athletics, gymnastics, and strength sports › Athletes of track and field and road running › Road, marathon, and ultramarathon runners › Men race walkers › Soviet and Russian race walkers
Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026
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