There is a stereotype that only Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese dominate in oriental martial arts. However, Roma from Bataisk Aleksey Denisenko achieved significant success during his career, becoming the winner of the Olympics in London, Rio, taking medals of various denominations from major competitions. Moreover, he took his first big award at the age of 19.
To a dream through Don
Alexey Denisenko was born in August 1993 in the city of Bataisk. Like all boys, he could fight with peers, but his father decided to direct his energy in the right direction and gave it to the taekwondo section at school. The first coach of the boy was Alexander Shin, who taught him the basics of ancient martial art. After this, the fights at school stopped, and the guy began to disappear in training and training camps.
At first, Alexey Denisenko was engaged for the sake of health, but for the senior classes he had his first achievements, and he began to work in training at the limit of possibilities.
It was especially difficult for him when work was underway on a bridge over the Don. Public transport did not go, and the athlete was forced to get to the training room by boat.
First olympic attempt
In the biography of Alexei Denisenko, one can trace a very sharp transition from the junior level to the adult. Back in 2011, he played at youth tournaments, and in 2012 he already won the right to represent the country at the Olympic Games in London. The Olympics was, in fact, the first major tournament of the Batai athlete at the adult level. Prior to that, he won the junior championships of Russia, Europe, and the world, but was almost unknown among specialists.
However, his mentor Stanislav Khan posed the most difficult tasks for Alexei Denisenko. An ambitious coach set up his ward to win in every match. He acted confidently and managed to get to the semifinals, where he was waiting for experienced Dayhong Lee from Korea. Athletes competed in the weight category up to 58 kg, but the Korean was the champion in heavier weight, and before the Olympics he gained weight and managed to become the winner of the Asian Championship.
The fight of Alexei Denisenko against Dayhun Lee became one of the most spectacular in the tournament. The Korean outright beat the Batai athlete in the first round, but he did not give up and managed to reduce the gap to one point. In the last seconds of the battle, the Korean literally ran away from Denisenko and was on the verge of a remark that would have brought a point to Alexei, but managed to maintain a shaky advantage.
The defeat did not break Alexei, the young fighter craved awards and confidently beat Australian Safwan Khalil in the match for third place.
Taekwondo Alexei Denisenko in Rio
The Russian athlete was already traveling to the capital of Brazil in the status of a favorite of the Olympic Games. However, among his competitors were world champions, Europe. The coaching staff prepared Alexei for fights against the favorites from Turkey, Belgium, and seriously modeled the fights against each of them.
Already in the quarterfinals, Alexei Denisenko got one of the strongest competitors. Turk Servet Tazegul was the world champion, the Olympics and has won the Russians three times in previous meetings. However, the battle went clearly not according to the scenario of the Turk. Alexey Denisenko decided to break the opponent from the very first seconds, having imposed on him a fierce exchange of blows. The discouraged Servet frantically fought back, managing to score points only thanks to the comments of Alexei from the judges.
Already in the second round, the difference in the score became double-digit, and the referees stopped the fight for the clear advantage of Alexei Denisenko. The heartbroken Turks were so crushed that for several minutes after the end of the match he could not find a way out of the hall.
The next opponent was Yauad Ahab from Belgium, who won the lighter weight category at the last World Cup. Opponents were careful, did not go into the open exchange blows. Only in the third round the Belgian could not stand his nerves, and he rushed to the attack, receiving in response a combination of blows to the head.
In the final, Alexey Denisenko met with the “dark horse” of the tournament - Jordanian Ahmad Abagush, who has already knocked out two of the strongest athletes from the competition. An Arab athlete caught courage and delivered one exact blow after another. So he became the first Jordanian who won the gold of the Olympic Games, and Alexei Denisenko took a silver medal from Rio.
Personal life
The athlete’s whole life takes place at training sessions and training camps, so it’s not surprising that the Batai fighter found his life partner in the Russian Taekwondo team. Friendship with Anastasia Baryshnikova grew into close relations shortly before the Olympics in Rio. In 2016, the guys legalized their relationship, and after the wedding they stayed to live in Alexey's hometown - Bataisk.