In 1974, on March 15, the world famous Dmitry Sautin was born. His biography began in the city of Voronezh, where there is no person who did not hear this name. But he is popular not only at home, because the whole world knows Dmitry Sautin, who has become a symbol of diving.
Childhood and youth
Dmitry was born in the family of Ivan Petrovich and Anna Mikhailovna Sautin. The child was gifted with excellent physical data, but was not at all flexible. For the first time, the future champion was in the section at the age of 7, by the age of ten he had already competed in diving, and at the age of seventeen he was included in the USSR national team. And hardly gaining a foothold in the first team, Dmitry Sautin won gold at the European Cup. Diving eventually brought the young athlete the title of king of this sport.
The future champion in a strong boy was discerned by the honored trainer of the USSR Tatyana Aleksandrovna Starodubtseva. An interesting fact is that from the first days to the end Tatyana Alexandrovna was the only coach of Dmitry.
The path to fame
Dmitry Sautin burst into big sport with lightning speed, as a jumper from a tower enters the water. The young athlete immediately attracted the attention of many professionals. His jumping technique impressed the country's leading experts. Coaches of the team were so impressed with the success of the young Voronezh that they sent the young man to his first international competitions, without paying any attention to the age limit. Then the European Cup ended for Dmitry before he could start, because he was too young for these competitions, and the organizers simply did not allow him.
Steep climb
In 1991, Dmitry Sautin falls into the national team. In the same period at the European Cup, a young athlete wins gold in jumping from a 10-meter tower. Following the European Championships in Athens, he becomes the silver medalist.
Further, it was already impossible to stop the jumper; not a single year could do without great victories:
- in 1992, gold at the European Cup in Milan;
- in 1993, gold on a 10-meter tower and silver on a 3-meter springboard at the European Championships in Sheffield;
- in 1994, silver on a 3-meter springboard of the World Cup in Rome, as they said then, with a golden ebb, because no one expected that the Russians would be able to impose a struggle on the Chinese "kings" of diving. And then there was a real sensation when, with difficulty making his way to the finals of jumping from 10 meters, Dmitry defeated the Sunn Shuey, who then "reigned" on the tower;
- in 1995 the gold European Championship in Austria. In the same year, for the first time in the history of domestic diving, Dmitry Sautin won the competition at the 3-meter springboard at the World Cup in Atlanta;
- in 1996, the gold of the Olympic Games in Atlanta (USA);
- in 1997, the gold of the World Cup in Spain;
- In 1998, the World Championships in Australia won the absolute championship. Sautin surpassed the closest pursuer by 90 points and then became the first jumper in the world to score more than a hundred points in one jump;
- in 1999, the gold of the World Cup in Turkey;
- In 2000, the Olympics took place, making Dmitry a winner in absolutely all disciplines of men's diving. He became the first with his partner Igor Lukashin in the platform jumping, the second with Alexander Dobroskok in the ski jumping, earned bronze medals in individual ski jumping and the ski jumping;
- in 2001, the gold of the World Cup in Japan;
- in 2002 the gold of the European Championship;
- in 2003, gold at the World Championships in synchronized diving from 3 meters;
- in 2004 Olympic bronze in Athens;
- in 2006, Sautin again became the champion of Europe;
- in 2007, Dmitry won 3 bronze medals at the World Championships;
- In 2008, the hero of our story earned Olympic silver in Beijing, paired with Yuri Kunakov.
Dmitry Sautin officially announced the completion of his sports career on May 2, 2014.
Other achievements, titles and awards
- In 1995, he was awarded the Order of Honor for high sports achievements.
- In 2001, Dmitry Sautin was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree.
- In 2006, he received the medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, I degree.
- In 2008, Dmitry received the distinction "For Merit to Moscow"
- In 2009, the athlete was awarded the Order of Friendship.
- Dmitry Sautin is an honorary citizen of the city of Voronezh.
- The athlete has the Order of the Government of the Voronezh region "Gratitude from the land of Voronezh."
- Dmitry is the best Russian jumper of the twentieth century.
- Another informal achievement is the fact that he was the first in the history of diving scored more than 100 points per jump.
- Sautin is also a deputy of the Voronezh regional Duma.
Through hardship to the stars
Not everything went smoothly with Dmitry Sautin, as it might seem at first glance. With its complexion, the future champion was more like a thunderstorm in the gateway, and only one Tatyana Aleksandrovna Starodubtseva knows how in this stocky guy she guessed the star of diving.
Many admired his technique and manner of performing jumps, his frantic torsion in the air. But there were also skeptics who were convinced that nothing good would come of a guy with such jumps.
In 1995, the athlete had problems with his hand. This is a characteristic trauma for all professional jumpers, caused by constant loads on the hand when entering the water. And this disease happened on the eve of the Olympic Games. Dmitry simply could not afford at that moment an operation and subsequent months-long rehabilitation. He continued to train and prepare, despite the fact that every jump and entry into the water turned into real torture. To help then came the Soviet doctor, who emigrated to America, Simon Stebunov. Dmitry was offered to undergo a month-long course of treatment. This allowed the jumper to perform at the Olympics and win with a huge advantage. But then pain did not allow enjoying such an important victory.
In 2000, synchronized jumping was included for the first time in the Olympic program. Then the quite reasonable question arose as to whether Sautin could take part in this type of program. After all, the execution style of the jumps of the Voronezh athlete was unique, and there were concerns that it would be unrealistic to choose a partner for him. However, the trainers took a chance and did not lose. In that year, Sautin won medals wherever possible, and simultaneously from the tower and from the springboard he jumped with two different partners. There, in Sydney, individual gold “sailed away” from Dmitry because of the desire to perform an extremely difficult jump, but this did not stop him from becoming a sensation of those games.
Family and personal life
Once walking around Voronezh, Dmitry met Ekaterina Bakhmetyeva, who did not suspect that the bald guy, reminiscent of Bruce Willis, is the Olympic champion and world-famous athlete. Five years later, the young people got married. In the same 2008, Dmitry Sautin became a happy father. The athlete's family became even more three years later. Then the second son was born to the spouses.
Dmitry Sautin, whose personal life is very full, is a loving father and husband, and, according to friends and acquaintances, he is a very sociable and cheerful person who loves outdoor recreation. And in addition to water sports, the hero of our story is fond of trampoline, freestyle, hockey. He also loves music and Soviet films.