Viktor Chegin Explained

Viktor Mikhailovich Chegin (Russian: Виктор Михайлович Чёгин; born 3 February 1962 in Bersenevka, Lyambirsky District) is a banned Russian racewalking coach. He was responsible for training all three athletes who swept the medals at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics: Olga Kaniskina, Valeriy Borchin and Sergey Kirdyapkin. His athletes Elena Lashmanova and Sergey Kirdyapkin won gold medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics, with Kaniskina earning a silver medal. Former and banned world record holders Lashmanova, Denis Nizhegorodov and Sergey Morozov are all coached by Chegin.

More than 20 of Chegin's trainees were disqualified for doping-related offenses between 2005 and 2015. As a result, he was banned for life from all sport-related activities on 17 February 2016. Historical results by Chegin-coached athletes continued to be disqualified into mid-2019.^[1]

Biography

On 16 July 2014, Chegin was fired from the Russian team amid an investigation by the Russian Anti Doping Agency (RUSADA).^[2] Sovetsky Sport quoted Valentin Balakhnichev, head of the All-Russia Athletic Federation saying Chegin would not be part of the team for the European championship, as the recent doping scandals had “tarnished Chegin’s career” but said the coach would continue to train athletes in Russia.^[3]

While not part of the official delegation, Chegin was spotted in August 2014 in Zurich along the course of the 2014 European Athletics Championships coaching his athletes after the ban was in place.^[4]

Banned for life in December 2012, after a second doping violation, Morozov continued to work with Chegin as an accredited Russian staff member at the 2014 IAAF World Race Walking Cup.^[5]

Chegin coaches at the Centre of the Olympic training of Mordovia in Saransk, where he has been highly honored as "the father of all the victories of our race walkers."^{[6] [7] [8] [9]} He was named a "Chevalier of the Order of Glory of Mordovia"^[10]

As early as 2008, there were accusations of systematic doping violations on the part of Chegin.^[11] Several other athletes have skipped major championships, which have raised suspicions of doping and avoidance of Drug Testing.^[12]

Several of Chegin's suspended athletes, including Sergey Bakulin, Elena Lashmanova and Ekaterina Medvedeva apparently competed in a race on 30 December 2014 according to photographs collected by Canadian race walker Evan Dunfee.^[13] Russian officials claim the photographs are from a 2012 event and released additional photographs which show different athletes on the awards stands, although it was not possible to be from 2012 as the running shoes used were not released by Asics until after 2012.^[14]

On 15 July 2015 Chegin was suspended by the Russian athletics federation. Prior to that date, Chegin had been allowed to coach.^[15] The day before, IAAF ratified a new world record in the 20 km walk by Liu Hong.^[16] Two record breaking performances, months earlier, by Chegin coached Olimpiada Ivanova and Olga Kaniskina were not taken into account, because insufficient number of judges were present to fix them.^[17] In the year since Balakhnichev cleared Chegin to continuing coaching, Balakhnichev resigned his positions with the All-Russia Athletic Federation and as Treasurer of the IAAF in light of the scandal. His replacement, Vadim Zelichenok, said “Athletes will not be allowed to work with Chegin, or otherwise they come under sanctions.”^[15]

On 9 November 2015, an investigative report by the World Anti-Doping Agency recommended that Chegin be given a lifetime ban from sport, due to involvement in a wide-ranging Russian doping scheme in track and field.^[18] The ban was issued by RUSADA on 17 February 2016.^[19]

Despite his ban, Chegin never ceased coaching his athletes and continued to do so even amid the outcry in the West.^[20]

Athletes coached by Chegin and banned for doping offenses

37 athletes in total had by January 2015 been banned by IAAF in biological passport cases.^[21] Eleven of them, or ca. 30%, were coached by Viktor Chegin. There are also at least 6 EPO positives recorded by his athletes, two positives for the possible cancer causing black market drug GW1516, and in 2014 two of his athletes tested positive for SARMs. Three of his athletes have been banned for life, all for their second anti-doping rule violation, and all before the age of 30. Also, one of his athletes, German Skurygin, died of a heart attack at age 45.

• Tatyana Akulinushkina – 6-month ban for a Fenoterol positive in 2013^[22] + 4-year ban for Furosemide positive in 2015.^[23]
• Elmira Alembekova – 2014 European Gold Medalist, suspended in secrecy in June 2015, finally revealed in September 2015^[24]
• Yuriy Andronov – 2 time World Cup bronze medalist – 2-year ban for a Trimetazidine positive in 2014.^[25]
• Sergey Bakulin – 2011 World Champion – 3 years and 2 months ban for anomalies in his biological passport.
• Pyotr Bogatyrev – Bronze medalist at the World Junior Championships – 2-year ban for anomalies in his biological passport.^[25]
• Valeriy Borchin – Olympic and 2X world champion, collapsed 1 km before the finish in 2012 Olympics – 8-year ban for anomalies in his biological passport.
• Viktor Burayev – European Race Walking Cup – 2-year ban for an EPO positive in 2008.^[26]
• Dementiy Cheparev – Silver medalist at the 2009 IAAF World Youth Championships – 2-year ban for a Fenoterol positive in 2012.^[27]
• Evgenia Danilova – 2-year ban for a GW1516 positive in 2013.^{[25] [28]}
• Stanislav Emelyanov – 2007 World Youth champion, 2008 World Junior champion and 2009 European Junior champion – 2-year ban for anomalies in his biological passport^{[29] [30]} Caught for a second violation in June 2015. Banned for life in March 2018.^[31]
• Igor Erokhin – Silver medalist from the 2011 European Race Walking Cup – 2-year ban for an EPO positive in 2008 and banned for life in 2013 for anomalies in his biological passport.^{[25] [32] [33]}
• Artur Grigoryev – 2-year ban for a Carphedon positive in 2013.^[25]
• Olimpiada Ivanova – Olympic silver medalist and 2X world champion – 2-year ban for a stanozolol positive in 1997.^{[34] [35]}
• Vladimir Kanaykin – World Championships silver medalist, World Junior Champion – 2-year ban for an EPO positive in 2008^[26] and banned for life in 2015 for biological passport anomalies.^[36]
• Olga Kaniskina – Olympic Gold and Silver medalist – Banned for 3 years and 2 months in 2015 for biological passport anomalies.^[36]
• Anisya Kirdyapkina - in February 2019, banned for three years for doping and all her results from 25 February 2011 to 11 October were disqualified including her 2 Universiade gold medals, 2 World Championship silver medals and her 2012 Olympics 5th place.^[37]
• Sergey Kirdyapkin – 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist, Banned for 3 years and 2 months in 2015 for biological passport anomalies.^[36]
• Elena Lashmanova – Olympic and World Champion, World Record – Banned for 2 years for a GW1516 positive in 2014.^[25]
• Mikhail Lemaev – Marathon runner – Banned for 2 years in 2013 for biological passport anomalies.^[25]
• Ekaterina Medvedeva – World Junior Champion – Banned for 2 years in 2013 for an EPO positive.^[25]
• Tatyana Mineyeva – World Junior Champion – Banned for 2 years in 2012 for biological passport anomalies.^[27]
• Nadezhda Mokeyeva – Banned for 2 years in 2014 for a SARMs positive.^[25]
• Sergey Morozov – World Youth Champion – Banned for 2 years for an EPO positive in 2008^{[38] [39]} and banned for life in 2012 (at the age of 24) for biological passport anomalies.^[25]
• Ivan Noskov – 2014 World Cup Silver medalist, suspended in secrecy in June 2015, finally revealed in September 2015^[24]
• Evgeniy Pantyushin – banned in October 2014
• Andrey Ruzavin – Bronze medalist at the 2014 IAAF World Race Walking Cup. Provisionally suspended in October 2014,^{[40] [41]} and handed a 30-month doping ban in March 2015 for Biological passport anomalies.^[42]
• Mikhail Ryzhov World Championship Silver Medalist, suspended in secrecy in June 2015, finally revealed in September 2015^[24]
• German Skurygin – World and European Champion – Banned for 2 years in 1999 for a human chorionic gonadotrophin positive.^[43] died of a heart attack at 45
• Vera Sokolova – World Cup gold medalist, suspended in secrecy in June 2015, finally revealed in September 2015^[24]
• Denis Strelkov – 2014 European bronze medalist, suspended in secrecy in June 2015, finally revealed in September 2015^[24]
• Aleksey Voyevodin – World Cup Champion – Banned for 2 years in 2008 for an EPO positive.^[26]
• Irina Yumanova – Banned for 2 years in 2014 for a SARMs positive.^[25]

Other athletes coached by Chegin

• Aleksandr Ivanov
• Vera Nacharkina
• Denis Nizhegorodov
• Vladimir Porvatkin
• Tatyana Shemyakina
• Irina Stankina

Notes and References

1. News: 8 years, 3 doping cases later, race walker becomes 1st S. Korean with world championships medal . . . 2019-08-21 . 2019-08-21 .
2. http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russia-cuts-walk-coach-amid-doping-probe/503592.html Russia Fires Walk Coach Investigated for Doping | News
3. http://www.iol.co.za/sport/athletics/russia-cuts-coach-amid-doping-probe-1.1720805#.U8xXXVZV-sU Russia cuts coach amid doping probe
4. http://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2014/08/14/europei-allenatore-russo-sospeso-per-doping-visto-a-bordo-pista-durante-marcia/1091100/ Europei: allenatore russo sospeso per doping, visto a bordo pista durante marcia – Il Fatto Quotidiano
5. http://www.smh.com.au/sport/athletics/iaaf-responds-to-jared-tallents-doping-concerns-20140625-zslbi.html IAAF responds to Jared Tallent's doping concerns
6. http://prof.mrsu.ru/ext/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55:sports&catid=27:english&Itemid=19 Account Suspended
7. https://archive.today/20140826005326/http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/chegin-the-centre-of-russian-race-walking-s Chegin – the centre of Russian Race Walking success
8. Web site: Chegin, the man behind the Saransk Race Walking dynasty - IAAF Race Walking Cup . 25 August 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121103085905/http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/chegin-the-man-behind-the-saransk-race-walkin . 3 November 2012 .
9. http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/nizhegorodov-begins-long-stroll-to-beijing-gl Nizhegorodov begins long stroll to Beijing glory| News
10. http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/double-russian-success-as-junior-records-fall Double Russian success as junior records fall in Saransk; challenge titles for Plätzer and Sanchez| News
11. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/news/russian-cheats-tip-of-the-iceberg/story-e6frg7mo-1111117125934?nk=e000f5e6eaf6fd58fb06f314d5591118 Nocookies
12. http://www.smh.com.au/sport/athletics/tallent-wary-of-absent-russians-20130813-2rurq.html Tallent wary of absent Russians
13. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/another-russian-race-walker-under-scrutiny-183033755.html#NV5nFx6 Another Russian race-walker under scrutiny
14. http://dunfeewalks.weebly.com/canadian-tf-blog/the-beginning-of-the-end-for-saransk-and-russia The beginning of the end for Saransk and russia – Dunfee Walks
15. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/15/russias-investigates-top-race-walking-coach-over-d/ Russia’s suspends top race-walking coach over doping washingtontimes.com 15 July 2015
16. http://www.iaaf.org/news/press-release/world-record-ratified-distance-medley-relay-2 World records ratified| News
17. http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/liu-20km-race-walk-world-record Liu breaks 20km race walk world record in La Coruna| News
18. News: Riach. James. London 2012 'sabotaged' by Russia: 10 key findings from Wada's doping report. 9 November 2015. Guardian. 9 November 2015.
19. http://tass.ru/sport/3139337 Тренер по спортивной ходьбе Чегин пожизненно дисквалифицирован
20. News: Banned Russian race walking coach still working with athletes, official says. Reuters. 24 January 2020.
21. IAAF: 21 JAN 2015 Press Release Monaco IAAF comment on sanctions for Russian race walkers, iaaf.org 21 January 2015
22. http://american-trackandfield.com/atf/index.php/news/track-and-field/item/891-eme-news-november-11th-12th-by-alfons-juck-note-by-kevin-mangan EME News November 11th–12th, by Alfons Juck, note by Kevin Mangan
23. https://www.espn.com/olympics/trackandfield/story/_/id/12871691/tatyana-akulinushkina-russian-race-walker-banned-four-years-doping Tatyana Akulinushkina latest Russian race walker caught doping
24. James Ellingworth: 6 Russian race walkers suspended over positive drug tests, Associated Press, bigstory.ap.org, 22 September 2015
25. IAAF: List of athletes currently serving a period of ineligibility as a result of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under IAAF Rules
26. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/cycling/7542576.stm Russia athletes banned over drugs – BBC Sport
27. IAAF: Athletes currently suspended from all competitions in athletics following an Anti-Doping Rule Violation as at: 11.1.13, iaaf.org
28. http://www.rusada.ru/en/press/news/three-russian-track-and-field-athletes-recognized-ineligible-0 Three Russian track and field athletes recognized ineligible | RUSADA
29. Web site: Heffernan set to claim retrospective bronze from 2010 Euros. 31 July 2014. Irish Examiner. 31 July 2014.
30. Web site: List of athletes currently serving a period of ineligibility as a result of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under IAAF Rules as at: 28.07.14. 28 July 2014. IAAF. 31 July 2014.
31. http://tass.ru/sport/5018886 Российский легкоатлет Емельянов пожизненно дисквалифицирован из-за допинга
32. Web site: http://olimp08.ru/tag/igor-eroxin. ru:Олимпизм: Дисквалификация восьми российских легкоатлетов утверждена. Пекин 2008: XXIX Олимпийские игры. ru. 11 August 2012. https://archive.today/20130417092026/http://olimp08.ru/tag/igor-eroxin. 17 April 2013. dead. dmy-all.
33. Web site: Russian athlete Igor Yerokhin disqualified for life for violating anti-doping rules (translation from Ukrainian). hotsport.ua. 31 August 2013. 15 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161015164212/http://hotsport.ua/ru/athletics/rossiiskii-atlet-igor-erokhin-pozhiznenno-diskvalifitsirovan_1377948003.html. dead.
34. Øystein Jarlsbo: Favoritten dop-tatt i 1997, vg.no 30 August 2007
35. Howard Fendrich: 5 Athletes Test Positive For Doping, The Moscow Times 12 August 1997
36. News: Информация о дисквалификации: легкая атлетика. 20 January 2015. Russian Anti-Doping Agency. ru. 20 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150120155510/http://www.rusada.ru/press/news/informatsiya-o-diskvalifikatsii-legkaya-atletika-39. 20 January 2015. dead. dmy-all.
37. Web site: Athletics news - Russian race walker Anisya Kirdyapkina gets doping ban - CAS . Eurosport . 2021-11-15 . 2021-12-13.
38. http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/biographies/letter=m/country=rus/athcode=200704/index.html Morozov Sergey
39. http://www.iaaf.org/antidoping/news/newsid=48204.html Doping Rule Violation
40. https://nypost.com/2014/10/15/race-walking-gets-its-very-own-preposterous-doping-scandal/ Race walking gets its very own, preposterous doping scandal
41. RUSADA: Информация о временном отстранении: легкая атлетика, 14 October 2014
42. Dmitriy Rogovitskiy: Russian walker Ruzavin banned for doping, sports.yahoo.com, 17 March 2015
43. Bernardo José Mora: German Skurygin (1963–2008)