Vadim Sayutin

Who is Vadim Sayutin?

Vadim Aleksandrovich Sayutin is a former speed skater who represented the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Kazakhstan, and Russia, in that order. Sayutin was born in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, the city where the famous Medeo skating rink is located.

Sayutin performed best on the 5,000 m and the 10,000 m, which often kept him from winning medals during allround championships. However, he also managed to perform well on the 1,500 m a few times, resulting in a bronze medal at the 1998 European Allround Championships and a silver medal at the 1999 World Allround Championships. He participated in four Winter Olympic Games, but never won any medals there.

Sayutin started his speed skating career not long before the dissolution of the Soviet Union and so originally represented the Soviet Union. At the 1992 Winter Olympics of Albertville, he represented the Commonwealth of Independent States. After that, he represented Kazakhstan for two seasons. When he married Russian speed skater Svetlana Bazhanova in 1994, he started skating for Russia. During that time, he lived in the Netherlands for several years, training at the Thialf arena in Heerenveen.