Vadzim Makhneu

Who is Vadzim Makhneu?

Vadzim Makhneu or Vadim Makhnev is a Belarusian flatwater canoer who has competed since 2000. Competing in three Summer Olympics, he won three medals with a gold, a silver and two bronzes.

Makhneu never represented Belarus as a junior but won four European championship gold medals for his country at under-23 level as a member of the K-4 crew.

In 2001 he was promoted to the senior K-4 boat and won his first senior medals at the European championships in Milan. A year later the same crew went to the world championships in Seville and took the K-4 500 m silver medal.

In 2003, Makhneu formed a K-2 partnership with Raman Piatrushenka, moving to Mozyr to work under Piatrushenka's coach Vladimir Shantarovich. In their first season together the pair won the 500 m silver medal at the world championships in Gainesville, USA.

Both men were still competing in the K-4 as well and had won another 500 m European medal, this time silver, in 2004.

This decision was amply rewarded in 2005 when the Belarus K-4 500 m crew of Piatrushenka/Abalmasau/Turchyn/Makhneu were crowned first European and then world champions.