On May 18, the Central Square hosted the Russian Deaf Athletics Championship in road running (21.0975 km) as part of the traditional Zelenograd Half Marathon. Seventeen athletes from across the country competed for the title of the strongest, demonstrating true grit and a fierce will to win! This first-ever Russian Half Marathon Championship featured top athletes with international competition experience, as well as dedicated amateurs who had previously participated in numerous half and full marathons across Russia.
Initially, long-distance experts favored Roman Erofeev from the Moscow region among the men and Ekaterina Petrenko from the Perm Krai among the women, as both were current record holders in marathon distances.
As expected, Roman took the lead right from the start, maintaining a confident pace with a solid three-minute gap ahead of his main rivals—Kirill Yakovlev from the Republic of Khakassia and Igor Zalutsky from Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug—leaving them to battle for second place. After the first 10-kilometer lap, Kirill attempted to break away from his opponent and increased his speed, while Igor couldn’t match the pace and began falling behind. By the finish line, the gap between them had grown to four and a half minutes, securing Igor the bronze.
In the women’s race, the suspense lasted from the start right up to the finish line between the aforementioned Ekaterina Petrenko and Margarita Kalinovich from the Arkhangelsk region. For the entire grueling 21 kilometers under the scorching sun, the long-distance runners stayed side by side, but in the final 60 meters, Margarita, who had just a bit more energy left, made a desperate sprint, finishing just 3 golden seconds ahead of Ekaterina. Notably, this was Margarita’s first head-to-head victory over her renowned rival. Daria Gaynetdinova from the Sverdlovsk region crossed the finish line in third place.
It’s also worth mentioning that in the overall Zelenograd Half Marathon standings (competing alongside hearing runners), Margarita Kalinovich and Ekaterina Petrenko took 2nd and 3rd place, respectively, while Roman Erofeev claimed the bronze.
A pleasant bonus was that the winners received cash prizes and gifts from sponsors. Additionally, none of the other participants dropped out of the race—everyone showed true determination, endurance, and character by completing the distance. After the event, all participants thanked the organizers for the wonderful running festival and urged them to continue holding such sporting events annually.
Women’s Winners and Medalists:
1st place – Margarita Kalinovich (Arkhangelsk Region)
2nd place – Ekaterina Petrenko (Perm Krai)
3rd place – Daria Gaynetdinova (Sverdlovsk Region)
Men’s Winners and Medalists:
1st place – Roman Erofeev (Moscow Region)
2nd place – Kirill Yakovlev (Republic of Khakassia)
3rd place – Igor Zalutsky (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug)
Text: Boris Dvornikov, Sofia Rumyantseva, Nurlan Tazhigulov
Photos: Sofia Rumyantseva, Boris Dvornikov
Translation: Daria Kudelina
