Denisenko Alexey - a famous domestic athlete, taekwondo player. Twice became a medalist at the Summer Olympics. Champion of Russia, multiple participant and prize winner of European and world championships. A participant in the first European Games in Baku, at which he won a bronze medal. He has the title of Honored Master of Sports of Russia.
Athlete Biography
Denisenko Alex was born in the small town of Bataisk, which is located in the Rostov region. It happened in 1993.
Denisenko Alexey in the taekwondo section was brought by his father when he was only 8 years old. He just went to school. There, the hero of our article met his first coach, whose name was Alexander Shin.
The father of the future champion gave his son exactly to this sport, because he wanted him to look like the idols of his youth - Jackie Chan and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Father began Denisenko Aleksey to prepare for his sports career from the first years of his life. They were engaged in hardening the body. After all, initially Alex was a very painful and weak child.
At first, Alexei reluctantly went to the section, but gradually became involved. He began to imitate the idols of his father and with renewed vigor began to practice taekwondo.
My father says that Alexey has repeatedly wanted to quit sports, but in the end he abandoned this idea. Even despite the fact that he had to get through the entire Don on a boat to train. Such problems arose during the construction of the Voroshilovsky bridge in Rostov. Due to repair work, public transport did not go to the right bank of the Don, on which he trained. Therefore, I had to use a boat. And returning home late in the evening on the last bus.
Personal life
Personal life in an athlete’s career has played a big role only recently. Prior to that, he focused entirely on sports.
Most recently, in December 2016, he married taekwondo player Anastasia Baryshnikova, bronze champion of the Olympic Games in London, three-time European champion, twice won bronze medals at world championships.
Olympics in London
Alexey Denisenko in taekwondo began to show good results from the first youth tournaments. Soon he got a note for the coaches of the national team.
Success in the international arena ensured his participation in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. At that time he was incomplete 19 years old. Denisenko performed in the lightest weight category - up to 58 kilograms.
The Russian began his path to victory in the preliminary round, as he was a young athlete with no personal rating who was completely unknown to anyone. In the first fight at the Olympics, the hero of our article met with Costa Rican Heiner Oviedo. The Russian won a landslide victory 5: 2.
In the quarterfinals, Alexey Denisenko at the Olympics faced Chinese athlete Wei Zhenyang. This time the fight turned out to be stubborn, long and even more productive. Denisenko won 10: 7. The most intense was the semifinal match, in which Alexei in a bitter struggle lost to South Korean Lee Dae Hong with a score of 6: 7. By the way, the offender of the Russian in the final suffered a crushing defeat from the Spaniard Huel Gonzalez 8:17.
But Alexei Denisenko in the match for third place, in the so-called consolation finale, defeated Australian Safwan Khalil 3: 1. So the young Russian won his first Olympic medal. At the London Games, this became just one of two bronze medals of the Russian national Taekwondo team.
European Championship in Azerbaijan
The next major international tournament was the European Championship, which was held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Alexey Denisenko, taekwondo in the biography of the athlete at that time played a decisive role, he selected for the tournament without any problems.
At competitions, he performed in the weight category up to 68 kilograms. Having overcome the preliminary rounds, the athlete reached the decisive battle. In the final, he met with the Turkish Servet Tazegul, but lost.
In the team event, the Russian team took second place, winning two gold, three silver and two bronze medals. Only the Croats were stronger.
World Championship in Russia
In 2015, Alexei Denisenko won the right to speak at the World Cup. Taekwondo in the biography of the athlete by that time played a key role.
The hero of our article again fought in the weight category up to 68 kilograms. And in the final match he again met with Servet Tazegul of Turkey. And lost again.
In general, the Russian team performed unsuccessfully at the world championship, taking only 12th place. In the piggy bank of our team there was not a single gold award, only two silver (one of which Denisenko won) and five bronze.
European Games in Baku
In 2015, Alexey Denisenko took part in the next major international competitions. Taekwondo entered the program of the first European Games. This is an analogue of the Olympics, but only for European teams. Initially, it was assumed that only summer games would be held, but now more and more proposals are being made to organize European winter games. It is worth noting that on other continents such competitions have existed for a long time. For example, Pan-American, Pan-African or Pan-Arab Games.
At these starts, Alexey Denisenko started from the 1/8 finals. He was opposed by an athlete from San Marino Michele Ceccarone. The Russian confidently won 19: 1. In the quarterfinal, the hero of our article just as confidently dealt with the Englishman Martin Stamper - 18: 6.
The problems began only in the semifinals with the owner of the site, Azerbaijani Ayhan Taghizade. In a stubborn duel, Denisenko lost 5: 7. In the battle for third place, the Russian met with his longtime rival - Turk Servet Tazegul. This time, the Turk unexpectedly lost in the 1/8 finals to the Pole Karol Robak - 9:21.
The duel for the third place was successful. Denisenko finally managed to win - 19:16.
In the team event at the European Games, Russians became third, losing to Azerbaijanis and the British.
Second Olympiad
In 2016, at the age of 22, Alexey Denisenko took part in the second Olympic Games. Taekwondo at the Olympics was a relatively young, but already beloved discipline.
In his crown weight category of up to 68 kilograms, Denisenko was again one of the favorites. In the 1/8 finals, he easily dealt with the Venezuelan Edgar Contreras - 12: 2. In the quarter finals, he met with the Turkish Tazegul, but this time he was again stronger than his opponent, whom he initially regularly lost. The Russian won 19: 6.
In the semifinals, the Belgian Jauad Ashab 6: 1 was defeated. Aleksey Denisenko in the final match with the athlete from Jordan Ahmad Abagaush. No matter how the hero of our article resisted, nevertheless yielded 6:10.
This silver medal was the only one won by the Russians in these games. With this result, in the team event, they shared ninth place with Mexico, Niger, Serbia and France.
