Ivan Tsikhan

Ivan Tsikhan
	; Ivan Tikhan at the 2007 World Championships
Medal record
Men's Athletics
Representing Belarus
Olympic Games
World Championships
European Championships
IAAF World Cup in Athletics
IAAF World Athletics Final
Universiade

Ivan Tsikhan, however correctly spelled in english as Ivan Tikhon (Template:Lang-be, Template:Lang-ru; born July 24, 1976 in Slonim) is a Belarusian hammer thrower. He is a three-time world champion, an Olympic medalist, and European champion.

Biography

Tsikhan was born in the village of Hlasievicy, Slonim district, Hrodna voblast in Belarusian SSR. He now lives in Hrodna, Belarus. His wife Volha is also an athlete, a discus thrower. They have one son, Ivan. Tsikhan is coached by the former Olympic champion Sergei Litvinov.^[2] He is 185 cm tall and weighs 105 kg.

Sport career

Tsikhan competed at his first World Championships in 1997, but without reaching the final. He also failed to do so at the 1998 European Championships, but finished tied for third in the final at the 2000 Olympic Games. Unfortunately he was ranked fourth because he did not have a superior second best. He then finished sixth at the 2001 Summer Universiade and ninth at the 2002 European Championships, and competed at the 2001 World Championships without reaching the final.

The year 2003 was Tsikhan's break out season. He surpassed the 80-metre barrier for the first time. He became world champion for the first time in 2003 in Paris, with a throw of 83.03 meters. He won the 2003 Summer Universiade, and finished third at the inaugural World Athletics Final. He had a best of 84.32 metres, achieved in August in Minsk.

In 2004, At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens Tsikhan won the silver medal with a throw of 79.81 metres. At the World Athletics Final he took the silver. He had a best of 84.46 metres, achieved in August in Minsk.

In 2005, at the 2005 World Championships he successfully defended his world title from Paris with a throw of 83.89 metres. In the Belarusian national championship in Brest in July, he came within one centimeter of the world record of 86.74 held by Youri Sedykh since 1986.^[3] At the end of the season he won the World Athletics Final.

In 2006, Tsikhan won the European Championships. He also finished second at the 2006 World Athletics Final and the 2006 World Cup. His season's best throe was 81.12 metres.

In 2007 Tsikhan won his third World Championships with a throw of 83.64 metres. This was his season's best. He again won the 2007 World Athletics Final.

In 2008, Tsikhan had a season's best of 84.51 metres, achieved in July in Grodno. He finished third at the 2008 Olympic Games with a throw of 81.51 metres.

Doping Offense

Both Tsikhan and silver medalist and fellow Belarusian Vadim Devyatovskiy tested a false positive for abnormal levels of testosterone after the hammer throw finals on August 12, 2008. Both were wrongly stripped of their medals by the International Olympic Committee. Both men have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. In June of 2010 the CAS ruled in his favor and due to discrepancies in drug testing he and Vadim Devyatoskiy were reawarded their olympics medals.^[1]