Alexander Zverev (born 7 November 1989) is a

Paralympian The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...

from Russia competing mainly in category T13

sprint Sprint may refer to: Aerospace *Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automotive and motorcycle *Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint, ...

events. Zverev has competed at two Summer Paralympic Games, 2008 in Beijing and 2012 at London. At the 2012 Games he won silver in the 400m sprint.

Personal history

Zverev was born in Chelyabinsk, Russia in 1989.

Career history

Zverev took up athletics at the age of 13. Due to a visual impairment he was eligible to compete in parasports and was classified as a T13 athlete, for sportspeople with poor vision, but who do not require a running guide. Initially coached by Sergey Nazarov, he qualified for the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games in Beijing where he took part in the 400m T13 event. At the Games he qualified through the heats to take part in the final, where he finished fifth. In the buildup to the 2012 Games, Zverev took part in the

2011 IPC Athletics World Championships The 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships was held in Christchurch, New Zealand from January 21 to 30, 2011. Athletes with a disability competed, and the Championships was a qualifying event for the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Ove1000 athlet ...

held in Christchurch. There he took the gold medal in his favoured 400m sprint, with a time of 49.41, a championship record. The following year he represented Russia at the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...

in London. He qualified for two events, the 200m T13 and 400m T13 sprints. In the 200m sprint he qualified through his heat in first place, but missed out on a medal by 0.04 seconds, finishing in fourth place. In the 400m he qualified comfortably through the heats to reach the final. At the final, despite running a personal best of 48.83, he was beaten into the silver medal position by fellow countryman

Alexey Labzin Alexey Labzin (born 7 December 1978) is a Paralympian athlete from Russia competing mainly in category T13 sprint. He won two gold and three silver medals in 100–400 m events at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Paralympics. Labzin is married and has t ...

. At the

2013 IPC Athletics World Championships The 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships was the biggest track and field competition for athletes with a disability since the 2012 Summer Paralympics. It was held in Lyon, France, and lasted from 20 to 28 July. Around 1,100 athletes competed, ...

in Lyon he entered two events and won medals in both. He was part of the Russian men's 4 × 100 metres relay team who took gold and won silver in the

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics (sport), athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor runn ...

, this time beaten by Namibian newcomer

Johannes Nambala Johannes Nambala (born 15 February 1991) is a Paralympian athlete from Namibia competing mainly in category T13 sprint events. In 2013 he became the first Namibian to win a gold medal at an IPC Athletics World Championships, when he won the 400m ...

. The following year he took part in his first European Championships, travelling to

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

in Wales to compete at the

2014 IPC Athletics European Championships The 2014 IPC Athletics European Championships was a track and field competition for athletes with a disability open to International Paralympic Committee (IPC) affiliated countries within Europe, plus Azerbaijan and Israel. It was held in Swanse ...

. Despite winning the 200m sprint, he failed to clinch gold in the 400m, losing out to team-mate

Egor Sharov Egor Sharov (born 16 December 1988) is a Paralympian athlete from Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with ...

. In 2015, in the buildup to the

Summer Paralympics The Summer Paralympics also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral ...

in Rio, Zverev failed a drug test taken during an IPC Athletics Grand Prix held at Berlin in June. After winning the 200m sprint at Berlin, his urine sample tested positive for Cannabinoids (cannabis) and he was subsequently banned from athletics for nine months.

Notes

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Zverev, Alexander Paralympic athletes for Russia Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Paralympic silver medalists for Russia 1989 births Living people Russian male sprinters Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field) 21st-century Russian people