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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Vladimir Semirunniy, a former Russian speed skating champion, has made his debut for the Polish national team after switching his international allegiance. He fled to Poland in 2023 and was allowed to compete for the country after declaring opposition to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
At the European Speed Skating Championships in Heerenveen this weekend, the 22-year-old finished 10th in both the 500m and 5,000m men’s allround races. It is his first competitive international appearance since winning bronze while representing Russia at the Junior World Championships in January 2022.
The following month, Russia invaded Ukraine and its skaters were banned from international competition. Later that year, Semirunniy became Russian champion at 5,000m, but in September 2023 he fled to Poland and declared his desire to represent the Polish national team.
Dobre występy Polaków na półmetku Mistrzostw Europy w Wieloboju!
Po pierwszym dniu zmagań Natalia Jabrzyk zajmuje 7. miejsce, a Olga Piotrowska plasuje się na 10. pozycji. W rywalizacji mężczyzn Vladimir Semirunnii jest na 11.miejscu.@Grupa_PGE pic.twitter.com/5leaOgC9IM
— Polski Związek Łyżwiarstwa Szybkiego (@pzls_pl) January 11, 2025
However, Semirunniy first faced a compulsory suspension from all competition for changing his international allegiance. Russia wanted him to have a 24-month ban while Poland proposed 12 months. The International Skating Union settled on 14 months.
That ban expired last month, after which Semirunniy competed in the Polish Allround Speed Skating Championships, winning gold and setting a faster time in the men’s 10,000m than any Polish competitor in history.
That was his first competitive appearance of any kind since March 2023. However, since arriving in Poland, Semirunniy has trained constantly with the Polish national team, where he has been nicknamed “Władek”, the Polish equivalent of “Vlad”.
Vladimir Semirunnii otrzymał od ISU zgodę na reprezentowanie Polski w zawodach międzynarodowych! 🇵🇱
Po dwóch latach oczekiwania, a także owocnych treningów z Kadrą Polski, "Władek" stanie do walki o kwalifikacje do Mistrzostw Europy w Wieloboju oraz do Pucharów Świata 3-6 już… pic.twitter.com/bUFVSJaQOF
— Konrad Niedzwiedzki (@k_niedzwiedzki) December 17, 2024
“Of course, because he is Russian, we were aware that it was a sensitive topic,” Konrad Niedźwiedzki, sports director of the Polish Speed Skating Association, told broadcaster TVP.
“We required Władek to sign documents confirming that he was not sponsored by Russian companies, that he had nothing to do with the Russian army, and that he did not support the war that was going on beyond our eastern border [in Ukraine],” he added.
In December 2022, Semirunniy told Eurosport that “of course I do not support this war, the war that Russia started”. However, he also made clear that the main reason he left Russia was “the lack of prospects in Russian sport, the lack of access to international events”.
Vlad Semirunnij będzie reprezentował 🇵🇱 Postarałem się więc uzyskać odpowiedzi na pytania:
➡️ Kim jest i jak trafił do Polski?
➡️ Czy ma obywatelstwo?
➡️ Czy mówi po polsku?
➡️ Czy mamy pewność, że to "dobry Rosjanin"?
➡️ Jaki jest jego realny poziom?https://t.co/NkMR08AyOQ— Dawid Brilowski (@BrilovD96) January 7, 2025
Speaking this week to TVP, Semirunniy, who did not speak Polish when he arrived but is now conversational in the language, said that, after he decided to to flee Russia, he contacted the Dutch, Kazakh and Polish federations, eventually settling on Poland.
“When I left, I knew it was a one-way ticket,” said the skater. “Criticism on the internet doesn’t bother me. I have many good friends who helped me sort it out in my head.”
Although he has not yet been granted Polish citizenship – with an application due to soon be submitted – Semirunniy can already compete for Poland at the European and World Championships. However, he would require citizenship to take part in the Olympics.
Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who was given humanitarian protection by Poland last year after Belarusian officials tried to force her to return from the Tokyo Olympics, has now been granted Polish citizenship https://t.co/4yPgsPaIrE
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) August 30, 2022
“He is very ambitious. I think that only when he gets into the rhythm of the competing will we see his real possibilities,” says Niedźwiedzki.
“I only want to have first places in my head,” says Semirunniy himself. “Whether it is at the European Championships, the World Cup or the Olympic Games. I want to win regardless of the rank of the competition.”
Poland has only ever once won gold in speed skating at the Olympics, when Zbigniew Bródka took first place in the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia.
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: Polski Związek Łyżwiarstwa Szybkiego
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
