Russians reacted to the success of Vladimir Semirunniy. Surprising words

A Russian born in Yekaterinburg with a silver medal at Winter Olympics 2026 for Poland. How is this possible? The story of Vladimir Semirunniy is certainly a mixture of great sports talent – with a difficult life fate. Especially in the face of the war on our eastern border. The Olympic vice-champion had to make a difficult decision to leave the country where he grew up.

Leaving his family and going to Poland, where the people he knew could be counted on one hand in 2023.

Winter 2026: Russians about the success of Vladimir Semirunniy. A surprising opinion

While still representing Russia, Semirunni won the bronze medal at the Junior World Championships (2022). In March 2025, the Polish speed skater won two senior World Championship medals. He won medals for 10 km (silver) and 5 km (bronze).

However, in August last year, Semirunnij obtained Polish citizenship, thanks to which he can play in the white and red colors at the Winter Olympics. “Władek” has been living in Poland since 2023, speaks Polish well, and is strongly attached to his new homeland, which is emphasized not only by the person concerned.

In the 10 km race on Friday (February 13), “Władek” won the silver medal and was one step away from gold. How was the reaction in Russia to the success of the Russian representing Poland? A large, interesting article was published on one of the largest Russian sports portals, sports.ru. The question was already asked in the title: How is it possible that a resident of the Urals won an Olympic medal under the Polish flag?

“In Russia, they were also happy about his Olympic luck – Semirunny maintains cordial relations with his teammates. His posts on social media after the competition are commented on in Russian, Polish and English. Vladimir himself has reached a truly elite level. He has the third fastest time in history in his beloved 10,000 m, is on track to break the world record, and is now fighting for Olympic silver. On the one hand, it’s a pity that all this is happening under the flag of another country. On the other hand, I am happy for the athlete himself. All this moving around is not good. If he had stayed in Russia, there would have been no podiums at the World Championships, no seconds in the top five (we don’t have such fast ice rinks) and no Olympic medal,” we read in the text after the speed skater’s success.

There are plenty of comments under the entry – congratulations to the newly minted medalist of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Although, as is the case with such difficult topics, there are also less positive reactions.

Interestingly, Semirunnij will start twice more during Winter Olympics 2026. It will be a 1500-meter competition and a mass race. Who knows, maybe the 23-year-old speed skater will add another ZIO album for Poland.

2026 Games in Italy. Where and when to watch the Poles’ starts?

The Polish national team during the opening games consists of 60 athletes. In the 21st century, there has never been a time when a Polish woman or a Pole was not on the Olympic podium during the Winter Olympics. During the last winter games, Poland finished the competition with one medal. The bronze medal was won by ski jumper Dawid Kubacki in the normal hill competition.

It is already known that Kubacki’s result was beaten at the Winter Olympics 2026 by a debutant among Olympians – Kacper Tomasiak. The 19-year-old enormous talent won the silver medal in the normal hill competition in Predazzo.

Another Olympic runner-up, Vladimir Semirunni, who made his debut at the Winter Olympics, was also runner-up in the 10 km speed skating race.

In the history of the Olympic Games, the Polish team has won a total of 25 medals – seven gold, nine silver and nine bronze, respectively. Interestingly, the first bronze medal for Poland was won by Franciszek Gąsienica-Groń (Nordic combined) almost exactly 70 years ago, during the Olympic Games in… Cortina d’Ampezzo. This year, history has come full circle in a beautiful Italian-Polish Olympic circle.

Broadcasts from Winter Olympics 2026 in Poland are provided by Telewizja Polska (TVP) and the Discovery group (Eurosport). The event will last until Sunday, February 22.