Quick Facts
CancerBiography
Vasiliy Borisovich Kaptyukh (Belarusian: Васіль Барысавіч Капцюх; Russian: Василий Борисович Каптюх; born June 27, 1967 in Maladzyechna) is a Belarusian former discus thrower who won the Olympic bronze medal in 1996. He has in fact never won gold or silver medals in major competitions, and he finished fourth in major contests such as the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics, despite he even setting his personal best throw at the former with 67.59 metres.
His father Boris and his aunt Vera Kaptyukh were also prominent athletes.
He made his first international appearance at the 1985 European Athletics Junior Championships, where he finished third to win the discus bronze medal.
He retired from international athletics in June 2010.
His son, Roman Kaptyukh, was among the victims of the 2011 Minsk Metro bombing.
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Soviet Union | ||||
| 1985 | European Junior Championships | Cottbus, East Germany | 3rd | 57.18 m |
| 1986 | World Junior Championships | Athens, Greece | 3rd | 58.22 m |
| 1990 | European Championships | Split, Yugoslavia | 4th | 63.72 m |
| 1991 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 5th (qualifiers) | Withdrew injured |
Representing  Belarus | ||||
| 1993 | World Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | 7th | 61.64 m |
| 1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 3rd | 65.88 m |
| IAAF Grand Prix Final | Monte Carlo, Monaco | 4th | 66.30 m | |
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 3rd | 65.80 m |
| 1997 | World Championships | Athens, Greece | 11th | 60.12 m |
| IAAF Grand Prix Final | Fukuoka, Japan | 7th | 61.80 m | |
| 2000 | Olympic Games | Sydney, Australia | 4th | 67.59 m |
| 2001 | World Championships | Edmonton, Canada | 6th | 66.25 m |
| IAAF Grand Prix Final | Melbourne, Australia | 8th | 61.60 m | |
| 2003 | World Championships | Paris, France | 3rd | 66.51 m |
| World Athletics Final | Monte Carlo, Monaco | 3rd | 65.85 m | |
| 2004 | Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | 4th | 65.10 m |
| World Athletics Final | Monte Carlo, Monaco | 6th | 63.03 m | |
| 2005 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 9th (qualifiers) | 61.04 m |