KAZAN, Russia

Fyodor Ivanov set a new Russian national record in the men’s 400 meters hurdles at the 2025 Russian Track and Field Championships in the city of Kazan on Saturday, clocking in at 47.94 seconds.

The 23-year-old broke the decade-old mark of 48.05 seconds set by Denis Kudryavtsev at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.

“It took a long way to get here, and it’s a fantastic record,” Ivanov said. He told Anadolu that he feels strong and is eager to return to the international stage, though he remains disappointed at still “not having a chance to compete internationally.”

(Fyodor Ivanov)

“I hope they get to compete internationally,” he said of the next generation of Russian athletes.

Russian competitors have been barred from representing the country in international events since the 2015 revelation of state-sponsored doping. World Athletics lifted the doping suspension in 2023, but a ban tied to the Russia-Ukraine war remains in place.

Nikitin breaks 10,000m record

Vladimir Nikitin set another national mark in Kazan, winning the men’s 10,000 meters in 27 minutes, 48.30 seconds. The multiple-time record holder beat Sergei Ivanov’s 27:53.12, set in July 2008.

(Vladimir Nikitin)

The championships, held at Kazan’s Central Stadium in the capital of Tatarstan, will conclude on Sunday after 44 medal events.