Russian cross-country skier Andrey Melnichenko represents his home country at international competitions, including the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Melnichenko began his skiing training in his home town of Krasnoyarsk as a young boy. Within Russia he plays for VFSO Dynamo as well as the Academy of Sports in his home town, and has competed in the Russian Championships many times. In 2015 he won a silver medal in the relay, before coming back the following year to take the silver in the 50km mass start event. In 2017 he won both a silver and a bronze medal, and again in 2019 he finished on the podium with a bronze in the 30km skiathlon. Alongside his domestic career, Melnichenko has also competed at international tournaments, making it to the Winter Olympic Games in 2018 where he took part in the 15km individual, 30km skiathlon and the sprint events. He has also competed in the Cross Country World Cup since 2016, with his best result coming in the 2020 competition where he placed overall 11th. Melnichenko has placed on the individual podium twice at the World Cup, and the team podium four times, most recently at the start of the 2020 season.
Russia has recognised this great athlete’s achievements by awarding him the title of Master of Sports, with Melnichenko’s appearances in his national team looking set to continue for many years.