First off, it’s not Baldwin; it’s Balandin, Dmitriy Balandin, the man who set a historic milestone for his nation by striking the breaststroke triple at the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea.
The Kazak breaststroke swimmer is living his best as a swimming star and won several awards and bagged enough fame to live by. Yet, regardless of the fame, he remains humble and is a private person.
Nevertheless, Dmitriy Balandin’s life is pretty exciting, thanks to his accomplishments as a swimmer. Therefore, let’s get to know more about Kazakhstan’s first-ever Olympic swimming medalist right here.
But before jumping into details about Dmitriy Balandin’s life, let’s go through quick facts.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Dmitriy Igorevich Balandin |
| Date of Birth | 4 April 1995 |
| Birth Place | Almaty, Kazakhstan |
| Nick Name | None |
| Nationality | Kazakh |
| Zodiac Sign | Aries |
| Age | 29 years old |
| Height | 6’5″ (1.95 m) |
| Weight | 85 kg (187 lb) |
| Hair Color | Dusty Blonde |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Build | Athletic |
| Father’s Name | Igor Balandin |
| Mother’s Name | Tatyana Balandina |
| Siblings | Aleksey Balandin (Brother) |
| Marital Status | Engaged |
| Fiance | Kristina Tynybayeva |
| Children | None |
| Profession | Breastroke Swimmer |
| Active Years | 2014-present |
| Coach | Vladimir Rybchenko |
| Professional Wins | 11 wins to date |
| Gold Medal Counts | 5 |
| Net Worth | N/A |
| Social Media | |
| Merch | Swimming Googles, Swimming Cap |
| Last Update | 2024, April |
Dmitriy Balandin | Early Life, Family, & Education
Swimming has always been an indispensable part of Dmitriy Balandin’s life. Although he is making a real difference as a competitive swimmer, he comes from a simple family.
Balandin’s father, Igor Balandin, is a massive supporter of his son’s career. Likewise, his mother, Tatyana Balandin, seems pretty ecstatic about her child’s accomplishments.
Unfortunately, as much as Balandin shares pictures on his social media handles, he prefers to keep his family away from the spotlight.
Furthermore, Dmitriy’s parents aren’t on social media and perhaps chose to let their kid soak in his success solely.
Although the Balandin family is private, it did not take long to know that Dmitriy is not the only child. He has a brother, Aleksey Balandin, to grow up with.
Like his parents, brother Aleksey also prefers privacy over publicity. Thus, there is little to no information on either of them on the Internet.
Despite the walls, Balandin’s childhood must have been exciting as he grew up to become a fine-looking young man.
Dmitriy Balandin | Age, Height & Weight
As mentioned earlier, Dmitriy Balandin is a very secretive fellow, or rather, selectively secretive person. Nevertheless, he is not a person to ignore.
The 6 feet 5 inches tall breaststroke specialist has piercing dark eyes and light blonde hair to complement his fair complexion.
Weighing 85 kgs, Balandin still boasts an athletic physique, which has psyched many fans. Not to mention the iconic shy smile of Balandin is only a plus.
Furthermore, the Russian pride, Dmitriy, looks confident and is poised on each podium. However, all the victories have made him humbler and calmer.
Career As A Swimmer
Aforementioned, Dmitry has made an extraordinary career as a breaststroke swimmer.
The Russian swimming star set a historic milestone at the 2014 Asian Games in Icheon, South Korea.
He became Kazakhstan’s first-ever Olympic swimming medalist when he bagged a gold medal in the 200 m breaststroke and earned the Speedo Performance of the Week at the Asian Games for his 200m in 2014.
As stated earlier, Balandin had a great start in 2014 with his career breakout with the 200m breast and breaking a 12-year old meet record held by Kosuke Kitajima.
However, Dmitriy finished 4th in the 2015 World Championships in the 100m breast while missing qualifying for his second championship in the 50m breast going 27.24 for 9th.
Fortunately, Balandin created a record when he participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics and aced in it. He won the gold medal in the men’s 200m breaststroke final, Kazakhstan’s first-ever gold medal in swimming.
After the triumph, he became an instant celebrity in his homeland, which tipped off a surge in kids taking up the sport.
A new pool was named after him at Al Farabi Kazakh National University in Alma-Ata to recognize his achievement.
Likewise, Balandin was also chosen as one of the nominees in the ‘proposed candidates’ category of the national project.
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Contemplating Retirement
After a couple of victorious years, Dmitriy Balandin contemplated retiring from swimming and made a possible announcement after the Asian Games in 2018.
The Olympic medalist had dealt with injuries and form since his groundbreaking win in the 200m breaststroke at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
While talking to The Associated Press, Balandin confessed,
“I don’t know what my life is going to be after the Asian Games.”
He further continued to admit that he had gotten a little bit tired of swimming and had won all he wanted in his swimming career.
Furthermore, the Kazakh star also said that he had trouble with his health and didn’t know if he’d be able to win 100 and 50 as his competitors at the time were great swimmers.
Dmitriy Balandin’s Injuries
As mentioned earlier, gold medalist Dmitriy had suffered several serious injuries, forcing him to contemplate retiring.
Balandin even skipped the men’s 200m breaststroke at the Asian Games in 2019 for fear of aggravating a recent injury to his lower leg that has scuppered his chances of defending all his titles in Jakarta.
Nicknamed Dima also suffered a nose-dive in form since his Rio victory, hence failing to reach the final breaststroke events in Hungary.
Dmitriy Balandin Misses 200meter breaststroke final at Tokyo Olympics.
After hinting at retirement, Dmitriy still appeared in a handful of events and competed. However, Baladin failed to make it out of the heats at the US Olympic swimming trials.
Balandin finished seventh in the 200m breaststroke semifinal at the Olympics, failing to advance to the final.
Instead, the Olympic champ finished sixth in his heat and won the second license for the Olympics in Tokyo.
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Dmitriy Balandin’s Net Worth
Breastroke specialist Dmitriy Balandin has been making history since the day he started his career.
But like his career, Balandin’s net worth has also skyrocketed, especially after Rio Olympics 2016.
Furthermore, the average salary of a swimmer is estimated at $18,523 per annum, and top earners make up to $61,500, according to zip recruiter.
On top of that, swimming Olympians receive $50,000 for gold, $30,000 for silver, and $20,000 for bronze.
Hence, winning gold in Rio Olympics 2016, Dmitriy Balandin earned $230,000 smoothly.
Furthermore, Dmitriy Balandin’s earnings from his swimming career are not his only source of income, as swimmers make paramount earnings from endorsements.
Earnings From Endorsements
With Instagram followers reaching 15.6k and his rising stardom since the 2016 Olympics, Dmitriy Balandin has no problem making a passive income via brand endorsements.
Therefore, although Dmitriy Balandin’s net worth is not transparent, his achievements make it pretty evident that he has multi-million in his pocket.
Dmitriy is sponsored by several major brands, including Visa Kazakhstan.
Besides, he has made a brand of himself as he shoots for more. Therefore, his lifestyle is pretty much a vacation every day.
Despite living his life out on public scrutiny, Balandin is a champion at keeping his life private. Thus, his home address is pretty much a mystery.
However, we get to see glimpses of his home during Christmas on his Instagram posts, which shows that modern & comfort are his go-to choices.
Besides making money, a portion of Dmitriy Balandin’s net worth also goes towards charity works.
Furthermore, Balandin doesn’t shy away from speaking on agendas he supports, such as gender violence, and has worked with UN Women Asia.
Dmitriy Balandin’s Wife, Girlfriend, & Family
Now, the most asked question is, is Dmitriy Balandin married? The answer is “NO.” He is not married but is engaged to his long-time partner, Kristina Tynybayeva.
Dmitriy Balandin’s girlfriend, Kristina, shares pretty much the same interest as him, swimming. Presumably, the couple has been together since their career started in 2014, as they made it Instagram official only after 2016.
Furthermore, Balandin’s fiancee is also a swimmer and has appeared in the 2014 Asian Games.
Moreover, she is a fan of skiing and accompanies Balandin on hikes. The swimming couple also celebrates several holidays and festivals together, e.g., Christmas.
Although the pair’s initial romance is unknown, Kristina shared their engagement moments via Instagram in October 2021.
Therefore, after several years of relationship, the Balandin couple is sure to get hitched anytime soon.
Father of A Fur Baby
Additionally, the Balandin couple is yet to get married and start their family. But they already are a parent to a fur baby, a very wonderful Siberian Husky named Roxy.
Roxy is an indispensable part of their relationship, as they have had him since 2016. He accompanies the swimmer couple during hikes and is a part of every celebration.
Both Kristina and Dmitriy are very fond of their fur baby and often share his pictures on their respective social media. Seeing them involve Roxy everywhere shows how compatible and ready they are to tie knots and expand their family.
Thus, we can only hope for the best.
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Social Media Presence
Instagram: 15.5k Followers
Trivia
- In 2014, Balandin finished the 100m breast under 1 minute, went 3-for-3 at the meet, and won the 50m breast, breaking another Asian Games Record.
- Although Balandin opted out of the 200 breasts, he placed 3rd on Kazakhstan’s 4×100 medley relay and set a new national record.
