Nickname
Petia (xsport.ua, 25 Mar 2017)
Hobbies
Horse riding. (noc-ukr.org, 13 Jul 2021)
Occupation
Athlete
Education
Physical Education - Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University: Ukraine
Family
Wife Aynur, sons Demid and Jan
Spoken languages
English, Russian, Ukrainian
Coach
Gennady Sartinsky [national], UKR; Vyacheslav Lavrukhin [personal], UKR
Sporting relatives
His wife Aynur Pakhniuk [nee Jabbarli] represented Azerbaijan in rhythmic gymnastics at the 2012 European Championships in Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation. (SportsDeskOnline, 27 Sep 2019; segodnya.ua, 22 Apr 2019)
Injuries
He suffered a triceps injury while training at the 2021 European Championships in Basel, Switzerland, and was unable to compete at the event as a result. (Instagram profile, 21 Apr 2021)
He suffered an ankle injury at the 2018 World Cup event in Stuttgart, Germany, and missed the two following World Cup events. He returned to training in June 2018. (isport.ua, 05 Jun 2018; sport.ua, 24 Jul 2018)
He suffered a torn biceps [upper arm] during the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan. He went on to win a bronze medal in the men's team competition at the event. (baku2015.com, 14 Jun 2015; agf.az, 24 Jul 2015)
Start sporting career
He took up the sport in 2001 in Rivne, Ukraine.
Reason for taking up the sport
His parents sent him to music school and gymnastics. "In music, I almost always missed classes and went to the gym. [My parents] got tired of fighting with me, and I began to train."
Philosophy / Motto
"Always move forward." (noc-ukr.org, 13 Jul 2021)
Awards
He received the Medal for Labour and Valour in Ukraine in recognition of his performance at the 2019 European Games in Minsk, Belarus. (president.gov.ua, 15 Jul 2019)
For his performance at the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, he received the Taraggi [Progress] medal in Azerbaijan. (ru.president.az, 29 Jun 2015)
He has received the title of Honoured Master of Sport in Ukraine. (noc-ukr.org, 13 Jul 2021)
Additional information
NAMED ELEMENTS
He had two original elements on parallel bars, both of which he performed at the World Challenge Cup of Szombathely, Hungary, in October 2020, named for him by the International Gymnastics Federation [FIG]. The first element, which he performed in qualifications, is a one-and-a-quarter front salto from a backward uprise, was named 'the Pakhniuk' and awarded a difficulty value of E. The second element, which he performed in the final, is the same as the first but finishing in a hang. It was named 'the Pakhniuk II' and awarded a difficulty value of F. (gymnastics.sport, 15 Mar 2021)
FROM UKRAINE TO AZERBAIJAN AND BACK
He competed for his native Ukraine until 2013, then for Azerbaijan from 2014 to 2016, before receiving approval in 2017 from the International Gymnastics Federation [FIG] to compete for Ukraine again. "In Azerbaijan all the conditions were created in order to achieve results, but they do not know anything about how you need to approach the work so it brings the result, which is one of the reasons why I very much want to return to the Ukrainian national team. I want to train and work." (gazeta.ua, 25 Feb 2017)
Last update : 2024-07-22