The man, the myth, the legend.
He’s there. He’s always there. Always at the beach.
The one you’ll notice when players and fans crowd around him. Asking for an autograph. Posing for a quick selfie.
He’s the legend. He’s the one that people stop and stare at when he walks by.
“That’s him,” they’ll whisper. “That’s Roman Kalashnikov – the beach handball phenomenon.”
An icon is born
As sporting legends go, Roman Kalashnikov is one of the most unassuming. Always smiling, always happy to talk – and absolutely 100 per cent crazy for beach handball. It is that single-minded dedication and passion for the sport that has made him the most respected and most recognisable.
To have earned the admiration of fellow players and fans has been the result of endless time, effort and sheer devotion to a sport which began in 2004 for the then 17-year-old student.
“Beach handball first came into my life when I was studying at the Faculty of Economics and Management, and after university I would go to the beach to rest,” explains Kalashnikov. “I was asked if I wanted to try this version of handball – beach handball. I was like ‘sure’ and I instantly fell in love with it. I continued to practise and practise and eventually we began to enter tournaments and the rest is history.”
He did not have to wait long for his talents on the sand to have a positive effect on Russian beach handball. At the 2007 Beach Handball EURO in Misano Adriatico in Italy, a 20-year-old Kalashnikov played a small part in helping his countrymen claim gold at the European Championships.
Having burst on to the scene as a young and talented player, his work and passion for developing beach handball in Russia was also beginning to bear fruit as Kalashnikov began playing for the club his father, Vladimir started, Ekaterinodar Krasnodar, in 2009.
And it was while playing with Ekaterinodar that Roman single-handedly changed the game forever. For the first time, a right-handed player was playing on the right side of the court.
This simple tactic had explosive results and would ensure that Kalashnikov’s name was written into beach handball folklore.
“I think between 2009 and 2010 when we started playing with Ekaterinodar we continued to play in many Europe competitions and that freedom meant we could try new things – and that’s when I started playing in the right corner,” he says. “I had a lot of success with this strategy and it wasn’t until about 2012 that other teams decided to copy it.”
The goals, the medals and the MVP awards soon began to flow and Ekaterinodar were one of the most feared clubs on the European Beach Tour.
Three-times Champions Cup winners and string of silver medals at Beach Handball EUROs and ebt Finals told their own story.