Fyodor Zabelin

Born in today’s Estonia, Fyodor Zabelin moved to Saint Petersburg as a child. There, he started practising gymnastics with the Society of German Craftsmen “Palma” and later joined St. Petersburg Gymnastics Society. He was working as a plasterer and stucco worker at the time of the Stockholm Olympics and learned of his selection for the Russian team only about 1½ months before the competition began. There, he placed 42nd and last. He achieved his best result on the rings with 22.50 points.

Zabelin was also active as a long-distance runner. In 1904, he placed second in a 10-verst (10.78 km) race in Finland. In 1914, he participated in the first marathon race held in Russia from the Tsar’s residence in Tsarskoye Selo to Saint Petersburg. He also competed in cycling, swimming, and shooting events.

After completing respective training courses, Zabelin taught gymnastics at the Military Fencing and Gymnastics School. Later, he worked as a physical education teacher for industrial enterprises and as an instructor for sports clubs of the “Medik” and “Zenit” sports societies. During World War II, he lived and worked in besieged Leningrad (now Sankt Petersburg) and was awarded the medal “For the Defence of Leningrad”. In 1944, he moved to Ljubotyn near Kharkiv (now UKR) working for the Southern Railway. In 1951, he served as a sports instructor for the “Lokomotiv” sports society of the local railway station. Zabelin continued to participate in long distance races. He participated in the Pushkin–Leningrad road races between 1924 and 1958 and completed a 25-kilometer run in 1949 at the age of 66.