Ekaterina Shabalina

Starting her sporting career as a swimmer, the 25-year-old moved to triathlon in 2015, participating in local events before progressing to national championship level and finally competing on the world stage.

The early swim, bike and run experiences ignited her competitive drive and marked the beginning of her journey toward continuous self-improvement and dreams of representing her country in the Olympic Games.

Shabalina finished 21st in the Under-23 World Championship in Lausanne in 2019 before having a breakthrough year in 2021 when she relocated to Astana, switched allegiance to Kazakhstan and embraced a new coaching relationship with Maxim Kriat. 

This period heralded significant milestones, including winning the national championship over Olympic distance and securing her status as the No 1 Kazak female in the sport.

Last April, she also took victory at the South Asia Championship, producing the fastest run split, before finishing second in the Asian Championship to Japan’s Yuka Sato in South Korea. 

Both races were held over the sprint distance, and she backed it up with fourth place on home soil in the standard distance Asian Championship in Aktau in September.

With more experience gained from travelling and racing all over the world, Shabalina has had top 10 continental cup finishes in Europe, the Americas and Africa, highlights including second place at the  Africa Triathlon Cup in Sharm El Sheikh in May and a first Europe Cup victory in Austria in June.

Shabalina is married to fellow professional triathlete, Ivan Tutukin, and says they share a spirit of determination, growth, and shared enthusiasm for the sport, enabling them to support and inspire each other both as athletes and partners.

Lining up for her first taste of the Super League Triathlon Championship Series as part of a youthful women’s contingent for Santara Tech Eagles, she will be hoping to help Tim Don’s team regain the title they lost last year to Bahrain Victorious Scorpions.