Rowing for Gold

Rowing for Gold
Directed byArtyom Mikhalkov (ru)
Written byMikhail Zubko
Produced by
  • Yasmina Ben Ammar
  • Mariya Grechishnikova
  • Vadim Vereshchagin
  • Andrey Tartakov
  • Anton Zlatopolsky (ru)
  • Natalya Gorina
  • Platon Emikh
  • Marina Gurtovaya
  • Nataliya Ivanov
Starring
CinematographySergey Machilskiy
Music by
  • Ivan Burlyayev
  • Dmitry Noskov
  • Konstantin Kupriyanov
  • Ilya Marfin
Production
companies
Distributed byCentral Partnership
Release dates
  • October 1, 2025 (2025-10-01) (Moscow)
  • October 9, 2025 (2025-10-09) (Russia)
Running time
107 minutes
CountryRussia
LanguageRussian
Budget800 million
Box office₽245 million[1]

Rowing for Gold (Russian: Первый на Олимпе) is a 2025 Russian sports war film directed by Artyom Mikhalkov, tells the story of Soviet rower Yuriy Tyukalov, played by Gleb Kalyuzhny. The film is based on real events and tells the story of how the athlete survived the Siege of Leningrad and subsequently became the first Soviet Olympic champion in rowing.[2][3]

Rowing for Gold premiered at the "Karo 11 October" at Arbat Square in Moscow on October 1, 2025, and was theatrically released in Russia on October 9, by Central Partnership.[4]

Plot

The film tells the story of a young man named Yura Tyukalov, who, after surviving the war, turned to sports. He met with coaches who helped him start anew. Now, he has a goal: to win a gold medal at the Olympics.[5]

Cast

  • Gleb Kalyuzhny as Yuriy Tyukalov, a rower
  • Andrey Smolyakov as Ivan Kolosov, an experienced coach
  • Artyom Bystrov as Mikhail Savrimovich, a coach
  • Elena Lyadova as Vera Savrimovich, a coach
  • Vladimir Ilin as Ilyich (or Ilich), a guard and Yura Tyukalov's mentor
  • Aleksey Kravchenko as Colonel Levitin
  • Anton Filipenko as Sergey Petrovich
  • Irina Pautova as Shura Chirikova, Yura Tyukalov's girlfriend
  • Ivan Stebunov as Pavel, Shura's fried
  • Anton Savvatimov as Sokolov
  • Aleksey Timoshenko as Solyanykh
  • Ilya Yakubovsky as Ivanitsky
  • Guram Bablishvili as Chikhladze
  • Ilya Gontash as Makarov
  • Timofey Motoshim as Petrov

Production

Filming

Principal photography began in August 2024, in Saint Petersburg, Leningrad Oblast, Vyborg, Moscow and Sochi.[6]

Release

Theatrical

Rowing for Gold had its world premiere took place on October 1, 2025, at their “Karo 11 October” cinema center on New Arbat Avenue in Moscow. The film was released in the Russian Federation on October 9, by Central Partnership.

References

  1. ^ Box Office, Russian Cinema Fund`s Analytics (RCFA). Accessed October 20, 2025.
  2. ^ "Крутой экшен "Первый на Олимпе": как советский спортсмен поразил весь мир" [Cool action movie Rowing for Gold: how a Soviet athlete amazed the world]. RIA Novosti (in Russian). September 30, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  3. ^ "Фильм «Первый на Олимпе» (2025): как блокадник стал первым в СССР олимпийским чемпионом по академической гребле" [The film Rowing for Gold (2025): How a survivor of the siege of Leningrad became the USSR's first Olympic champion in rowing]. Komsomol Truth (in Russian). Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  4. ^ "Первый на Олимпе / Rowing for Gold, 2025". www.afisha.ru (in Russian).
  5. ^ "Первый на Олимпе / Rowing for Gold, 2025". www.kinoafisha.info (in Russian).
  6. ^ "Что известно о фильме «Первый на Олимпе»: дата выхода, кто сыграл главные роли" [What is known about the film Rowing for Gold: release date, who played the main roles]. My World@Mail.Ru (in Russian). October 7, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.