The 22-year-old broke Poland’s 20-year-old national record in the men’s 10,000 metres on Sunday to win gold at the national championships.
He clocked a time of 12:51.79, comfortably beating the previous record of 13:19.73 set by Paweł Zygmunt two decades ago.
Semirunniy, who was born in Yekaterinburg in Russia's Ural Mountains and received Polish citizenship in August, said he was pleased with the result but slightly disappointed not to improve his personal best.
“I was just two seconds short of my personal record,” he said. “I tried to speed up on the final laps, but it wasn’t enough."
He added: "Now I’m focusing on the World Cup, and then the Olympics. I’ve been saying it for a while: I’m going to Milan to fight for gold.”
Semirunniy, who fled to Poland in 2023 and has publicly condemned Russia's war in Ukraine, also captured the national title in the 5,000 metres last week.
Wednesday marks 100 days until the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
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Source: IAR, PAP