Career
Born in Zinovkino, Krasnoslobodsky District, Mordovian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (now the Republic of Mordovia), Bolotnikov started athletics only at age twenty, when he joined the Soviet Army. He trained at VSS Spartak, coached by Grigory Nikiforov. In 1959 he became the Honoured Master of Sports of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics. Bolotnikov participated already at the 1956 Summer Olympics, but without any success.
At the Rome Olympics in 1960, Bolotnikov controlled the 10,000 m race from the start to end, beating the main favourites Hans Grodotzki from East Germany and Murray Halberg from New Zealand by five seconds.
On 5 October that year, in Kiev, Bolotnikov lowered the 10,000 metres world record by almost twelve seconds to 28:18.8. Just two weeks before the 1962 European Championships in Belgrade, on 11 August 1962 in Moscow, Bolotnikov lowered his own 10,000 m world record by 0.6 seconds to 28:18.2, thus becoming the main favourite at long distances at the Championships.
After the unsuccessful 1964 Summer Olympics, Bolotnikov decided to retire from athletics in 1965. Bolotnikov died on 20 December 2013, at the age of 83.