Kuliak took up gymnastics at age 4 in 2006 in
Kaluga, Russia, when his mother enrolled him in gymnastics classes. In 2019 he received the title
Master of Sports.
2022 World Cup controversy In March 2022, Kuliak wore a
"Z" sticker on his chest during the medal ceremony of the parallel bars competition at the 2022 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series in
Doha. "Z", a letter which is not part of the Cyrillic alphabet, is a tactical marking used by
Russian invading forces in Ukraine. Thus, it has become a pro-war symbol. Kuliak displayed the symbol while standing on the podium next to a
Ukrainian athlete,
Illia Kovtun, who won the event. The
FIG prior to the competitions decided to exclude Russian athletes from the competitions, but the prohibition only entered in force on 7 March. On 6 March the FIG announced that they will ask the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation to open disciplinary proceedings against Kuliak. In a subsequent interview, on Tuesday 8 March, Kuliak said that he had no regrets and would "do exactly the same". On 18 March, he appeared at the
2022 Moscow rally wearing an Olympic medal, though he has not competed in the Olympics. On 17 May the FIG sanctioned Kuliak with a one-year ban, ending 17 May 2023 or six months after the ban on Russian athletes is lifted and ruled that he is to be stripped of his bronze medal and prize money. On 14 September it was announced that Kuliak's appeal against his suspension was partially upheld. The Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (GEF) Appeal Tribunal found that the one-year sanctions should be independent from measures preventing Russian gymnasts from competing at FIG events. This means his suspension would last until May 16, 2023. ==Competitive history==