Sergey is the son of Natalya Shubenkova, a former Soviet heptathlete who ranks among the best of all time in the event.

[3] Shubenkov decided at the age 16 to make sports his profession and began to train intensively.

[5] Shubenkov made a breakthrough by finishing second to Britain's Lawrence Clarke at the 2009 European Athletics Junior Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia.

[citation needed] In 2015 season, Shubenkov won the gold medal at the 2015 World Championships with a Personal Best of 12.98, he edged out Jamaica's Olympic reigning bronze medalist Hansle Parchment and American Olympic defending champion Aries Merritt who won the silver and bronze medals respectively.

[citation needed] In 2021, Shubenkov qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan from July–August 2021.