He set his lifetime best of 3:42:37 hours for the event in 1985 in Saint Petersburg (then Leningrad).

[1] He represented his country at the European Athletics Championships on two occasions, winning a bronze medal at the 1986 edition.

[4] He was a key member of the Soviet team at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup, sharing in the team silver medals in 1981 and 1985 before taking gold at the 1987 IAAF World Race Walking Cup with a team including Vyacheslav Ivanenko, Andrey Perlov and Aleksandr Potashov.

[5] Suntsov was ranked third among Europeans in the 1982 season, behind East German Ronald Weigel and fellow Soviet Viktor Dorovskikh.

[6] He was a one-time national champion taking the 50 km walk at the 1986 Soviet Athletics Championships.