 Kotov has a very long career in athletics, during which he won the Eindhoven Marathon for instance, on October 13, 1991, and the Belgrade Marathon on April 22, 1995.He now lives in South Africa, where he is known for winning the Comrades Marathon three times (2000, 2002, 2004), setting the "Up Run" record in 2000.He finished 13th in the 2010 Comrades Marathon.