Ignatyev has started gymnastics since 1997. In 2003 he moved to the town of Leninsk-Kuznetsky, training in the sports school for gymnastics. In 2010 he attended the Kuzbass State Pedagogical Academy and selected to be with the Russian team for men's artistic gymnastics. He won the all-around at the 28th Gander Memorial in Morges, Switzerland.[1]
In 2012, Ignatyev was not selected to compete but was an alternate for the Russian men's team for the 2012 London Olympics.
In June 2015, Ignatyev competed in the 2015 European Games, winning gold in the Team Competition (with teammates David Belyavskiy and Nikolai Kuksenkov). He qualified for the all-around ahead of teammate Nikolai Kuksenkov and won the all-around bronze.[2] In apparatus finals, he won silver in Rings and silver in Horizontal Bar. He became the all-around champion at the Russian Cup in September.