Yekimov made his Olympic debut in the air pistol competition in Beijing in 2008, and finished sixth. He was also chosen as Sergei Alifirenko's replacement in the rapid fire pistol competition, when Alifirenko, who won gold in Sydney and bronze in Athens, had to withdraw. Although not a renowned rapid fire shooter, Yekimov has won a national competition in the event and when attaining his minimum qualification score for the Olympics, he reached a score of 586 in Munich, only five points behind the world record. In Beijing, Yekimov was in the lead after the first day but dropped to second after the second stage and finally to fourth after the final.