Which athlete became a champion in cross-country skiing? Interesting Facts. Supergiant and fastest on Earth

A 13-year-old athlete told Komsomolskaya Pravda about what she dreams of becoming, why she competes with herself and what she wants to ask the president of the federation

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I rarely cry. Only when something doesn’t work out for me and I don’t know how to fix it. After competitions, there are times when I couldn’t do everything I could. And I don’t think it’s a shame to cry, these are the words of 13-year-old Sasha Trusova, a figure skater from Ryazan who made a real splash at the Junior Grand Prix in Brisbane this summer.

On August 26, on the final day of competition at the first stage of the Junior Grand Prix series in Australia, our compatriot won a gold medal. For her free program, Sasha received 132.12 points, a total of 197.69 points based on the sum of the two programs. Based on the results of this speech, experts stated that at the stages of the Junior Grand Prix, excluding the finals, no one had ever scored as many points as Trusova. Alexandra coped successfully with the skate, naturally winning the free program and the stage. The highlight of her free program was the quadruple Salchow she performed. At the moment, Sasha is the only figure skater in the world who performs this difficult jump!

Most of all, I love learning new, more difficult jumps, because it’s interesting, it’s very nice when a more difficult jump or another element is finally achieved,” admitted Sasha.

And already at the end of September, Alexandra Trusova won the 4th stage of the Grand Prix in Minsk and was the first of the representatives of her country to receive a “ticket” to the final of the Junior Grand Prix in Japan.

Will he win the Olympics and no longer have to wake up early?

Sasha studies at the best figure skating school in Russia, and a whole team of professionals works with her. And in matters of figure skating and technique, we completely trust them. She was told that quadruple jumps were both within her strength and character. And now she proved that she really can,” Svetlana Trusova, Sasha’s mother, shared with Komsomolskaya Pravda.

It’s been four years since the family moved to Moscow, but both the parents and Sasha herself do not forget that the first confident steps towards success were taken in Ryazan, under the guidance of coaches Olga Shevtsova and Larisa Melkova.

Since childhood, Sasha was “for any kind of activity”: swimming, riding a bike, going through an obstacle course and sliding down the scariest slide in the water park, petting any animal, riding a horse - in general, for any kind of active recreation, Svetlana recalls. - At the age of 4 she started roller skating. She moved around the house on them, sat down at the table and tried to go to bed in them. Since we have a sports family, our dad is a master of sports in sambo, judo and hand-to-hand combat, there was no doubt that Sasha would go in for sports. The sport itself also suggested itself logically. Moreover, according to doctors, figure skating improves health. By this time, the Olympic Sports Palace had been opened in Ryazan. There Sasha started figure skating.

At that time, the family lived in Nedostoevo and had to get up very early to get to the Ice Palace. One day, on the way to training, Sasha asked her dad: “When I win the Olympic Games, will I be able to stop getting up so early?” Everyone laughed for a long time, and dad had no choice but to agree. According to her parents, little Sasha did not have to be forced to go to training. One word from her would be enough, and everyone would forget about figure skating.

My first coach Olga Mikhailovna said that I had to learn to love figure skating,” says Sasha. - And I fell in love with him.

Sasha studies with the coach of Olympic champion Lipnitskaya

After moving to Moscow, Sasha began studying at a sports school, and since last year, coach Eteri Tutberidze took the girl into her group. By the way, among Eteri Georgievna’s students are 2014 Olympic champion Yulia Lipnitskaya and 2016 world champion Evgenia Medvedeva.

The training has become completely different,” explains Vyacheslav, Sasha’s father. - Today it is no longer just a figure skating section, it is long hours of work every day. In addition to several hours on the ice, there is physical training and choreography. Sasha mastered triple jumps already in Moscow. The first triple was the Salchow. Nothing comes easy, of course. Any new jump means a lot of falls and frustration. But Sasha has a very stubborn character. She follows the coaches' instructions and tries again and again. A whole team of trainers works with Sasha - in addition to Eteri Georgievna, she is trained by Sergei Viktorovich Dudakov and Daniil Markovich Gleikhengauz.

Sasha chose Zhenya Medvedeva as an example for herself, Svetlana adds, and this, we think, is good. Zhenya is a hard worker and an excellent example of a true sportsman and champion character. These are the people you should look up to.

Today Sasha is completely absorbed in figure skating, but her schedule is structured in such a way as to combine training and school activities. She has no problems with studies; she does best in mathematics. Despite all her workload, Sasha leads the life of an ordinary teenager - she spends time with her brothers, friends in her group, she has gadgets and her own accounts on social networks, where she communicates with other guys.

Communication with family and support for Sasha, according to her, is a very important part of her life.

My parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters support me in everything. I have a large family and I often travel to Ryazan to visit my relatives.

- If you met with the President of the International Figure Skating Federation, what would you ask him?- I asked the young athlete.

I would ask him at his performances, in addition to the short and free program, to do the third part - the elements.

As part of this competition, athletes make two attempts at a solo jump and two attempts at a cascade, and then perform a special track and spin. For each attempt, points are given and the sum of the best solo, best cascade and track with rotation is calculated.

A little earlier, Sasha admitted that competition is certainly important to her, but, above all, she competes with herself, trying to improve and beat her own result every time. And the more difficult the task, the better. In this light, Sasha’s request is quite understandable.

“In terms of the technical complexity of the program, Sasha is the leader among all women in the world”

Usually parents want a better life for their child than they had. And for this they are ready to make any sacrifices, such as moving to another city or taking classes from the best teachers. But the Trusovs do not believe that they sacrificed their lives to Sasha.

- Does what is happening now with your daughter justify your hopes?

We did not pin our hopes on any sporting success. Therefore, it is impossible to say that what is happening justifies our hopes,” says Svetlana. - But we, of course, really like the fact that Sasha was so keen on figure skating, and she’s doing well. The fact that a child has found the meaning of life at such a young age, sets goals for himself and works to achieve them, is certainly what any parent wants to see. This builds a strong character that will be useful to her in every aspect of her adult life. We are doing everything in our power to help her.

Vyacheslav, your fatherly joy for your daughter’s success is obvious. As an athlete, can you evaluate Sasha’s results to date? Just too objective.

Of course, for her age this is an excellent result, this is the maximum that can be achieved. But there are even more serious competitions ahead. The transition from juniors to adults lies ahead - a very important stage, and you need to be prepared for it. The level of her preparation, in my opinion, is very high: in terms of the technical complexity of the program, she is a leader among all women in the world.

For readers far from sports, let us explain: Sasha’s programs have the strongest set of elements among all female figure skaters in the world. Including the quadruple Salchow, which none of the athletes currently jumps.

Unlike many parents who try to program their children’s lives in advance, Svetlana and Vyacheslav do not make far-reaching plans:

Figure skating is a young sport, and after the end of a sports career, there is time to master a profession off the ice. When the time comes, Sasha herself will choose what to become and what university to enter.

Sasha already has his own ideas on this matter. In the conversation, she admitted that she loves animals very much and wants to connect her future profession with them. Once in Brisbane, for example, she happily spent her day off in Koala Park and, according to her parents, stroked and held in her arms all the animals that were allowed: kangaroos, koalas, parrots, platypuses. By the way, on all trips Sasha is accompanied by her friend and living mascot - a four-year-old Chihuahua named Tina. With her, a girl can talk secretly about her most intimate experiences.

“You have to do what you love, and then everything will work out”

Despite the fact that Sasha’s successes are largely the merit of her parents, who adjusted their life as much as possible to her interests and schedule, neither Svetlana nor Vyacheslav believe that when a child grows up, he should thank his mom and dad for something.

This is the normal order of things. The task of parents is the happiness of their children. We help Sasha to the best of our ability. It is enough for us to see that she is happy.

This large family, whose members are scattered across different cities of the world, makes an amazing impression. Wherever they are, wherever they leave, wherever they return from, they are constantly in touch, I would even say in conjunction with each other. They always know who has what going on, who has what news, joys and difficulties and are always ready to help. And it is not at all surprising that in such a friendly and close-knit family a real little star was born - her talent was not only noticed and supported, but also helped in every possible way to develop.

Svetlana, for you, is Sasha still your little girl or do you treat her as an adult with her own responsibility?

Sasha is an adult, she can make her own decisions. And we always take her opinion into account. She is a very responsible girl and, despite being very busy, looks after her brothers and, naturally, raises them. But... remains my little and only daughter,” my mother admitted.

Before saying goodbye, I asked the young athlete to give advice to those guys who want to develop a strong-willed character and achieve great success in life. Sasha smiled broadly and shrugged her thin shoulders:

You have to do what you love, and then everything will work out!

And we hope that Sasha, by his example, will continue to prove that what he loves allows a person to discover limitless possibilities within himself. And, of course, we wish Sasha the fulfillment of her dream - to represent our country at the Olympic Games.

DETAILS

The Salchow jump in figure skating is named after the athlete who first performed it - this was done by the Swede Ulrich Salchow in 1909. Since then, the jump has become increasingly more difficult, becoming double, triple and finally quadruple. The first woman to perform a 4-revolution Salchow was Japanese athlete Miki Ando. She performed her quadruple jump as a junior at the 2003 Grand Prix Final. At the time of performing the element, she was 16 years old. The second figure skater who managed to repeat such a difficult jump was 13-year-old Russian and our compatriot Alexandra Trusova.

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Trusova Alexandra Vyacheslavovna

Russia Russian national team 2017/18

Moscow Moscow team 2017/18

Club: TsSO "Sambo-70", branch "Khrustalny" (Moscow)

Coach: Eteri Tutberidze, Sergei Dudakov. Choreographer: Daniil Gleikhengauz

results

Season 2017/18

SGP in Belarus 2017 - 1 (196.32)

UGP in Australia 2017 - 1 (197.69)

Season 2016/17

Competitions for prizes of the President of the FFKK Moscow 2017 - 2 (190.79)

Championship in Russia (old time) 2017 - 2 (195.65)

Russian Championship (Jr.) 2017 - 3rd senior. (240.67)

Moscow Championship (older age) 2017 - 4 kms (178.34)

Russian Cup Final 2017 - 3 kms (190.89)

Russian Championship 2017 - 4 (194.60)

Moscow Championship (Jr.) 2017 - 2nd senior. (245.56)

V stage of the Russian Cup 2016 - 2 kms (186.24)

Memorial S. Volkov 2016 - 1, 1sp. (184.06)

II stage of the Russian Cup 2016 - 3 kms (184.54)

Moscow Open Championship 2016 - 3 kms (172.86)

Season 2015/16

Russian Championship (Jr.) 2016 - 5th senior. (221.24)

Moscow Championship (older age) 2016 - 9 kms (166.38)

Moscow Championship (Jr.) 2016 - 1st senior. (228.19)

Memorial S. Volkov 2015 - 5, 1sp. (159.42)

FFKKM Open Cup 2015 - 4 kms (156.56)

Season 2014/15

Russian Championship (youngest age) 2015 - 3 youngest age. (173.51)

Moscow Championship (old age) 2015 - 21 kms (129.77)

Moscow Championship (junior) 2015 - 2 juniors. (182.67)

Memorial S. Volkov 2014 - 1, 2sp. (122.96)

Season 2013/14

Moscow Championship (junior age) 2014 - 28 junior age. (25.66)

The 2016 Olympics in Rio collects a lot of news every day. We follow the performances of our athletes with anxiety and special pride, rejoice with them and accept defeats with everyone. But our history contains a lot of stories, which then become an example of perseverance, perseverance and zeal for many generations to come. And every new day of the current Olympiad adds new ones. We want to remember the most incredible athletes in our country who brought home a record number of gold medals and still remain the undisputed leaders in this championship.

Latynina Larisa, artistic gymnastics

Larina Latynina is one of the most famous Russian figures in the history of the Olympic Games. To date, she maintains her position as the only gymnast to have won at three Olympics in a row: Melbourne (1956), Rome (1960) and Tokyo (1964). She is a unique athlete who has 18 Olympic medals, among which the largest number are gold - 9 pieces. Larisa's sports career began in 1950. While still a schoolgirl, Larisa completed her first category as part of the Ukrainian national team, after which she went to the All-Union Championship in Kazan. Thanks to subsequent intensive training, Latynina fulfilled the standard of a master of sports in the 9th grade. After graduating from school, Larisa was sent a call to the all-Union training camp in Bratsevo, where the USSR national team was preparing for the World Festival of Youth and Students in Bucharest. The young athlete passed the qualifying competitions with dignity and then received a woolen suit with a white “Olympic” stripe on the neck and the letters “USSR”.

Larisa Latynina received her first international gold medals in Romania. And on December 3, 1956, Larisa went to the Olympics in a team with P. Astakhova, L. Kalinina, T. Manina, S. Muratova, L. Egorova. It is worth noting that all members of the cast made their debut at the Olympics. And there, in Melbourne, Larisa became the absolute Olympic champion. And already in 1964, Larisa Latynina went down in history as the winner of 18 Olympic awards.

Tokyo, 1964

Egorova Lyubov, cross-country skiing

Lyubov Egorova - six-time Olympic champion in cross-country skiing (1992 - at distances of 10 and 15 km and as a member of the national team, 1994 - at distances of 5 and 10 km and as a member of the national team), multiple world champion, winner of the 1993 World Cup . The athlete was recognized as the best athlete in Russia in 1994.

While still at school, Lyubov discovered a passion for skiing. Already in the 6th grade she studied under the guidance of coach Nikolai Kharitonov. She took part in a variety of city competitions many times. At the age of 20, Lyubov joined the USSR national team. In 1991, at the World Championships in Cavales, the skier had her first success. Lyubov became the world champion as part of the relay, and then showed the best time in the 30-kilometer race. Despite the fact that the skier came eleventh in the 15-kilometer race, already in the relay race Egorova overtook all her rivals, and at a distance of 30 km she became the best (time - 1 hour 20 minutes 26.8 seconds) and received a gold medal.

In 1992, Lyubov took part in the Olympic Games in France, where she managed to get a gold medal in the 15-kilometer race. She also won gold in both the 10-kilometer race and the relay. In 1994, in Norway, at the Winter Olympics, Egorova came first in the 5 km distance. In the 10 km race, the Russian athlete fought against a strong rival from Italy, who gave up only closer to the finish line, allowing Egorova to get gold. And in the 4x5 km relay race, Russian girls again showed themselves and took first place. As a result, at the Norwegian Winter Games, Lyubov Egorova again becomes a three-time Olympic champion. Upon returning to St. Petersburg, the six-time Olympic champion was greeted with all honors: Anatoly Sobchak presented the winner with the keys to a new apartment, and by Decree of the President of Russia, the famous racer was awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

Lillehammer, 1994

Skoblikova Lidiya, speed skating

Lidia Pavlovna Skoblikova is a legendary Soviet speed skater, the only six-time Olympic champion in the history of speed skating, the absolute champion of the 1964 Olympics in Innsbruck. Even at school, Lida was seriously involved in skiing, participating in the section from the third grade. But after several years of training and hard work, skiing seemed to Skoblikova to be too slow a sport. The athlete came to speed skating by accident. One day, her friend, who skates, asked her to participate in city competitions with her. Skoblikova had neither experience nor serious training, but participation in those competitions turned out to be successful for her, and she took first place.

The first victory of the young speed skater happened in January 1957, in the Russian championship among girls. After this victory, Lydia began to train even harder. And in 1960, in Squaw Valley, at the Winter Olympic Games, Lydia was able to leave behind all the strong athletes, moreover, she won with a world record. At the same Olympics, the speed skater managed to get another gold for a distance of three kilometers. And at the Olympic Games in Innsbruck (1964, Austria), Skoblikova showed an incredible result in the history of speed skating, winning all four distances, and at the same time setting Olympic records in three (500, 1000 and 1500 m). Also in 1964, Skoblikova convincingly won the World Speed ​​Skating Championships (Sweden), again winning in all four distances. Such an achievement (8 gold medals out of 8) cannot be surpassed, it can only be repeated. In 1964 she was awarded the second Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

Innsbruck, 1964

Davydova Anastasia, synchronized swimming

Anastasia Davydova is the only athlete in history to win 5 Olympic gold medals, competing under the Russian flag, and the only five-time Olympic champion in the history of synchronized swimming. Initially, Anastasia was involved in rhythmic gymnastics, but later, with the help of her mother, Davydova began attending synchronized swimming training. And already in 2000, at the age of 17, Anastasia immediately won the highest award in the group program at the European Championships in Helsinki.

And Anastasia won all her Olympic duet awards in pairs with another famous synchronized swimmer, Anastasia Ermakova. At her first Olympic Games, held in Athens, Davydova won two gold medals. At the Beijing Olympics, held in 2008, synchronized swimmers repeated their triumph and won two more golds. In 2010, the International Aquatics Federation recognized Anastasia as the best synchronized swimmer of the decade. The 2012 Olympic Games, which took place in London, made Anastasia Davydova a record holder - she became the only five-time Olympic champion in synchronized swimming in history. At the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games, she was entrusted with carrying the flag of the Russian team.

Beijing, 2008

Popov Alexander, swimming

Alexander Popov is a Soviet and Russian swimmer, four-time Olympic champion, six-time world champion, 21-time European champion, a legend of Soviet and Russian sports. Alexander got into the sports section by accident: his parents took their son to swimming just like that, “for his health.” And this event turned into incredible victories for Popov in the future. Training became more and more fascinating to the future champion, taking up all his free time, which negatively affected the young athlete’s studies. But it was too late to give up sports for the sake of grades in school subjects. At the age of 20, Popov won his first victories; they turned out to be 4 gold medals. This happened at the European Championships in 1991, which took place in Athens. He managed to win at distances of 50 and 100 meters in two relay races. This year brought the first victory in a series of brilliant achievements by the Soviet swimmer.

The 1996 Olympics, held in Atlanta, brought the swimmer worldwide fame. Alexander won two gold medals for 50 and 100 meters. This victory turned out to be especially bright because it was promised to the American swimmer Gary Hall, who was then in his best shape and beat Alexander in the preliminary competitions. The Americans were confident of victory, they openly announced this in the press, even Bill Clinton and his family came to support their athlete! But the “gold” ended up in the hands not of Hall, but of Popov. The disappointment of the Americans, who had savored their victory in advance, was enormous. And then Alexander became a legend.

Atlanta, 1996

Pozdnyakov Stanislav, fencing

Stanislav Alekseevich Pozdnyakov is a Soviet and Russian saber fencer, four-time Olympic champion, 10-time world champion, 13-time European champion, five-time World Cup winner, five-time Russian champion (in individual competitions) in saber fencing. As a child, Stanislav was very active - he played football, swam, skated in winter, and played hockey. For some time, the young athlete continued to do everything at once, rushing from one sport to another. But one day his mother took Pozdnyakov to the Spartak stadium, where the Olympic reserve fencing school for children and youth was located. The phrase “Olympic reserve” bribed his parents, and Stanislav began studying there. Under the guidance of mentor Boris Leonidovich Pisetsky, Stanislav began to learn the fencing alphabet. The young fencer showed character in fights and always tried to win.

Pozdnyakov made his first successes at the All-Russian and All-Union levels in Novosibirsk, in youth tournaments. Then he made it to the United Independent States team and went to Barcelona for his first Olympic Games. And in 1996 in Atlanta he achieved absolute success, winning gold in both individual and team tournaments.

Atlanta, 1996

Tikhonov Alexander, biathlon

Alexander Tikhonov is the pride of world and domestic sports, a biathlon star, winner of four Olympics, an outstanding champion. Diagnosed with congenital heart disease, Alexander became an outstanding athlete in our country. Skiing has been present in the life of the future Olympic champion since childhood. Their parents set an example for their four sons: mother Nina Evlampievna, who worked as an accountant, and father Ivan Grigorievich, who taught physical education at school. Repeatedly participating in regional ski competitions held among teachers, he became a winner. At the age of 19, Alexander won the national junior ski competitions at distances of 10 and 15 km. The year 1966 became very significant in the fate of the athlete, because... this year Tikhonov suffered a leg injury and switched to a biathlete career.

Alexander's debut happened in 1968 in Grenoble, where the Olympic Games were held. A young athlete, unknown to anyone, wins a silver medal in the 20 km race, losing in shooting to the Norwegian Magna Solberg by some half a millimeter - the price of two penalty minutes and a gold medal. After this performance, Alexander was entrusted with the first stage of the relay, which the Olympic champion, the famous Vladimir Melanin, was supposed to run. Thanks to his confident shooting and daring running, Tikhonov receives the title of Olympic champion! The Olympic Games in Lake Placid in 1980 were Tikhonov's fourth and last. At the opening ceremony, Alexander carried the banner of his country. It was this Olympics that became the golden crown of his long journey in sports. Then Tikhonov became the first four-time winner of the Olympic Games in the history of domestic sports, after which, at the age of 33, he was forced to decide to end his sports career.

Alexander Popov was born on November 16, 1971 in the village of Lesnoy near Yekaterinburg. His parents worked at a military factory. They earned good money and Sasha was not denied any toys or good clothes. Today Alexander happily repays his debts.

Sasha's first coach was G. Vitman, and he started swimming on his back. But the results were unimportant. Until Gennady Turetsky invited Sasha to his group in Volgograd.

“The idea to turn me from back to crawl,” recalls Popov, “as I found out later, belonged to him. Moreover, Gennady Gennadievich carried her for two years. I swam with Anatoly Zhuchkov and spent so much time with the promising ones that there was talk of replacing me with someone else. Therefore, when the then head coach of the national team, Gleb Petrov, invited me to change my specialization and swim with Turetsky, I agreed.

Three-time Olympic champion Alexander Karelin is officially recognized by the International Wrestling Federation as the best Greco-Roman wrestler of the 20th century.

For me, only one place matters - the first one,” Karelin once said. - And the second or tenth - it doesn’t matter. This is a defeat.

“The only thing I confess I regretted,” says the champion’s coach Kuznetsov, “is that Karelin never, in my memory, used all his power in fights. I used to ask him: “Sasha, make a “reverse belt” for me personally.” This is his signature and my favorite move: when you throw your opponent over your back onto the mat from the height of your own height. And he always felt sorry for those who fight with him. After all, a throw is always humiliation for a partner.”

Karelin was born on September 19, 1967 near Novosibirsk. His father worked as a dump truck driver, his mother was an employee. Both are of large build. Sasha was born weighing five kilograms! Since childhood, tall beyond his years, he hunted, dashingly skied, and went swimming. But he took up wrestling only at the age of thirteen, when he was head and shoulders taller than his father. And it’s not a fact yet - Karelin would have become a wrestler if it weren’t for the first and only coach - Viktor Kuznetsov. At the age of fifteen, Sasha suffered a broken leg at a youth competition. But it was after this serious injury that he made the final choice in favor of classical wrestling.

Six years have passed since Tretyak left the ice rink, and now...

“In 1990, the famous coach Mike Keenan called me: “Slava, we have 7 decent goalkeepers in Chicago, and we can’t choose which one to “train” as the main one. Come, advise, help.” My English was very bad at that time, and I decided that it was better not to tell, but just to show the guys from the Blackhawks how to stand in goal. I did one lesson, then another, and suddenly Keenan invites me: “Vladislav, tell me, how much should you be paid to play for Chicago?” At the first moment I was even confused: “Mike, is this a joke? After all, I haven’t played for 6 years.” And he responded: “So what? I see, I feel - you will win us the Stanley Cup! In short, how much?”

Then, in Moscow, the guys talked. “Vladik, I should have agreed. I would have taken a million from him, defended the season - and rested for the rest of my life.” But I couldn't do that. In the NHL, every young person would dream of scoring against the legendary Tretiak. At least once, but to score. I would be to them like a red rag to a bull. And sooner or later he would not have been able to withstand such tension, he would have missed it, and lost his name. And for me to lose my name... I spent so many years earning it!”

Irina Rodnina is rightly called one of the best athletes of the twentieth century. She managed to make her sport - figure skating - one of the most popular and significant. But Rodnina also became famous because she was able to show extraordinary endurance and the will to win. These qualities were revealed in her quite early.

Irina Rodnina was born on September 12, 1949 in Moscow into a career military family. She put on her first “Snow Maiden” skates at the age of three or four, and when she grew up a little, her parents enrolled her in the famous figure skating school, which was located in the children’s park of the Dzerzhinsky district of Moscow. Most of the Soviet figure skating masters of the fifties began their sports career there. Then, from the children's figure skating school, Irina moved to the CSKA figure skating section, having passed a serious competition.

In 1962, at the invitation of the Soviet sports committee, Czechoslovakian coaches, the spouses Sonya and Milan Valun, came to the club. Rodnina, together with Oleg Vlasov, began training under their guidance, and in 1963, their sports couple took third place in the all-Union youth competitions. At thirteen and a half years old, the girl received her first sports category. However, the Czechoslovakian coaches soon left, and Irina was left to her own devices. Fortunately, she was noticed by the newly appointed senior coach of CSKA skaters, Stanislav Zhuk. He took her in and picked her first adult partner - Alexei Ulanov. They were a beautiful, memorable couple: small, strongly built Rodnina and prominent, tall Ulanov. They first appeared in 1967 at demonstration performances. Stanislav Zhuk gradually accustomed the judges to their existence, and after two years the first victory came.

In 1984, the President of the Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch, presented Kulakova with the Silver Olympic Order for her services to world sports. And in 2000, at the All-Russian Olympic Ball, Galina Alekseevna was chosen as one of the fifteen legends of domestic sports who made the greatest contribution to its development in the past century.

Galina Alekseevna Kulakova was born on April 29, 1942 in the village of Stepanovo, 30 kilometers from the city of Votkinsk. She never got to see her father - he died at the front. In addition to Gali, there were six more sisters and two brothers in the family.

Galya has been skiing since childhood. “By inheritance” from her elders she received something like boards. She wore them to school in the winter. Three kilometers there, three kilometers back...

Whatever enthusiastic epithets the foreign press awarded the Ural athlete: “golden girl of Russia”, “queen of medals”, “Olympic superstar”, “fantastic queen of skating”...

And this is not surprising, because the “Russian Lightning” is the only six-time Olympic champion in speed skating in the world. Skoblikova is the first athlete in the history of women's sports to set a world record at the Olympic Games.

Lidia Pavlovna Skoblikova was born on March 8, 1939 in the Ural city of Zlatoust into a large working-class family. Pavel Ivanovich and Klavdia Nikolaevna Skoblikov had five children. Lida was third. As a child, the girl, being very active, loved to jump, play volleyball, and basketball. But at first, Lida studied skiing at a local children's sports school.

The combat is over. This was the final, last fight. For one of the athletes, victory in it turned into Olympic gold. And the Munich hall “Messegelende” exploded with multilingual shouts and applause. Raising his mighty hands to the sky, smiling in confusion, as if not believing his triumph, the wrestler bowed in all directions. Then something strange happened. Staggering as if drunk, the athlete wandered to the middle of the mat and there... fell to his knees. The stands froze in bewilderment. And the hero bent down and pressed his lips directly to the matte surface of the carpet. He said goodbye to the wrestling mat - a dispassionate witness to so many ups and disappointments, as many joys and sorrows as fate had in store for the athlete on a journey of fifteen years.

This is how Alexander Medved, a unique freestyle wrestler, three-time Olympic champion, seven-time world champion, three-time winner of European championships, winner of nine gold medals at championships and sports competitions of the Soviet Union, impressively put an end to his sports biography.

Vlasov is a unique person - a military engineer, world and Olympic weightlifting champion and record holder, writer and historian, politician - State Duma deputy, one of the contenders for the post of President of Russia.

He was one of the greatest heroes in the entire history of the planet. People's Artist of the USSR Yuri Nikulin gave him a brilliant description: “Yuri Vlasov is clean, without doping. In my opinion, this is the standard of an Olympic champion - an athlete, an intellectual, a citizen.”

Yuri Petrovich Vlasov was born on December 5, 1935 in the city of Makeevka, Donetsk region. Mother, Maria Danilovna, came from an old family of Kuban Cossacks. Yuri will later talk about his father, Vlasov (Vladimirov) Pyotr Parfenovich, who as a diplomat reached the top level - the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the USSR in his book “Special Region of China”. Thanks to his father, Yuri Petrovich is fluent in Chinese.

Latynina is the most titled athlete on the planet! She won 18 Olympic medals, of which 9 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze. She is a two-time absolute champion of the Olympics, world, Europe and the USSR.

Latynina admitted that she does not like to train. She said that she doesn’t like everything that only precedes gymnastics, but in itself is not gymnastics. She loved to perform. Probably many famous athletes think the same. But only Latynina admitted this, spoke publicly. She has such a difficult character - to think and speak without prevarication. And this, in the end, always helped her to establish herself in the infallibility of her choice, to creatively analyze her every step towards her intended goal.

Larisa Semenovna Latynina was born on December 27, 1934. She grew up in post-war Kherson without a father. At that time her name was Larisa Diriy. In her early childhood, Larisa studied in a choreography club. I started gymnastics in the fifth grade. Her first coach was Mikhail Afanasyevich Sotnichenko. In 1950, Diriy became a first-class student and, as part of the national team of Ukrainian schoolchildren, went to the All-Union Championship in Kazan. However, she performed unsuccessfully in the capital of Tatarstan.

The outstanding Brazilian football player Pele once said: “I deeply appreciate the art of this magnificent master, whom I consider one of the best goalkeepers of our time. Yashin went down in the history of world football not only as a magnificent performer, but also as a tireless creator, as a person who created a lot of new things in the complex art of goalkeeping.”

Yashin was not just a great goalkeeper. How many times on trips abroad could one witness the desire of various people to simply come up and look at our goalkeeper. And looking at how the thin hand of a little black boy with a piece of paper, stunned with happiness and whispering: “Yakhin, Yakhin”, “Yachin, Yachin”, reaches out to Lev Ivanovich - it was not difficult to understand what benefits friendly friendships bring to the mutual understanding of the peoples of the whole world. contacts and meetings of Soviet football players led by Yashin.

Kuts was a symbol of fearlessness and daring. The 1956 Olympics were even named after our runner, where he won both distance races. Probably no other athlete had such obvious and loud fame.

Vladimir Petrovich Kuts was born on February 7, 1927 in the village of Aleksino into a working-class family. Even in those years, Volodya was distinguished by his stubborn character, for which the children often called him a stubborn donkey. He set himself the task of learning to ski. And he achieved his goal. It was easier for him to get to school in the village of Belka, located five kilometers from Aleksino, on skis.

When the war began, Vladimir had to go to the eighth grade. But there was no time for studying - already in October the Germans entered the village. In 1943, Aleksino was released. Over the next two years, Kuts managed to fight at the front as a liaison officer at headquarters, work as a loader in Oboyan and a tractor driver in his native village, and complete sniper courses.

At the XXIII Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, Korea, Russian athletes will perform under the Olympic flag. This is the result of a years-long scandal involving accusations against Russia of using a “state doping program.”

Our athletes have already competed under the Olympic flag at the Games. True, then no one punished us: we managed ourselves.

Breakup time

The collapse of the USSR in December 1991 found Soviet athletes in the midst of preparations for the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.

By this time, the team had already suffered serious losses: Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, which announced the restoration of independence, were going to the Games in separate teams. So the team lost the best combined athlete in the country, an Estonian Allara Levandi.

But the truly fatal blow was dealt not to biathlon, but to bobsleigh and luge. The only bobsleigh and luge track in the country remains in Latvia, and with it a whole group of athletes, coaches and technical specialists.

I had to forget about medals in these events for many years.

But after the announcement of the collapse of the USSR, figure skaters, skiers, biathletes, hockey players were at a loss... Are we going to the Olympics or not? If so, under what flag?

Gatherer Samaranch

The new states tried to hastily put together their own teams, but officials of the International Olympic Committee cooled their ardor. Since the athletes did not go through the qualifying competitions, no one will allow them to participate in the Games.

It is unknown how this would have ended if not for the wisdom of the head of the now former USSR Olympic Committee Vitaly Smirnova And IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch. At their proposal, an agreement was reached: 12 republics of the former USSR, except for the Baltic countries, would perform at the 1992 Winter and Summer Olympics under the name “United Team”.

The delegation of the CIS countries during the parade of participants of the XXV Summer Olympic Games. 1992 Photo: RIA Novosti / Dmitry Donskoy

Instead of the national flag - the Olympic one, instead of the national anthem - the Olympic one. The athletes admitted that they felt some emptiness and loss.

Other citizens of the former united country had the same feelings. Chaos reigned all around, flavored with “shock therapy” in the economy. People tried to survive, and many had no time for sports.

Games without the Olympic spirit

The Winter Olympics in Albertville opened on February 8, 1992. They began with political complaints: some human rights activists did not like the fact that the French anthem “La Marseillaise” was played at the opening ceremony.

"To arms, citizens,
Form up into battalions
Let's go, let's go!
Let the unclean blood
It will saturate our fields!”

The organizers did not attach any importance to these claims, and they were soon forgotten. There were more serious problems.

Subsequently, the Games in Albertville will be included in the list of the most unsuccessful Olympics from the point of view of organization. The main reason for dissatisfaction among athletes was that the organizers held competitions in different sports very far from each other. Not one, but six Olympic villages were created to accommodate athletes and coaches. Such isolation led to the loss of the traditional spirit of the Olympics. The athletes said that they felt more like participants in the next stage of the World Cup or World Championship than the main start of the four-year period in winter sports.

Hopeless skiers and unlucky Zhelezovsky

But let's return to the Unified Team (EUN). In fact, the team included athletes from not 12, but six republics: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Uzbekistan. The rest simply did not have world-class athletes in winter disciplines.

In luge, bobsleigh, alpine skiing, ski jumping, and combined events, our athletes competed under the slogan “The main thing is not victory, but participation”: none of them came close to the podium.

This was expected, but the complete failure in speed skating, where we did not win a single medal, was very disappointing. Even a multiple world champion in sprint all-around Igor Zhelezovsky, considered one of the favorites at a distance of 1000 meters, finished only sixth.

Zhelezovsky was generally unlucky at the Olympics: he claimed Olympic gold three times, but his best result was only silver, won in Lillehammer 1994 as part of the Belarusian team.

Skaters are beyond competition

Those who didn't let us down were the skaters, who won a whole bunch of medals, including three gold ones.

Sports couples won the tournament Natalya Mishkutenok And Arthur Dmitriev, the second were Elena Bechke And Denis Petrov. We won the dance Marina Klimova And Sergey Ponomarenko, and third place went to Maya Usova And Alexander Zhulin.

For the first time, our athlete won the men's singles competition: he became a pioneer Victor Petrenko. He started a whole series of Olympic victories: 1994 - Alexey Urmanov, 1998 — Ilya Kuliu, 2002 — Alexey Yagudin, 2006 — Evgeni Plushenko. Petrenko’s victory is sometimes taken into account: they say, he is Ukrainian. But in 1992, Victor was still his own, Soviet, and not “Independent”.

Victor Petrenko. Photo: RIA Novosti / Sergey Guneev

Only girls ski

In skiing, the picture was mixed: the men failed without winning a single award, but the women worked for themselves and “for those guys.”

Lyubov Egorova won competitions at distances of 15 km “skate” and “classic”, adding to this two silver medals at distances of 5 km and 30 km. "Bronzed" in Albertville Elena Vyalbe, which was third in all individual disciplines. In the relay race Egorova and Vyalbe, as well as the unfading forty-year-old (!) Raisa Smetanina And Larisa Lazutina logically won another gold medal.

The happiness of debutant Redkin

They expected a lot from biathlon, especially since the honor of being the standard bearer at the opening of the Games was entrusted to biathlete Valery Medvedtsev, who at the 1988 Olympics in Calgary became the relay champion, and also won two silvers in the sprint and in the 20 km individual race.

World champion in the 20 km individual race Valery Alekseevich Medvedtsev. 1990 Photo: RIA Novosti / Sergey Guneev

But Medvedtsev in Albertville limited himself to silver in the same relay. And the lucky ticket to the Olympics was pulled out by a twenty-two-year-old Evgeny Redkin. The debutant was entered into the individual race, not expecting anything serious, but he went ahead and went the distance without any mistakes. The opponents ran much faster, but were “shot” at the firing lines. As a result, Redkin became an Olympic champion, and this success remained the only great achievement in his career.

Catch up with Anfisa

Women's biathlon made its debut at the Olympics in 1992, and the first domestic gold was won by Anfisa Reztsova.

Anfisa Reztsova. Photo: RIA Novosti / Igor Mikhalev

Four years earlier, Reztsova became the champion of the Calgary Games in the relay, but she quarreled with the coaches and went into the “adjacent” event.

Reztsova shot disgustingly, but ran incredibly fast along the distance. In the sprint race in Albertville, she was confidently in the lead before the second shooting, but missed three times! She went into the distance after penalty laps in fourth place, 20 seconds behind the leader. It was necessary to walk 2.5 km to the finish line, and the fans sighed: such a handicap could no longer be won back. And Reztsova not only won back, but also “brought” a 16-second lead to her rivals!

Also won bronze in the sprint Elena Belova. In the individual race Svetlana Pecherskaya was second, and in the relay our team won third place.

Golden "Kindergarten"

Hockey in Albertville was expected to fail. Soviet stars from the “Red Machine” left for the NHL, and the youth gathered Viktor Tikhonov, was derisively nicknamed "Kindergarten" by foreign reporters.

It will only later turn out that most of this “Kindergarten” will successfully perform in the best league in the world for many years. And in 1992, many people's eyes widened in surprise when they saw how Tikhonov's guys were improving from game to game.

As a result, the Olympic final became another episode of a classic confrontation: the USSR (albeit without a flag) versus Canada. The latter had a very serious composition, the leader of which was Eric Lindros, selected number 1 in the NHL draft. In fact, the forward who was called the successor Wayne Gretzky, was not supposed to play at the Olympics, but he went on strike, not wanting to play in the NHL for Quebec, and went to the Games.

The first two periods of the final ended without any goals scored, and at the beginning of the third, Vyacheslav Butsaev put us ahead. At 56 minutes Igor Boldin doubled the lead, but almost immediately the Canadians reduced the gap in the score. An experienced player put an end to the match Vyacheslav Bykov: 3:1.

This Olympic victory remains the last in the history of Russian hockey.

They left proudly

The 1992 Olympics ended on February 23, 1992. As a result, the United Team received 23 awards (9 gold, 6 silver, 8 bronze). This was the 2nd result in the team competition after the Germans, who, unlike us, united and did not scatter into national apartments.

It was a farewell salute, a high tragedy of Soviet sports. In 1992 we were respected and feared even under the Olympic flag. It never occurred to anyone that a quarter of a century later, a high tragedy would be replaced by a cheap farce...

Aug 20, 2016 Sep 8, 2017 by vaulter

The history of the modern Olympic Games goes back 120 years. It was in 1894 that the decision was made in Paris to revive the Olympic Games. Over its long history, the Olympic movement has transformed from chaotic and unpopular competitions into the main sports festival of the planet. Hundreds of athletes have become famous and great thanks to their success at the Olympic Games. Thousands of athletes were awarded the titles of Olympic champions and medalists. However, in the history of the Games there are also those who, with their awards and dedication to sport, made the greatest contribution to the development of the Olympic Games.

We present to your attention the ten most titled Olympic champions from 1894 to 2016.

The 10 athletes who are presented below are determined by the number of gold medals, and not by the total number of awards won!!! Silver and bronze medals are of secondary importance. This is exactly the approach used in the unofficial team competition at the Olympic Games.

And immediately a certificate. Where's Bolt? The fastest man on the planet, Usain Bolt, won 3 gold medals at three Olympic Games. From the Games in Beijing to the Olympics in Rio, Bolt always won at distances of 100 and 200 meters, and also won gold in the 4 x 100 m relay as part of the Jamaican national team. Unfortunately, Bolt was deprived of one gold medal. A prohibited substance was found in the doping test of Bolt’s national team colleague, Nest Carter, who was a participant in the relay in 2008, and the Jamaican team was deprived of Beijing gold, and Bolt became an eight-time Olympic champion. In terms of the number of medals, Bolt is not in the TOP 10.

10-9 places. Jenny Thompson and Saavo Kato

Ninth and tenth places were shared by Jenny Thompson and Japanese Saavo Kato. The athletes won 8 gold medals. But Thompson won them in the swimming competition, and Kato won the Olympic gymnastics competition 8 times. In addition, the athletes have 3 silvers and one bronze.

Can rightfully be called a “team player”. Since the athlete won almost all her medals in relay races. Thompson's first Olympic triumph came at the Olympic Games in Barcelona, ​​where the swimmer won 2 gold medals in two 4x100 m relay races (freestyle and medley). Also in Catalonia, the American became second in the 100 m freestyle. In Atlanta in 1996, the swimmer not only repeated the achievement of four years ago, but also increased it. Jenny Tomposn won 3 gold medals in three relay races: 4x100 m and 4x200 m freestyle, combined 4x100 m. In Sydney Olympics, the athlete, as if a carbon copy, again wins 3 gold medals in relay races. At the same time, he enhances his success with a personal bronze medal in the 100 m freestyle swim. However, this was not enough for her. The 31-year-old swimmer took part in the 2004 Games, where she won two more silver medals in relays.

- one of the most outstanding gymnasts in history. He has 12 medals, 8 of which are of the highest value. The gymnast first became an Olympic champion in Mexico City in 1968, where he was the best in the absolute championship, floor exercise and with the team. In exercises on rings, Kato showed the third result. In 1972, the Japanese again won 3 medals. And again Saavo Kato is the best in the absolute and team championships. Also, the gymnast had no equal on the uneven bars. On the pommel horse and horizontal bar, the gymnast was second. The last Olympic Games of a Japanese person were the 1976 Games in Montreal. And here the athlete did not make a mistake. The 30-year-old gymnast won 2 golds: uneven bars and team championship. Silver in the overall championship.

Overall result: 12 medals. 8 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze.

7-8 places.

Seventh and eighth places were shared between representatives of summer and winter sports. Birgit Fischer is the most titled representative of kayaking. And Bjorn Daly had no equal in cross-country skiing.

ranks second among women (after Larisa Latynina) in the number of Olympic awards. The period during which the athlete managed to win numerous medals is also impressive. Fischer won her first Olympic gold back in 1980 in Moscow. The last Olympic triumph occurred with a German woman 24 years later at the Olympic Games in Athens. Oh, if it weren’t for the boycott of 1984, who knows how many medals the phenomenal rower would have won. In 1980, the German woman won gold in the 500 m single sculls. In Seoul 1988, the gold double in the double and quadruple, and Fischer was second in the single. In Barcelona, ​​the German is again the best in singles. The second athlete was in the four. In Atlanta 1996, gold again. This time in four. The second Fischer was in two. In Sydney, Birgit Fischer wins 2 golds - in two and four. But this was not enough for the insatiable German woman. In 2004, the 42-year-old rower went to the Games in Athens where her experience brought gold to the German four, and silver to the two. Only after this did the athlete calm down and leave the sport.

- the best skier of all time. The Norwegian ranks second in the number of gold medals after the legendary Bjoerndalen. The athlete won all his Olympic awards evenly. From each Games from 1992 to 1998, a skier took home 4 medals. It’s only in Albertville and Nagano that the Norwegian managed to win 3 gold medals each, and in 1994 in Lillehammer Daly won 2 medals of the highest value. To be fair, it should be noted that Daly was in a period when the Winter Olympic Games were held not once every 4 years, but once every 2 years - in 1992 and 1994, respectively. This is due to the decision of the IOC that the summer and winter Games be held two years apart. The Norwegian also has 4 silver medals.

Overall result: 12 medals. 8 gold, 4 silver.

6th place. .

Ole Bjoerndalen- the king of biathlon. Also, the legendary Norwegian takes absolute first place in the number of Olympic awards among representatives of winter sports. The Norwegian began collecting medals in 1988, when in Nagano he won gold in the 10 km sprint and silver in the 4x7.5 km relay. The 2002 Games were held under the leadership of the king. In Salt Lake City, Bjoerndalen won 4 gold medals. In 2006, out of three medals, none was gold, but the Norwegian biathlete did not give up and was able to win gold in Vancouver and 2 gold medals in Sochi. Read more about the famous biathlete in our article

Overall result: 13 medals. 8 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze.

5th place. .

Total result: 10 medals. 9 gold, 1 silver.

4th place. .

Overall result: 11 medals. 9 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze.

3rd place. .

Overall result: 12 medals. 9 gold, 3 silver.

2. .

Overall result: 18 medals. 9 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze.

1. .

Overall result: 26 medals. 22 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze.