Valentyn Grigoryevich Mankin (born August 19, 1938 in Kiev

Kiev

Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....

) is a retired Soviet

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

/Ukrainian

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

 sailor, three times Olympic champion for the USSR team

USSR at the Summer Olympics

The Soviet Union first participated at the Olympic Games in 1952, and competed at the Games on 18 occasions since then. At seven of its nine appearances at the Summer Olympic Games, the team ranked first in the total number of medals won, it was second by this count on the other two...

.

Mankin is Jewish. He trained at VSS Vodnik

Vodnik (sports society)

Vodnik was the All-Union Voluntary Sports Society of Trade Unions of the sea and river transport. Established in 1938, when two VSS, Moryak and Vympel , were combined...

 and scored his first Olympic triumph at the 1968 Summer Olympics

Sailing at the 1968 Summer Olympics

Sailing/Yachting is a Olympic sport starting from the Games of the 1st Olympiad Sailing/Yachting is a Olympic sport starting from the Games of the 1st Olympiad Sailing/Yachting is a Olympic sport starting from the Games of the 1st Olympiad (1896 Olympics in Athens Greece. With the exception of 1904...

 in Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...

, when he dominated his 35 opponents in the Finn class

Finn (dinghy)

The Finn dinghy is the men's single-handed, cat-rigged Olympic class for sailing. It was designed by Swedish canoe designer, Rickard Sarby, in 1949 for the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki...

, finishing first or second in five of the seven races to win the gold medal.

At the 1972 Summer Olympics

1972 Summer Olympics

The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....

 in Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

, Mankin switched classes and teamed with Vitaly Dyrdyra

Vitaly Dyrdyra

Vitaly Dyrdyra is a sailor and Olympic champion for the Soviet Union.He won a gold medal in the Tempest Class at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, together with Valentin Mankin.-References:...

 to win the Tempest class. At the 1976 Summer Olympics

1976 Summer Olympics

The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...

 in Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

 he added a silver with a new partner, Vladyslav Akimenko. At the 1980 Summer Olympics

Sailing at the 1980 Summer Olympics

Sailing/Yachting is a Olympic sport starting from the Games of the 1st Olympiad . With the exception of 1904 and possible 1916 sailing was always a part of the Olympic program....

 in Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

 at the age of 41 years with Aleksandr Muzychenko

Aleksandr Muzychenko

Aleksandr Aleksejevich Muzychenko is a retired Soviet/Russian sailor, Olympic champion for the USSR team.He started to sail in the age of 6, in Omsk, at the river Irtish, He scored his Olympic triumph in star class at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Tallinn, together with Valentyn Mankin.Now...

 and entered the Star class. The contest went down to the final race, but Mankin pulled off the victory and won the Gold Medal.

, Valentyn Mankin remains the only sailor in Olympic history to win gold medals in three different classes. (Finn, Tempest

Tempest (keelboat)

The Tempest is a one design two man high performance keelboat with a trapeze. It was designed by Ian Proctor for the 1965 trials for the new Olympic Keelboat, which it won convincingly....

 and Star

Star (sailboat)

The International Star is a 6.9 m one-design racing keelboat for two people.The boat must weigh at least 671 kg with a maximum total sail area of 26.5 m . It is sloop-rigged, with a mainsail larger in proportional size than any other boat of its length...

).

External links

• Valentyn MANKIN @olympic.org