Valeriy Brumel
Encyclopedia
Valeriy Nikolayevich Brumel , 14 April 1942 – 26 January 2003) was a Soviet
Olympic athlete. The 1964 Olympic champion in the Men's High Jump, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes ever to compete in the High Jump
, second only to current world record holder Javier Sotomayor
of Cuba. Brumel set records in the early 1960s while falling over 7 feet into a sawdust pit, and often while jumping off hard dirt. If given a modern synthetic rubber jumping surface and an (elevated) foam rubber landing pad, Brumel could probably have jumped several inches higher. His jumping career was up-ended by a motorcycle accident in 1965.
, using the (then, dominate) straight-leg straddle technique
. From the age of 17, he improved his skills under the coaching of V. M. Dyachkov in Moscow. In 1960 he broke the USSR record, 2.17 metres (7.1 ft), and made the Olympic Team. At the 1960 Summer Olympics
, he scored the same result as the winner Robert Shavlakadze
but made more attempts and won the silver (2nd place). He broke the world record for the high jump
six times from 1961 to 1963, from 2.23 metres (7.3 ft) to 2.28 metres (7.5 ft). He won gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics
.
After going undefeated during the 1965 season, Brumel injured his right leg in a motorcycle accident. Even after undergoing 29 operations, he could never get his career back on track, though he jumped 2.06 metres (6.8 ft) in 1970.
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....
Olympic athlete. The 1964 Olympic champion in the Men's High Jump, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes ever to compete in the High Jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
, second only to current world record holder Javier Sotomayor
Javier Sotomayor
Javier Sotomayor Sanabria is a Cuban former track and field athlete who specialized in the high jump and is the current world record holder. The 1992 Olympic champion, he was the dominant high jumper of the 1990s; he is the only person ever to have cleared 8 feet . He is widely regarded as the...
of Cuba. Brumel set records in the early 1960s while falling over 7 feet into a sawdust pit, and often while jumping off hard dirt. If given a modern synthetic rubber jumping surface and an (elevated) foam rubber landing pad, Brumel could probably have jumped several inches higher. His jumping career was up-ended by a motorcycle accident in 1965.
Biography
Brumel began going in for sports at age 12 in Lugansk, coached by P. S. Shtein. At age 16 he cleared 2 metres (6.6 ft) in the high jumpHigh jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
, using the (then, dominate) straight-leg straddle technique
Straddle technique
The straddle technique was the dominant style in the High Jump before the development of the Fosbury Flop. One version is called the western roll....
. From the age of 17, he improved his skills under the coaching of V. M. Dyachkov in Moscow. In 1960 he broke the USSR record, 2.17 metres (7.1 ft), and made the Olympic Team. At the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
, he scored the same result as the winner Robert Shavlakadze
Robert Shavlakadze
Robert Shavlakadze was a Soviet athlete who competed mainly in the high jump. He trained at Dynamo in Tbilisi.He competed for the USSR in the 1960 Summer Olympics held in Rome, Italy in the high jump where he won the gold medal....
but made more attempts and won the silver (2nd place). He broke the world record for the high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
six times from 1961 to 1963, from 2.23 metres (7.3 ft) to 2.28 metres (7.5 ft). He won gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
.
After going undefeated during the 1965 season, Brumel injured his right leg in a motorcycle accident. Even after undergoing 29 operations, he could never get his career back on track, though he jumped 2.06 metres (6.8 ft) in 1970.
Olympic Games
- Silver medal, XVII Olympic GamesOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(1960) - Gold medal, XVIII Olympic GamesOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
(1964)
Miscellaneous
- Master of Sports of the USSR, 1961
- USSRSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
Champion, 1961 and 1963 - European champion, 1962
- ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year, 1963