Vyacheslav Nikolayevich Ivanov
Encyclopedia
Vyacheslav Nikolayevich Ivanov (born July 30, 1938, 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...

) is known to most of the non-Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...

 speaking world as Vyacheslav Ivanov, was one of the most accomplished rowers
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

 of his generation. He rowed for the Soviet Union, and he won the Olympic Gold medals in the single scull at 1956 Melbourne Games
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...

, 1960 Rome Games
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...

 and 1964 Tokyo Games
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...

.

Ivanov was the first man to win the single scull event three times in the Olympics. At the time, only Americans John B. Kelly, Sr.
John B. Kelly, Sr.
John Brendan Kelly, Sr., also known as Jack Kelly, was one of the most accomplished American oarsmen in the history of the sport of rowing. He was a triple Olympic Gold Medal winner, the first to do so in the sport of rowing. He won 126 straight races in the single scull...

 and Paul Costello
Paul Costello
Paul Vincent Costello was an American triple Olympic Gold Medal winner in rowing and he was the first person to win a gold medal in the same event, the double scull , at three consecutive Olympics...

 and Briton Jack Beresford
Jack Beresford
Jack Beresford, CBE, was a British rower who won medals at five Olympic Games in succession, an Olympic record in rowing, which has since been tied by Steven Redgrave.-Early life:...

 had won three Olympic Gold Medals in the sport of rowing (since surpassed by Steven Redgrave and others), but the single scull is generally regard as the premier event in rowing. The only other person to match Ivanov's achievement and win three Gold Medals in the single scull is Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

's Pertti Karppinen
Pertti Karppinen
Pertti Johannes Karppinen is a Finnish rower who is legendary for his three consecutive Olympic Gold medals in Single Sculls in 1976, 1980, and 1984. He also won World Championships in 1979 and 1985. He once held the world record in indoor rowing. Karppinen's style was to row a steady race and...

.

Rowing career

Vyacheslav Ivanov took up the sport of rowing in 1953. By 1955, at the age of 17 years, he won the U.S.S.R. junior championships and finished third in the senior championships and beat defending Olympic single scull champion Yuri Tyukalov
Yuri Tyukalov
Yuri Sergeevich Tyukalov was an Olympic Champion Rower who competed for the USSR. He was born in Leningrad.Tyukalov trained at VSS Trud in Leningrad...

 in the process.

In 1956, Ivanov won his first of his eleven Soviet championship. He went on to take his first European Rowing Championships
European Rowing Championships
The European Rowing Championships is an international Rowing regatta organised by FISA .The first event was held in 1893 and as of 1962 was replaced by the World Rowing Championships, which then became an annual event from 1974...

 in Yugoslavia.

Ivanov won his first gold medal in rowing's single sculls event in 1956 Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...

 as an 18 year old. He was in fourth place at the 1,500 meter mark. With only 500 meters left, he began a devastating sprint, first catching Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

's Teodor Kocerka
Teodor Kocerka
Teodor Kocerka was a Polish rower who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics, in the 1956 Summer Olympics, and in the 1960 Summer Olympics.He was born in Bydgoszcz and died in Warsaw....

, then American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 John B. Kelly, Jr.
John B. Kelly, Jr.
John Brendan Kelly, Jr. , also known as Kell Kelly or Jack Kelly, was an accomplished oarsman, a four-time Olympian, and an Olympic medal winner. He was also the son of triple Olympic gold medal winner John B. Kelly, Sr. In 1947, Kelly was awarded the James E...

 Finally, with 200 meters to go, he blew past fellow teenager Stuart Mackenzie
Stuart MacKenzie
Stuart MacKenzie is an Australian competition rower and Olympic medalist, who also competed for Great Britain at the 1962 World Championships....

 of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 who had led the entire race. Mackenzie had momentarily stopped rowing and according to his account Mackenzie believed that he had won the race. When Mackenzie realized his error, he was unable to regain his form. Ivanov went on to win by a 5½ seconds.

In both 1957, and 1958, as a prelude to the 1960 Summer Olympic Games, Mackenzie, who was now living in England, defeated Ivanov in the Diamond Challenge Sculls at the Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...

 and at the European Rowing Championships
European Rowing Championships
The European Rowing Championships is an international Rowing regatta organised by FISA .The first event was held in 1893 and as of 1962 was replaced by the World Rowing Championships, which then became an annual event from 1974...

.

In 1959 Ivanov won the European Rowing Championships
European Rowing Championships
The European Rowing Championships is an international Rowing regatta organised by FISA .The first event was held in 1893 and as of 1962 was replaced by the World Rowing Championships, which then became an annual event from 1974...

 for a second time. He also set a World best time
Rowing World Records
The Rowing World Records are the fastest times set over the international rowing distance of 2000 m. They are believed to be correct as of November 2011.-On Water Records:...

 of 6:58.8 for a 2000m single scull race -- the first person to break the seven minute barrier.

At the 1960 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...

, Ivanov won a second time, again with a blistering sprint, defeating East Germany's Achim Hill
Achim Hill
Achim Hill is a German rower who competed for the Unified Team of Germany in the 1960 Summer Olympics and in the 1964 Summer Olympics and for East Germany in the 1968 Summer Olympics.He was born in Köpenick....

 by 6¼ seconds to claim his second gold medal. Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

's Teodor Kocerka
Teodor Kocerka
Teodor Kocerka was a Polish rower who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics, in the 1956 Summer Olympics, and in the 1960 Summer Olympics.He was born in Bydgoszcz and died in Warsaw....

 won the bronze medal. Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

's Stuart Mackenzie
Stuart MacKenzie
Stuart MacKenzie is an Australian competition rower and Olympic medalist, who also competed for Great Britain at the 1962 World Championships....

 who had been Ivanov's prime competitor in 1956 withdrew because of illness, spoiling a much anticipated matchup.

In 1962, Ivanov won the first ever World Rowing Championship, again by rowing through the field, and defeating longtime rival Stuart Mackenzie
Stuart MacKenzie
Stuart MacKenzie is an Australian competition rower and Olympic medalist, who also competed for Great Britain at the 1962 World Championships....

, now rowing for Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

, and American newcomer Seymour "Cy" Cromwell who placed third.

Ivanov faced the East German Hill again in the 1964 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...

. This time he trailed Hill by 7 seconds with 500m to go, but finished so powerfully that he closed the gap and moved ahead. Ivanov made such a tremendous effort that he briefly blacked out. He regained awareness fifty meters before the finish line to find himself still in the lead and went on to win by 3.73 seconds.

In 1966, Ivanov tasted defeat, finishing sixth and last in the finals of the World Rowing Championship. In addition to the Olympics, Ivanov won the U.S.S.R. single scull championship 11 straight years (1956-1966) and he won the European Rowing Championships 4 times.

Vyacheslav Ivanov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
The Order of the Red Banner of Labour was an order of the Soviet Union for accomplishments in labour and civil service. It is the labour counterpart of the military Order of the Red Banner. A few institutions and factories, being the pride of Soviet Union, also received the order.-History:The Red...

 (1960) and two Orders of the Badge of Honor
Order of the Badge of Honor
The Order of the Badge of Honour was a civilian award of the Soviet Union.It was instituted on 25 November 1935 and conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding achievements in production, scientific research and social, cultural and other forms of social activity, for promotion of economic,...

 (1957 and 1965).

Olympics

Record at the Summer Olympics
Rowing at the Summer Olympics
Rowing at the Summer Olympics has been part of the competition since the 1900 Summer Olympics. Rowing was on the program at the 1896 Summer Olympics but was cancelled due to bad weather. Only men were allowed to compete until the women's events were introduced at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal...

:
  • 1956 Olympic Games, Gold Medal, Single Scull
  • 1960 Olympic Games, Gold Medal, Single Scull
  • 1964 Olympic Games, Gold Medal, Single Scull

World Rowing Championships

Record at the World Rowing Championships
World Rowing Championships
The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA . It is a week long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the international rowing calendar.The first event was held in Lucerne, Switzerland in 1962...

:
  • 1962 Championships, Gold Medal, Single Scull
  • 1966 Championships, Sixth Place, Single Scull

Henley Royal Regatta

Record at the Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...

:
  • 1957 Diamond Sculls, Second Place (Lost by 4 ft to Stuart Mackenzie)
  • 1958 Diamond Sculls, Second Place (Lost easily to Stuart Mackenzie)

European Rowing Championships

Record at the European Rowing Championships
European Rowing Championships
The European Rowing Championships is an international Rowing regatta organised by FISA .The first event was held in 1893 and as of 1962 was replaced by the World Rowing Championships, which then became an annual event from 1974...

:
  • 1956 European Rowing Championships, First Place (1st), Single Scull
  • 1957 European Rowing Championships, Third Place (3rd), Single Scull
  • 1958 European Rowing Championships, Third Place (3rd), Single Scull
  • 1959 European Rowing Championships, First Place (1st), Single Scull
  • 1961 European Rowing Championships, First Place (1st), Single Scull
  • 1963 European Rowing Championships, Fourth Place (4th), Single Scull
  • 1964 European Rowing Championships, First Place (1st), Single Scull

See also

  • Athletes with Most gold medals in one event at the Olympic Games

External links

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