Viktor Chukarin
Encyclopedia
Viktor Ivanovich Chukarin was the first of the great Soviet gymnasts. He won total of eleven medals including seven gold medals at the 1952
and 1956 Summer Olympics
(including Individual All-Around title in both occasions) and was the All-around World Champion
in 1954. He was the most successful athlete at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
; died August 25, 1984, in Lviv
.
At the age of 19 was awarded the title Master of Sport, but put off training with the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War.
Enrolled in the Lviv Institute of Physical Culture in 1946 at the age of 25, and graduated in 1950.
At the 1952 Summer Olympic Games
in Helsinki
(the first Games to feature a team from the USSR) he won six medals, including the individual all-around by a margin of .7 points (115.7-115.0). Four years later, at the 1956 Summer Olympics
in Melbourne
, at the age of 35, he won 5 medals.
He led the USSR to the victory at the 1954 World Championships
, winning gold in the team all around and the individual all around.
In 1957 along with Larisa Latynina, Chukarin was awarded the first ever Order of Lenin
given to an athlete.
He recounted his sport career in the 1955 book entitled The Road to the Peaks (Put K Vershinam). In 1961, began coaching Armenia
n gymnastics team. In 1963, Chukarin became an assistant professor at the Lviv Institute of Physical Culture.
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
and 1956 Summer 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...
(including Individual All-Around title in both occasions) and was the All-around World Champion
World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The World Artistic Gymnastics Championships are the World Championships for artistic gymnastics. They have been held since 1903.* * First time track and field event fully disappeared from the sport of gymnastics.- All-time medal count :...
in 1954. He was the most successful athlete at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Early start
Born November 9, 1921, in Krasnoarmiys'ke, CrimeaCrimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
; died August 25, 1984, in Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
.
At the age of 19 was awarded the title Master of Sport, but put off training with the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War.
Enrolled in the Lviv Institute of Physical Culture in 1946 at the age of 25, and graduated in 1950.
Champion years
Became the USSR's gymnastic individual all-around champion in 1949, and repeated in 1950, 1951, 1953, and 1955.At the 1952 Summer Olympic Games
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
(the first Games to feature a team from the USSR) he won six medals, including the individual all-around by a margin of .7 points (115.7-115.0). Four years later, at the 1956 Summer 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...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, at the age of 35, he won 5 medals.
He led the USSR to the victory at the 1954 World Championships
1954 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 13th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Rome, the capital of Italy, on June 28 - July 1, 1954.-Medals:- All-around :- Floor exercise :- Pommel horse :- Rings :- Vault :- Parallel bars :- Horizontal bar :...
, winning gold in the team all around and the individual all around.
In 1957 along with Larisa Latynina, Chukarin was awarded the first ever Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
given to an athlete.
He recounted his sport career in the 1955 book entitled The Road to the Peaks (Put K Vershinam). In 1961, began coaching Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n gymnastics team. In 1963, Chukarin became an assistant professor at the Lviv Institute of Physical Culture.