Vladimir Kuts: biography, date of birth, sports career, award, date and cause of death

Vladimir Kuts - a well-known athlete and Merited Master of Sports of the Soviet Union, the champion, the winner of the Olympic Games and the world's best athlete 1956-1957 period. Consider his biography and achievements.

The Birth and Childhood

Biography of Vladimir Kuts is full of ambiguities. The future famous athlete was born in 1927, February 7, in the village of Aleksino Sumy region. My parents were ordinary workers. Already from childhood, the boy was very persistent. For example, the case when Vladimir set a goal to learn to ski. It was necessary to get to the village Squirrel, where his school five kilometers od native Aleksino. At the same time, the future athlete in childhood did not differ dexterity and agility. Shortstop for the clumsiness even nicknamed him Puchta. Now there are not many information about the childhood of this athlete, but one can say with certainty - even then he was a man of incredible character, strength of spirit and principles. This is indicated by his further life and brilliant victories on the sports field.

The war years

The war caught the young athlete has an eighth-grader, his native village was taken by the Germans and released only in 1943. Vladimir Kuts went to war as a volunteer. Although he was then only sixteen, he faked data attributed to himself two extra years. After training on sniper in 1945 he was sent to the front, but did not have time to do some fighting already. War is over. In the autumn of the same year he was sent to the Baltic Fleet.

Service and the beginning of sports career

Vladimir served in the units of the Coast Guard, mostly on the islands and the coast of the Gulf of Finland. It may seem that such conditions were not suitable for sports, and the harsh northern climate is not condusive to run. So it could be considered by everyone, but not Vladimir Kuts - a man of character and unprecedented willpower. Despite the cold and harsh climate, the future champion literally tortured himself daily workouts. Jogging alone in shorts and a vest at a distance of twenty kilometers become commonplace for him. It is no wonder that this man was able to achieve such success in the future. And in the time of life, as we know from the biography, track and field athlete Vladimir Kuts took his first summit. Being in the rank of sergeant, in May 1948, the athlete has won the competition in the garrison on cross-country. With this victory, he was able to go to the competition in Tallinn, where he took third place. Athlete was then only 22 years old and he needed in his own coach. And the case played a role. In the spring of 1951, it drew the attention of one of the best coaches in the country - Leonid S. Homenkov.

to Champion Way

It Leonid S. Homenkov led Vladimir to the sport, making him a professional athlete. But their fates crossed briefly, since 1922 the young athlete coached Alexander Chikin. It was under his leadership, Vladimir Kuts defended the title of master of sports and won a number of significant victories in various competitions. In winter 1953 the athlete was in Leningrad. Here he met with the coach, to work with which he had for many years, a man who led Vladimir to a variety of sports tops, and which he later considered a close friend. Gregory Nikiforov, then coached the Soviet national team in athletics. It was he who in the same year began to work with the future Olympic champion. Nikiforov quickly realized how unusual and non-standard "writing" in his new ward that Vladimir Kuts - runner entirely new type.

He did not somehow retrain sportsman in his own way. Athletes and coaches bring together technique "run ragged" Vladimir Kuts to a whole new level, and the results are not forced to wait long. In the same year Vladimir won the silver at the International Festival of Youth and Students in Bucharest, as well as for the first time won the title of champion of the USSR. A year later the athlete takes gold at the European Championship. Race in the 5000 meters. Then Vladimir Kuts not just won. He set a world record.

Vladimir Kuts - Olympic champion

In 1956 in Melbourne athlete she won two gold medals - in the race of 5 and 10 kilometers, defeating all his rivals, among whom was a well-known champion of a British athlete Gordon Pirie. Tactics "ragged" Russian athlete running for a long time remained unique. Thus Kuts gained worldwide fame and the title of the best athlete of the world in the years 1956-1957. Vladimir Kuts was not only a first-class athlete, but also a favorite, kind, simple and open person. No wonder the western media reported that for the rapprochement of peoples, he did more than all the diplomats. After these victories athlete needed a year to recover, but in 1957 he received the title of world's best athletes, set a new world record in the race for 5000 meters, which is able to beat only the next generation of athletes.

Health Complications and alcohol

When an athlete has been at the peak of his career, he was diagnosed with the permeability of capillaries and urged to leave the sport. But in spite of health complications, the athlete took another great victory - the competition in Rome October 13, 1957 he set a new world record - 13 minutes and 35 seconds. Another eight years later no one could beat him. Still, the disease gradually prevailed, it was the last great victory of the athlete. Runner Vladimir Kuts not immediately accepted his fate, he went on competitions in Brazil and Tallinn, where he showed, unfortunately, very poor results: the eighth and last place respectively. It was obvious - the days of former glory are gone. Vladimir literally lived their favorite sport, it was the whole world for him. And the fact that the blossoming career when he wanted to reach as many more peaks, when he wanted to bring the state has so many victories, it is necessary to leave the big sports, swiped at his condition, he increasingly took on alcohol.

Of course, Kutz remained in the sport as a coach, but for him the treadmill has been closed permanently. Unbearable pain in the legs, which gradually began to refuse and almost did not respond to treatment, only reinforce the growing athlete addicted to alcohol.

But it should be noted that this is an unhealthy craving for alcohol noticed him even during the first great success. So, in 1956 in Melbourne, alcohol almost caused the death of an athlete who decided to drive a car a friend of the journalist, of course, not entirely sober. Then Kuts lost control and crashed into a pole, having received several wounds. Some media have even dismissed gossip that the athlete was killed. But doctors quickly enough put Vladimir to his feet and returned to the competition, where he brilliantly made, and most fans do not even guess how many wounds under the shirt athlete hide conventional plasters. In 1959, the last performance of the athlete, in which Vladimir Petrovich Kuts won the cross of the Leningrad Military District.

runner Vladimir Kuts Family

About the family life of an athlete not much is known. At the height of his boxing career, he moved to Moscow. There he married journalist Raisa Polyakova. They met when she took the athlete interview. It Raisa in the future to write a book of memoirs of her husband and some articles about him. Family life, alas, did not work happily, and the couple divorced, and Vladimir left alone. Athlete and once tried to arrange his personal life, and his new wife's name was Raisa. But it did not work again. No one person can not be talented in everything and everywhere to keep up. Personal life was a contest in which the great athlete did not have victories and medals.

coaching and the fate of

Athlete left running in his past and became coach of CSKA. During this time he wrote the book "The Story of the race." Vladimir was truly a remarkable man, because in addition to his brilliant career runner, he was able to excel in coaching, preparing many famous athletes champions as the all-Union level, and the world. One of the most gifted students was Vladimir Afonin, who, alas, lost to the Olympic Games in Munich, and it was yet another blow to coach. Another talented apprentice was Sergei Skripka. But all of a protege of Vladimir Kuts lacked the iron will of his master, the incredible thirst for victory obsession, fanaticism, or when a victory - or death. That's what he thought and ran Kuts, and this makes it unique.

I must say that the disciples spoke with warmth about his teacher. They reported that often lived with him, he treated them to a meal homemade, drove in his car, always helped by the Board and generally replaced his father. And although Kutz and was unable to prepare the Olympic champion, but you can not say that he did not achieve success as a coach. Biography athlete Vladimir Kuts suggests that his life was filled with many trials. In 1972, the athlete had a stroke.

In 1973, the athlete had a serious car accident, doctors were not even sure if he would survive. After months of long hospitalization Kutz yet recovered, although, of course, the accident also badly affected his health. Therefore, the former track and field athlete Vladimir Kuts was discharged, and then got a job in a school sports coach. But soon he returned to CSKA.

Champion Death

In August 1975, in the morning, Vladimir Kuts Afonin discovered the corpse, when he came to coach the house to wake him up for the next training session. As shown in the further examination, the former Olympic champion received a loading dose of sleeping pills. It was all RFQ vodka. Until the end and did not know if a great athlete aware that doing when he took a "killer bouquet". Some say with certainty that this was a suicide. Probably, the athlete simply tired of life, from the endless pain, from loneliness, from the fact that there was no longer something to fight for, was not tops, which still could be taken. Although now we did not know the truth.

Athlete buried in Moscow, at the Transfiguration Cemetery.

Vladimir Kuts - Olympic champion, it was like a flash, a spark in the world of both domestic and world sports. His career was swift, dazzling, shining, but so fleeting. Nevertheless, this outstanding man thrust forever inscribed his name in the history of mankind, becoming one of the most famous athletes of all time.

The memory of the athlete

In Moscow, near the metro station "Airport" can be seen athletics arena named after Vladimir Kuts. A monument in the form of an athlete with OUTSTRETCHED hand, which is eager to win, set in his native village athlete, Aleksino in Sumy region. Stadium Trostyantse is the athlete's name. The school Belchanske in Sumy a memorial plaque. And the Olympics in Melbourne in 1956, where the champion was just two gold medals for winning at distances of 5 and 10 kilometers, was named in his honor.

On the day of death Kuts hosted an international athletics tournament in Nice. When the announcer announced to all of the death of the famous runner, the whole stadium stood up to honor his memory, and only then suspended the competition continued.

Vladimir Kuts - Olympic champion in the women's 5 and 10 thousand meters, the European champion in 1954 at a distance of 5000 meters, the champion of the USSR 1953-59 years on the distance 5000 meters in 1953-56 at a distance of 10 thousand meters, in 1957 - in cross-country race at 8000 meters. Vladimir Kuts - world record holder in the women's 3-mile (four times), at 5000 meters (four times) and 10,000 meters (once). Also, the athlete has established 13 union and three Olympic records. In 1956 and 1957. He was named the best athlete in the world. He was awarded the Order of Lenin.

Summarizing, we can say that Vladimir Kuts was an outstanding personality. From early childhood, he has already demonstrated perseverance and unprecedented freedom. In his youth, he went through hard training destructive during his service in the North. But interestingly, already gaining his first victory, the athlete did not know where he was going, and very dimly saw their future. Skiing he worked on a par with a run, no personal workouts he did not have as their manager. He just wanted to run, wanted to do what he likes, and that once led him to an unprecedented success. We now know that he did not get along with their wives, liked to drink, the end of life is not very respected the Soviet regime, but at the same time was a kind, open, strong-willed and strong person. It wrote about him, what he did for the rapprochement of peoples more than the army of diplomats, he was the darling of the people, a hero and a symbol of his generation. Hundreds of victories, many records, both global and domestic, two gold medals at the Olympics and the title of the best athlete of the world's ever entered the 1956-1957 Vladimir Petrovich Kuts in the list of the most famous athletes of the entire planet.