Valeriy Brumel
Brumel in California in 1963
Personal information
Birth nameValeriy Nikolayevich Brumel
Born14 April 1942
Razvedki, Amur Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died26 January 2003 (aged 60)
Moscow, Russia
Height185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight79 kg (174 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
EventHigh jump
ClubBurevestnik Moscow
Retired1970
Achievements and titles
Personal best2.28 m (1963)[1]
Medal record
Representing the  Soviet Union
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place1964 Tokyo High jump
Silver medal – second place1960 Rome High jump
European Championships
Gold medal – first place1962 Belgrade High jump
Universiade
Gold medal – first place 1961 Sofia High jump
Gold medal – first place 1963 Porto Alegre High jump

Valeriy Nikolayevich Brumel (Russian: Валерий Николаевич Брумель; 14 April 1942 – 26 January 2003)[2] was a Russian high jumper. The 1964 Olympic champion and multiple world record holder, he is regarded as one of the greatest athletes ever to compete in the high jump. His international career was ended by a motorcycle crash in 1965.[1]

Early life and education

Brumel was born in a far eastern Siberian village to a family of geologists exploring the region.[3] They later moved to Luhansk and taught at a local university.

Athletic career

Brumel took up the high jump at age 12 in Lugansk, coached by P. S. Shtein. Aged 16 he cleared 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) using the then dominant straight-leg straddle technique. He improved his skills under the coaching of V. M. Dyachkov in Moscow. In 1960 he broke the USSR record, 2.17 metres (7 ft 1 in), and was selected to the Olympic team. At the 1960 Summer Olympics, he cleared the same height as the winner Robert Shavlakadze, but made more attempts and thus was awarded a silver medal.[2]

A plaque in Russian on Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, commemorating Brumel's world record of 2.25 m set on 31 August 1961

In 1961–1963 he broke his own world record in the high jump six times, improving it from 2.23 metres (7 ft 4 in) to 2.28 metres (7 ft 6 in).[4] He also won the high jump at the 1961 and 1963 Universiade, 1962 European Championships, the 1964 Summer Olympics and the USSR Championships of 1961–1963.[1][5]

After going undefeated during the 1965 season, Brumel suffered a multiple fracture in his right foot in a motorcycle crash, and faced an amputation. He was operated on successfully by professor Gavriil Ilizarov with a new leg-lengthening procedure using his external fixator. Yet even after 29 surgeries, he could not fully recover. He retired in 1970 after jumping 2.06 metres (6 ft 9 in) at local competitions.[1][5]

Retirement from athletics

In retirement Brumel turned to acting and writing. He starred in the film Sport, Sport, Sport (1970) and wrote the script for Pravo na pryzhok (The right on a jump, 1973). He also wrote numerous novels and plays, including the novel Don't Change Yourself (1979), which was translated into seven languages, and the libretto to Rauf Hajiyev's operetta Golden Caravel (Золотая каравелла).[1][5]

Personal life

Brumel had two brothers, Oleg (1944–2005) and Igor, a Russian politician born in 1952 in Rostov.[6] Brumel was married three times. His first wife, Marina, was a gymnastics instructor.[7] She left him with a son in 1965, when Brumel was recovering from his motorcycle crash. In 1973 Brumel married Yelena Petushkova, an equestrian and 1972 Olympic champion in dressage. The couple divorced 18 months later, citing irreconcilable differences. They had a daughter, Vlada Petushkova, born in 1974, who was raised by her mother.[8] In 1992 Brumel married Svetlana Belousova, who later founded and managed the Valeriy Brumel Fund. They had a son Viktor.[5][9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Valery Brumel". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 Great Russian Encyclopedia (2006), Moscow: Bol'shaya Rossiyskaya Enciklopediya Publisher, vol. 4, p. 243
  3. ↑ "Obituary: Valery Brumel". The Guardian. 6 February 2003.
  4. ↑ "Athletics – World Record progression". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 8 January 2006.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Брумель Валерий Николаевич. Биографическая справка. rsport.ru. 14 May 2012
  6. ↑ Брумель Игорь Николаевич, депутат Совета депутатов Замоскворечья. zamos.ru
  7. ↑ United Press International. 31 October 1963
  8. ↑ Valiev, Boris (3 March 2007) «Конь – на скаку и птица – влет... По чьей вине?». Сопротивляясь страшной болезни, Елена Петушкова до последних дней мечтала вернуться к работе. sovsport.ru
  9. ↑ Geguchadze, Aleksandr (15 June 2007) Высота Валерия Брумеля. rg.ru
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