Mykola Viktorovych Avilov (, , born 6 August 1948) is a retired Ukrainian Soviet decathlete who competed at the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Olympics. He won a gold medal in 1972, setting a new world record, a bronze in 1976, and finished fourth in 1968.Mykola Avilov
sports-reference.com He is the only Olympic champion in decathlon from the Soviet Union. Unusually tall for his time Avilov first played basketball, then changed to

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in 1962, and only in 1966 turned to decathlon. He won that event at the 1970 Universiade and finished second in 1973. In 1971 he married Valentyna Kozyr, an Olympic high jumper. Avilov retired in 1980 after finishing fifth at the Soviet Championships. He then coached athletics in

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and the

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. In the 2015 Odesa regional election Avilov was elected into the

Odesa Oblast Odesa Oblast (), also referred to as Odeshchyna (Одещина), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, located along the northern coast of the Black Sea. Its administrative centre is the city of Ode ...

parliament as the first of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc's election ballot.

References

1948 births Living people Ukrainian decathletes Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Olympic athletes for the Soviet Union Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union Olympic bronze medalists for the Soviet Union Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics Soviet decathletes Sportspeople from Odesa Dynamo Sports Club sportspeople Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Local politicians in Ukraine Petro Poroshenko Bloc politicians Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) FISU World University Games gold medalists for the Soviet Union FISU World University Games silver medalists for the Soviet Union Medalists at the 1970 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1973 Summer Universiade Soviet Athletics Championships winners 20th-century Ukrainian sportsmen {{Ukraine-athletics-bio-stub