Vyacheslav Nikolayevich Ivanov (; 30 July 1938 – 5 August 2024) was a Soviet

rower Rowing, often called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars (called blades in the United Kingdom) are attached to the boat using rowlocks, while paddles are ...

, and one of the most accomplished rowers of his generation. He rowed for the Soviet Union, and he won the Olympic gold medals in the single sculls class at the 1956 Melbourne Games, the 1960 Rome Games, and the 1964 Tokyo Games. Ivanov was the first man to win the single sculls event three times in the Olympics. At the time, only Americans Jack Kelly Sr. and Paul Costello and Briton Jack Beresford had won three Olympic gold medals in the sport of rowing (since surpassed by

Steve Redgrave Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave (born 23 March 1962) is a British retired rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships golds ...

and others). The only other person to match Ivanov's achievement and win three gold medals in the single scull is

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Pertti Karppinen Pertti Johannes Karppinen (born 17 February 1953) is a retired Finnish rower noted for his three consecutive Olympic gold medals in single sculls in 1976, 1980 and 1984. Biography Karppinen won the world titles in 1979 and 1985 and once held ...

. His fierce rivalry with Stuart Mackenzie turned in to a lifelong friendship until Mackenzie’s passing, as was documented in Ivanov’s autobiography. In the last few pages of his book, Ivanov wrote the following about Mackenzie when they reunited again at Henley Royal Regatta in 2010: “I looked at Stuart and suddenly realised that this elderly foreigner whom I have not seen for almost 50 years and whom I might never see again, who used to drive me crazy and whom I almost hated once, is actually very dear to me. In some respects, and in his own way, he might be the closest friend I have.”

Rowing career

Ivanov started as a boxer, in 1950. In 1952, he combined boxing with rowing, eventually opting for the latter sport. By 1955, at the age of 17, he won the USSR junior championships and finished third in the senior championships, beating the Olympic single scull champion Yuriy Tyukalov. In 1956, he won his first Soviet and European titles and an Olympic gold medal. At the Olympics he was placing fourth at the 1500 meter mark. With only 500 meters left, he began a devastating sprint, catching

Teodor Kocerka Teodor Kocerka (6 August 1927 – 25 September 1999) was a Polish rower who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics, those of 1956, and those of 1960. He was born in Bydgoszcz in the mid-north of Poland and died in Warsaw. Olympic events compet ...

, Jack Kelly Jr., and then Mackenzie who had been leading the race. At the award ceremony, excited, Ivanov dropped his gold medal into

Lake Wendouree Lake Wendouree () is an artificial lake, artificially created and maintained shallow urban lake located adjacent to the Lake Wendouree, Victoria, suburb of the same name in the city of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. The name Wendouree comes fro ...

, where the race took place. His diving attempts to rescue the medal failed, and the IOC later provided him with a replacement. After the Olympics, Mackenzie consistently defeated Ivanov at the

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a Rowing (sport), rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It diffe ...

and at the

European Rowing Championships The European Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organised by World Rowing (named FISA until 2020) for European rowing nations, plus Israel, which, though not a member of the European federation, is treated as a European n ...

in 1957 and 1958. Disappointed by his losses, Ivanov was considering retirement, but was brought back to shape by his coach Arkady Nikolayev. In 1959 Ivanov regained the European title. He also set a world best time of 6:58.8 for a 2000 m single scull race, becoming the first person to break the seven-minute barrier. At the

1960 Olympics The 1960 Olympics may refer to: *The 1960 Winter Olympics, which were held in Squaw Valley, United States *The 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 19 ...

, Ivanov won again with a blistering sprint, defeating

Achim Hill Achim Hill (1 April 1935 – 4 August 2015) was a German rower who competed for the United Team of Germany in the 1960 Summer Olympics and in the 1964 Summer Olympics and for East Germany in the 1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympic ...

by more than 6 seconds. Mackenzie withdrew because of illness before being rushed into a hospital for a stomach operation. In 1962, Ivanov won the first ever

World Rowing Championship The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It is a week-long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non- Olympic years is the highlight of th ...

, defeating Mackenzie and Seymour Cromwell. At the 1963 European Rowing Championships, he came fourth. Ivanov faced Hill again at the 1964 Olympics. This time he trailed Hill by 7 seconds with 500 m to go, but finished 3.73 seconds ahead owing to his trademark sprint. Ivanov missed the

1965 European Rowing Championships The 1965 European Rowing Championships were rowing championships held on the Wedau regatta course in the West German city of Duisburg. This edition of the European Rowing Championships was held from 20 to 22 August for women, and from 26 to 29 Au ...

due to illness. Ivanov was hoping to compete at the 1968 Olympics, but was left out of the Soviet team in favor of a younger rower ( Viktor Melnikov). Melnikov failed to reach the Olympic final, while Ivanov retired next year. In addition to the Olympics, Ivanov won 11 Soviet single scull titles (1956–1966) and 4 European titles. He was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

(1960) and two Orders of the Badge of Honour (1957 and 1965).

Life after retirement

In 1960, at the peak of his rowing career, Ivanov graduated from a military school, and in 1969 received his master's degree from the Volgograd Institute of Physical Education. After retiring from competitions he served as a

Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...

officer and retired in the rank of captain. He then resumed competing in rowing in the masters category. Ivanov died on 5 August 2024, at the age of 86.

Publications

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ivanov, Vyacheslav 1938 births 2024 deaths Rowers from Moscow Russian male rowers Soviet male rowers Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR Recipients of the Order of the Badge of Honour Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour European Rowing Championships medalists Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union Olympic medalists in rowing Olympic rowers for the Soviet Union Rowers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1964 Summer Olympics World Rowing Championships medalists for the Soviet Union 20th-century Russian sportsmen