Fourfold Olympic champion in cross-country skiing Nikolay Zimyatov summed up the results of the World Championship that ended in Lahti.

"IT IS NECESSARY TO REGULATE THE TITLE" KING OF SKI "

- Nikolai Semenovich, Ustyugov could become the third “king of skis” (see the heading “from the history of the issue) in Russian history.
- I didn't, it's a shame for Sergei. Unfortunately, this is an unofficial title. Here Kuzin received it at the World Championships, and I at the Olympics in Lake Placid in the 80th. But it would be necessary to legitimize - to award this title for a specific achievement. Crown of some kind could be handed over. Someone should go to FIS with such a proposal. Somehow I can't handle it. And then everyone says: king, king. And the king is without a crown.

- Let's go back to the marathon. Ustyugov and Alexei Chervotkin were in the leading group of about 15 skiers, including four Norwegians. But at the finish line, Canadian Alex Harvey took off and won. Ustyugov yawned jerk of the Canadian?
- I watched the replay, the situation for Sergei at the turn was not bad. I think Harvey realized that he could win: there were 100 meters to the finish line and he went all-in. But I am glad for Ustyugov, I continued our victorious traditions in Lahti. Sergei Savelyev won the gold of the world championship here in 1978, and my career at that championship began. And our girls - Elena Vyalbe and Anfisa Reztsova - performed well here.

Savelyev gave me a photograph from Lahti, hangs at home. The last stage of the relay and our two teams pass the baton on two tracks at once: Nikolay Bazhukov - Savelyev, and I - Evgeny Lukyanov. And all the pursuers were one and a half minutes behind. It was a commercial start, so we played in two teams.

- How do you feel about the mass start?
- Not very good. Mass starts appeared when I was already working as a coach. Another sprint appeared, all these new styles. The sprint began to be dominated by athletes from non-ski countries - Canada, the United States. This has already become a slightly different sport. I understand that these are the requirements of the TV crew. The races are fast and comfortable for viewers. Sprint has existed before, but only in commercial competitions.

- How do you feel about the mass start at classical distances - 30 and 50 km?
- Well, where can you get to from this? The dictates of time. The only thing is that we cannot teach our guys so that they do not lead from the very stratum. The rest of them are attached. How many races have been lost this way. It is necessary to change the tactics - not to step forward immediately, to stay in the head group, but a little behind.

- You, too, had a case when you were in the lead, Gundé Svan sat behind you the entire distance, and walked around the finish line.
- It was at the Sarajevo Olympics in 1984. The last stage of the relay. Swann was young then, he was afraid of me. He sat down behind me and stayed nine kilometers. I slowed down and let him pass, but he does not overtake everything. It was also impossible to slow down too much - then the main group would catch up with us. In general, Swann sat behind me, and on the last kilometer came forward. So I won gold for the Swedes, and we became the second.

"THE LEADERS HAVE BEEN REMOVED, AND WE HAVE BEEN BRILLIANT WITHOUT THEM"

- Are the results of the World Championship encouraging?
- Of course they inspire! I don't know if Elena Valerievna (Vyalbe, Main coach national team and President of the Federation ski racing Russia. - Approx. ed.) plan for this championship, but I think it is overfulfilled. A whole group of leaders was removed from us, and we performed brilliantly without leaders. Proved to the whole world that we are clean and that we have an excellent reserve.

- But all our successes rest on one Ustyugov. A year before the Olympics is it worrisome?
- Well, listen, how was Justyna Kowalczyk in Poland the only leader for many years ?! Talents like Ustyugov are not often born. And it's good that coaching staff managed to maintain an excellent form of Sergei throughout the season. After all, some sacrifice Tru de Ski for the sake of the World Cup. And Sergey performed brilliantly at two main starts. I think Sergei would have won the sprint at the Games in Sochi, if not for the unfortunate fall.

- Who is behind Ustyugov, where is the nearest reserve?
- Alexander Bessmertnykh, Andrey Larkov, Petr Sedov, Alexey Chervotkin - this is the closest reserve. Only the Immortals are older, and the rest are young, they still have to perform and perform. And they are already catching up to the leaders.

- Suspended - Alexander Legkov, Alexey Petukhov, Maxim Vylegzhanin - isn't it a reserve for the Olympics, if everything ends well for them?
- These guys are experienced, they have achieved a lot. It is unlikely that they will add, in contrast to the young. But at the Olympics, of course, if they want to, if they prepare, they can still shoot.

- But while their further career questionable.
- I think the situation will be resolved safely for them. There is no evidence of their guilt. But the question is, who will compensate the children for this suffering? Someone will have to apologize.

FROM THE HISTORY OF THE ISSUE

In 1954, at the World Championships in Falun, Soviet racer Vladimir Kuzin became the first Soviet world champion, winning the 50 and 30 km races. For this, the Swedish king solemnly presented him with a large silver cup, on which was engraved: "To the king of skis from the King of Sweden." In addition to Kuzin, the unofficial title of "ski king" was achieved in different years by Matti Raivio and Mika Myllya (both from Finland), Nikolay Zimyatov (USSR), Gundé Svan (Sweden) and Peter Nortug (Norway).

However, Zimyatov is the only one of the "kings" who managed to win these two distances at Olympic Games ah, the rest have won victories at the world championships, which are held twice as often as the Olympics.

Sport has long been a part of life modern man... Passions simmering around major world events in this area do not leave indifferent even an outside observer. Each sport has its own outstanding personalities - Olympic champions, athletes who personify it. Ask a football fan a question: "Who is the king of football?" In most cases, you will hear the answer: "Pele". In hockey, such an informal title was awarded to the great in basketball - Michael Jordan. If you take that, at the mention of biathlon, the current Norwegian athlete, Ole Einar Bjørndalen, appears in memory. It's nice that our athletes, Olympic champions, are also highly valued. Who left their mark on world history? "The King of Skis" - this is how our athlete Nikolai Zimyatov was named after the phenomenal success at the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid. The guy from the Moscow region at that time was only 24 years old.

Childhood

The post-war years left their mark on the life of adolescents in our country. The main hobby of most of the boys of that time was sports. There was practically no classical division into specific specializations. In the summer, it was football or volleyball. V winter time years, the same teenagers took clubs in their hands or got up on skis and skates.

Nikolay Zimyatov, future world star skiing, was a typical child of that time. Nikolai Semenovich Zimyatov was born in the Moscow region on June 28, 1955. Nikolai's native village - Rumyantsevo - was located in the Istra district. The Zimyatovs were an ordinary family of that time. Dad, Semyon Mikhailovich, devoted his whole life to one profession. The rare and original work of a glass blower did not bring huge income, but was truly loved by Zimyatov Sr. Nikolai's mother, Anna Petrovna, is also a person of the same profession. After graduating from the pedagogical institute, the woman began working as a primary school teacher and spent her whole life in this field. Nikolai was the youngest child of three children in the Zimyatov family.

Parents saw a musician in Nikolay. Already in childhood, he was enrolled in a music school, choosing to play the button accordion. For half a year, Nikolai diligently attended classes in a music circle, then the teenager's enthusiasm began to fade, there were absenteeism. At the family council, it was decided that Nikolai would no longer attend music school. As time later showed, the family decision was correct.

Skiing

After an unsuccessful epic with music school, Nikolai began to live the life of an ordinary teenager: in the summer - disappearing on the football field, in the winter - playing hockey and skiing for pleasure. Fortunately, Nikolai Zimyatov met on his life path a coach who helped the guy decide on an occupation for life. Once, when the district skiing competitions were held, A. Kholostov drew attention to Nikolai, who plays for the team of his school, ski coach Novo-Petrovsk sports school. It was he who suggested that the teenager take skiing seriously, attending his training sessions. Initially, the parents were against the choice of their son. Frightened by the fact that the Novo-Petrovsk sports school was located 5 kilometers from his native Rumyantsev. But after a personal conversation with the coach, Nikolai's parents allowed him to study with A. Kholostov.

First successes

What attracted the attention of the coach to an ordinary schoolchild? According to Kholostov, Nikolai Zimyatov in childhood did not differ in any phenomenal natural data. But the fighting character, the ability to get together at the right moment, show all your best qualities here and now, they favorably distinguished the novice athlete from other teammates.

The first sporting success came to the young man at the level of school performances for his sports school. There were prizes and victories in personal races at regional competitions, successful performances in relay races. And now, at the age of seventeen, Nikolai Zimyatov was recruited into the DSO of the Moscow Region to compete in the personal-team championship of the USSR, held in Syktyvkar. Nikolai's debut took place at a 15-kilometer run, in which he took third place. The next year, when the cross-country skiing competitions of the same rank were held, Zimyatov finished first in the 20-kilometer race. And really loudly Nikolai loudly declared himself in 1975. Acting as a junior, Nikolay was the third at the 15-kilometer distance, the second at the 20-kilometer race, and as part of the relay team he became the USSR champion among juniors. It was clear to everyone - a new star was shining on the ski horizon.

International starts

Successes on the inside sports arena did not go unnoticed by the coaches of the USSR national skiing team. On the eve of the eighth world cross-country skiing championship in Finland, Nikolai Zimyatov is invited to the junior team Soviet Union... The debut championship brought Nikolai silver success in the 15 km race. In the rest of the races of this championship, Zimyatov was close to climbing the podium, but the circumstances were against him.

Career in adult sports

Since 1977, Nikolai Zimyatov has been a skier who began competing in the senior competition. The first big success in serious sports was the 30-kilometer distance, earned at the USSR championship. The next all-Union cross-country skiing race was special. It was the 50th jubilee national championship. Nikolay Zimyatov becomes the real triumph of the jubilee national championship. He has 2 gold medals to his credit: in the individual race for 30 kilometers and a victory as part of his team in the relay race. By this time, the coaches of the USSR national team were seriously considering Nikolai's candidacy as the main member of the team.

USSR national team

After regular victories in the domestic arena, they expected the next step from Nikolai - he had to loudly declare himself in ski world and outside the Soviet Union. The chance presented itself in 1978 at the World Championships in the Finnish city of Lahti. In the first race of the championship at a 30-kilometer distance, Zimyatov was not considered as the main favorite. Rather, it was a chance to try yourself in the fight against the strongest skiers on the planet. However, Nikolai was not taken aback and won a silver medal in a bitter struggle. His advantage over the bronze medalist, Polish skier Josef Lushchek, was only 4 seconds.

Successfully held world championship, stable performances at high level in subsequent starts made Nikolai Zimyatov the main candidate for participation in the 1980 Winter Olympics.

in Lake Placid

And now the time has come for the main starts of the four-year period, the Winter Olympic Games in the American Lake Placid. The first in the program were cross-country skiing (men) for 30 kilometers in a classic style. Strong Scandinavian skiers were traditionally named as the main favorites. Our fans expected a lot from Soviet athletes: Nikolai Zimyatov, Vasily Rochev, Evgeny Belyaev. The draw for starting numbers was favorable to Zimyatov. He got the 56th starting number out of 57 athletes taking part in this race. This starting position gave a certain advantage to our athlete. During the passage of the distance, Nikolay could, with the help of our coaches, focus on the time of his rivals. For a long time, the leader of the race was Nikolai's teammate Vasily Rochev. But already from the 10th kilometer Zimyatov came out on top and further only increased the gap. In the final protocol, Zimyatov's advantage over the runner-up Rochev was 32 seconds. This is how the first was earned olympic gold Nikolai Zimyatov. And that was just the beginning.

The next test was a 4 x 10 km relay race. At the starting stage, Rochev brought our team to the first place. At subsequent stages, the USSR national team retained its leadership, but it was clear to everyone that the fourth stage would decide the fate of the Olympic gold. The strongest skiers of their national teams were gathered at the finishing stage. But the pace set by Nikolai Semenovich Zimyatov was beyond the strength of the rest of the teams. With every kilometer passed, Nikolay's advantage over his rivals only grew. As a result, the gap between our team and the Norwegian team, which finished in second place, was 1 minute 42 seconds. A phenomenal indicator for a competition of this rank.

Zimyatov's third Olympic gold

On the last day of the Olympics, the most prestigious and difficult cross-country skiing race for men took place. Peculiar ski marathon- running 50 kilometers. The whole world was looking forward to the duel between Nikolai Zimyatov and the Finnish star Juhi Mieta. For the Finnish athlete, this was the last chance to win Olympic gold. Both favorites started in the same group. The rivals walked smoothly for the first part of the distance. When the skiers made it to the finish circle, Zimyatov found the strength to pick up the pace and break away from the Finn. As a result, at the finish line, the temporary distance between competitors was simply enormous - about three minutes. Thus, Zimyatov's third Olympic gold was earned.

Life after the Olympics

The triumphant performance did not make Zimyatov a bright star of skiing. "The king of skis" - this is how Zimyatov was called all over the world. A difficult moment in the life of any athlete is to survive the burden of fame that has fallen on his shoulders. Together with his coach, A. Kholostov, Zimyatov for the coming years sets himself the task of successfully performing at the 1984 Olympic Games. To do this, Nikolai misses a number of major international starts, including ski championship the world of 1982. In addition, changes are taking place in Nikolai's personal Life. Zimyatov marries, and Lyubov Zykova, a famous skier, participant in the Olympic Games, becomes his chosen one.

Return to ski Olympus

Rare starts in the international arena lead to the fact that on the eve of the Olympics in Sarajevo, the Soviet skier N. Zimyatov is not among the possible favorites. But the first starts in the pre-Olympic season return Zimyatov to the number of contenders for Olympic medals... Several international starts were won, a victory in the USSR Cup was won, and Nikolai is among the leaders for the Olympic Games.

And on February 10, 1984, a 30-kilometer race was planned - Nikolai's favorite distance. And again the lot favors our athlete - he runs the last of the riders. And already in the middle of the distance, it becomes clear that our athlete will win his fourth Olympic gold. This was followed by the relay race, where, like 4 years ago, everything was decided by the last stage. Unfortunately, in the rivalry with the younger Swede, Nikolay lost 10 seconds. As a result, the Soviet team received a silver medal.

And the second Olympiad in the sports career of Nikolai Zimyatov ended triumphantly for our athlete.

Nikolay Zimyatov: personal life

The marriage of two athletic people turned out to be truly happy. Two children, a girl and a boy, grew up from childhood in an atmosphere of respect for sports. Daughter Catherine, despite skiing as a child, eventually chose volleyball. Having become a professional volleyball player, as a member of the Moscow CSK, she repeatedly won the Russian championship. Son, Dmitry, has been skiing for a long time at a fairly serious level, even played for the Moscow national team in his age category. But in the end, the passion for drawing played a role. After leaving school, he entered the Stroganov Art Academy at the Faculty of Furniture Design.

Coaching career

After the finale sports career Nikolay graduated from the Moscow State Institute physical culture... Nikolai Zimyatov did not manage to finally leave the big sport, and he took up coaching. He began to work with young athletes and gradually came to adult groups. The peak of his coaching career was the year in which he headed the Russian national ski team. The main star, which Zimyatov gave a ticket to big sport, we can safely assume Olympic champion Olga Danilova.

Achievements, sports awards

There are many heroes in the rich history of skiing, but only a few skiers have managed to win more than three Olympic gold medals. These are the Swede Sixten Ernberg, the Norwegian Bjorn Daly and our compatriot Nikolai Zimyatov. For his sporting successes, Nikolai Semenovich Zimyatov was awarded the title "Honored Master of Sports", and for the successes of his students - the honorary title "Honored Coach of Russia". Awarded with the Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, Friendship of Peoples.

Born on June 28, 1955 in the village of Rumyantsevo, Istra District, Moscow Region. Father - Semyon Mikhailovich Zimyatov (born in 1917), a man of a rare profession - a glassblower. Mother - Zimyatova Anna Petrovna (born in 1921), teacher primary grades... Wife - Zykova Lyubov Aleksandrovna (born in 1959), skier. Daughter - Ekaterina (born in 1981). Son - Dmitry (born 1987).

Nikolai was the third and youngest of the children in the Zimyatov family. The future Olympic champion mastered the ski alphabet in Novo-Petrovskaya sports school, located 5 kilometers from the home. His personal trainer A. Kholostov, a true ski enthusiast, became for many years. It was he who examined the inclinations of a great athlete in Kolya and managed to "reconfigure" his student from simple skiing to a serious hobby for them - fortunately, the boy already had a stubborn character and the ability to overcome arising difficulties brought up from childhood. It cannot be said that nature endowed Nikolai with good health, but from birth a unique quality was laid in him - his body in extreme conditions he knew how, as it were, to stir up, to "flare up" at the peak of the load. True, after such stress, he needed a longer rest than others.

The first significant successes came to Nikolai in 1973 at the personal-team championship of the USSR in Syktyvkar, when, speaking for the rural DSO of the Moscow region, he took 3rd place at a 15-kilometer distance. On next year Zimyatov won the 20-kilometer race, and in 1975 distinguished himself as a junior in 3 disciplines: at the 15-kilometer distance he was third, at the 20-kilometer distance - the second, and in the relay he climbed to the highest step of the podium.

The first performances of Nikolai Zimyatov in international competitions also happened in 1975: at the 8th European Junior Championships in Finland in the 15 km race, he won a silver medal. Moving to the category of adults (1977), Zimyatov wins bronze at the USSR Championship in the 30 km race. And at the next, jubilee 50th national championship, Nikolai has already won 2 gold medals - at a distance of 30 kilometers and in the relay. Subsequently (1979-84) he became the champion of the Soviet Union at various distances.

Nikolay Zimyatov made a serious step towards skiing Olympus in 1978 as a member of the USSR national team at the World Championships in Lahti (Finland). At the 30-kilometer distance, he was second.

And now the XIII Winter Olympic Games in 1980 in the American Lake Placid. The skiing program was opened with a 30 km race in a classic style. Nikolay got a good starting number - 56th (57 athletes started in total). From the very first kilometers, the coaches saw that Nikolai was ready to give battle to the main competitors who were walking in front. From the 10th kilometer, he went ahead, ran in his favorite manner - with a wide, as if flying step, managing to listen to the information of the coach on the national team Boris Bystrov.

Finish - Zimyatov's time is 1 hour 27 minutes 2 seconds, and he accepts congratulations on his victory. When Nikolai was told that the second place went to his teammate Vasily Rochev, who showed a result of 1 hour 27 minutes 34 seconds, the joy of the triumphant knew no bounds. When asked by journalists what he was thinking about now, Nikolai Zimyatov replied: "Now it's not a shame to return home!"

Zimyatov achieved another success with his teammates Vasily Rochev, Nikolai Bazhukov and Yevgeny Belyaev in the 4x10 km Olympic relay. As a result, our main rivals - the Norwegians - settled for silver medals, lagging behind the winners by more than 1 minute 40 seconds. So Zimyatov became the owner of the second gold "snowflake".

And 3 days later, with an unprecedented time for races of this level, Nikolay Zimyatov wins the most prestigious race - 50 kilometers, ahead of the Finnish silver medalist Juhu Mieto by almost 3 minutes. Never before have Soviet skiers been the first on marathon distance Winter Olympics!

It is hardly quantifiable how many times in the evening of that victorious day Nikolai Zimyatov was called the "king of skis." And “His Majesty” himself modestly sat on the sidelines and shyly repeated: “Here they are. Well, what kind of king am I to you? .. ”And even upon arrival in Moscow I could not realize that an impressive crowd of people in front of the IL-86 gangway, who had arrived from Montreal, had gathered on the airfield mostly for his sake.

The journalists asked: "Was your success not the result of the use of some special tactics?" To this the three-time Olympic champion replied: “I try to choose the most rational pace. I never start the race with all my might, after the first 2-3 kilometers I ask the coaches to give the time of the main competitors and on the basis of this I choose the tactics. To keep the race on the winning side, you need absolute self-confidence, based on a clear knowledge of the nature and capabilities of the body. "

Soon an important event takes place in Nikolai's life - he creates a family; his chosen one was the famous skier Lyubov Zykova, in the 1970s - a multiple silver and bronze medalist of the European junior championships, later - a participant in the Olympic Games.

After victories in Lake Placid, Nikolai, together with coach A. Kholostov, set themselves preparations for the next Olympics as a "super task", which is why Zimyatov "goes into the shadows" for a while. Unfortunately, Nikolai begins to pursue colds, which also causes the disappearance of his star from both the domestic and international sports horizon for a very long period by sports standards (2-3 years). He misses the next 1982 World Cup. Gradually they cease to associate with him great expectations, and almost the only people who believed in Zimyatov then were himself and his coach.

Zimyatov trains a lot, shows himself well in the selection for the team for the Olympics-84 and goes to Sarajevo. Fate favors Nikolai - at a distance of 30 kilometers, he gets the last, 72nd number. They had a good chance, but they still had to be able to take advantage of it, because another Zimyatov was at the start - a 28-year-old soldier, more mature, matured and, obviously, realizing that he did not have to waste opportunities to rise to the highest step of the Olympic podium.

The Yugoslavian weather turned out to be capricious - it was snowing all night before the race. By the time of the start of the 30-kilometer race, the temperature was minus six, a blizzard was falling - it was quite "Zimyat" weather. Nikolai knew the names of his main competitors very well - they were Alexander Zavyalov, the Swede Gundé Svan and the Finn Aki Karvonen. As a result of a hard fight on the track the best time showed Zimyatov - 1 hour 28 minutes and 56 seconds. The price of this victory can be judged by his words, uttered in response to the journalist's question to the winner, what he feels now: “I’m still all there, on the track ... We will feel something later.”

And then on Olympic stadium the weather was almost ideal for cross-country skiing - frost minus 10-12, firm track, windless, sunny. In such impeccable conditions it was easier to show himself to our rivals, and Swann did it better than others. The UPI agency correspondent wrote then: “The Swede, who prayed to the sport gods for the end of the snow storm, waited in the wings and won gold medal in the 15 km race. " The best of ours then was Nikitin (4th place), and Nikolay Zimyatov finished sixth.

Everyone was looking forward to the 4x10 km relay. Of the 17 starting teams for the third stage, the contenders for gold were determined - the Swedes and the Russians. The race was held in the sharpest struggle. The last, decisive stage was reached by two champions - Zimyatov and Svan. The leaders are alternately one or the other. It was an exciting confrontation between the two titans of skiing. As a result, the young Swede won less than 10 seconds against Nikolai Zimyatov. Authoritative experts then remarked: "If Nikolai had not been running the" tag, "he could have had enough strength to win ..."

The last race of the Olympics - a 50-kilometer marathon - did not go well for Nikolai, as they say. However, even without this, Zimyatov's participation in the 84 Olympic Games deserves admiration.

In the entire history of world skiing, only three athletes managed to become owners of 3 or more gold medals in individual races, one of which was a marathon - the Swede Sixten Jörnberg (champion of the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics), Nikolay Zimyatov (“gold” at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics) and the Norwegian Bjorn Dali (winner of the 1992, 1994 and 1998 Olympics) ... Each of them is rightfully called the "king of skis". And no matter how ironic our compatriot treats his "monarchist" title, we perceive it that way.

Now your victorious principle "Believe in yourself!" Nikolay Zimyatov, as the coach of the national team, instills in his pupils. Every year, in the area of ​​the village of Golovino, which is not far from the homeland of the outstanding athlete, open competitions are held for the prizes of Nikolai Zimyatov.

Nikolai Semenovich Zimyatov - four-time Olympic champion, silver medalist of the Olympic Games, awarded the titles Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1980), Honored Trainer of the USSR. He was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner of Labor (1980), Friendship of Peoples (1984), medals for sports achievements.

Nikolay Zimyatov Career: Skier
Birth: Russia Rumyantsevo, 28.6.1955
Nikolai Zimyatov is a Soviet skier, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, Honored Coach of Russia. Born on June 28, 1955, Nikolai Zimyatov is a four-time Olympic champion, a silver medalist at the 1984 Olympic Games in the relay race, and an eight-time USSR champion. In 1954, Nikolai Zimyatov at the World Championships in Falun became the first Soviet world champion, winning the 50 and 30 km races.

ZIMYATOV Nikolai Semenovich was born on June 28, 1955 in the village. Rumyantsevo. Soviet athlete (skiing), Honored Master of Sports (1980). Four-time Olympic champion. Silver medalist of the 84 Olympics as part of the USSR national team in the 4x10 km relay. Silver medalist of the World Championship in Lahti (1978). Champion of the USSR (197884) in races at various distances.

Nikolay Zimyatov, a 24-year-old athlete from the Moscow region, started on the Olympic track for the first time. However, exactly he was named in Lake Placid "the king of ski". None of the male Olympians in the past managed to get 3 gold medals in cross-country skiing at one games, and Zimyatov became the champion in the 30 and 50 km races, and also in the 4x10 km relay. Not once in the last quarter of a century did the winner of the 50 km Olympic race achieve such a lead over the closest competitor: Zimyatov was ahead of the Finn Juhani Mieto, who took 2nd place, by almost 3 minutes.

In 1978 Nikolay became the silver medalist of the World Championship in the Finnish city of Lahti. At the XIII Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, Nikolai arrived as the second number of the national team. He was a debutant in sports world he was almost not known, due to the fact that the medal in Lahti was regarded as an accident.

But now it's time to race for 30 km. Nikolay Zimyatov started in the fourth - the strongest group of skiers. After the 10th kilometer, Nikolai became the leader and did not let anyone go ahead until the finish line.

He won the second gold medal as part of the USSR national team in the 4x10 km relay. There was a marathon ahead. At this distance, Soviet athletes have not yet won the Olympics. It was also necessary to take into account that for the Finn Juha Mieto the marathon was seen last chance win an Olympic gold medal.

Zimyatov started at number forty-one, Mieto at number thirty-eight.

He caught up with Mieto on the third lap of the marathon and, sliding alongside, along a parallel track, exhaled dully in German and Russian: Lump! Come with me! Huge bearded Finn ski poles in whose hands they seemed like matches, accepted the invitation and sat firmly on Kolya's heels. This, clearly, did not make our coaches happy in the marathon, the real battle begins somewhere after the forty-fifth kilometer, and then anything can happen.

When Kolya and Mieto went the fourth circle (each 12.5 kilometers long), Kholostov understood: Either at the current time, or ... and shouted: Kolya! Get off, get off on the rise! Zimyatov shook his head badly: they say, he understood, and beat Mieto on this rise ten meters ran, pushing very hard with sticks, clean and there was no more than forty kilometers of stubborn race behind him. After that the Finn got up. No, he was still in a hurry, tried to accomplish something, but no longer counted on gold. The gold was ours.

After the victorious race at the Olympics, the coach of Zimyatova Kholostov and the sportsman himself accepted the conclusion to make a bet on the next Olympic Games. For this, it was decided to reduce the load and leave it in the shade for a certain period of time. In the period between the Olympics, he did not win any competitions, and the results he showed were in the second or third ten.

And here is a sensation! The first in the Olympic season: Zimyatov, after three years of stubborn silence, wins the fifteen-kilometer distance in Davos! Accident? Literally a few days later in Ramsau, Zimyatov wins the second race for another fifteen.

There was something to be amazed about, something to talk about, something to think about! USSR Cup in Syktyvkar, a distance of 30 kilometers Zimyatov wins. The control competition for the members of the national team wins. A series of starts in the Urals wins ... He rises higher and higher. And now everyone is making noise about the mysterious return of Zimyatov ...

February 10, 1984 in Sarajevo, on the Igman plateau, the day of the thirty-kilometer Olympic race. A gusty wind blew, without stopping for a second, soft snow poured down. Bad weather. However, that was at least a sign, because Zimyatov's ability is known better than others to adapt to the most tricky conditions: to fog, to ice, to rain ...

As in Lake Placid, Zimyatov was one of the last to start. As in Lake Placid, he began serenely, feeling that he could add at any moment. And as the race developed, its advantage grew inevitably: in 10 seconds, in 20, in 30 ...

He showed the best time of 1 hour 28 minutes 56 seconds and became a four-time Olympic champion.

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Nikolay Davydenko

One of the strongest tennis players in the world, best tennis player Russia. During his career, he won eleven tournaments, and became a member of the national team.

Four-time Olympic champion, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, Honored Trainer of the USSR

Born on June 28, 1955 in the village of Rumyantsevo, Istra District, Moscow Region. Father - Semyon Mikhailovich Zimyatov (born in 1917), a man of a rare profession - a glassblower. Mother - Zimyatova Anna Petrovna (born in 1921), primary school teacher. Wife - Zykova Lyubov Aleksandrovna (born in 1959), skier. Daughter - Ekaterina (born in 1981). Son - Dmitry (born 1987).

Nikolai was the third and youngest of the children in the Zimyatov family. The future Olympic champion mastered the ski alphabet at the Novo-Petrovsk sports school, located 5 kilometers from his home. A. Kholostov, a true ski enthusiast, became his personal trainer for many years. It was he who examined the inclinations of a great athlete in Kolya and managed to "reconfigure" his student from simple skiing to a serious hobby for them - fortunately, the boy already had a stubborn character and the ability to overcome arising difficulties brought up from childhood. It cannot be said that nature endowed Nikolai with good health, but from birth a unique quality was laid in him - in extreme conditions, his body seemed to be able to stir up, "flare up" at the peak of the load. True, after such stress, he needed a longer rest than others.
The first significant successes came to Nikolai in 1973 at the personal-team championship of the USSR in Syktyvkar, when, speaking for the rural DSO of the Moscow region, he took 3rd place at a 15-kilometer distance. The next year, Zimyatov won the 20 km race, and in 1975 he distinguished himself as a junior in 3 disciplines: at the 15 km distance he was third, at the 20 km distance - the second, and in the relay he climbed to the highest step of the podium.
The first performances of Nikolai Zimyatov in international competitions also occurred in 1975: at the 8th European Junior Championships in Finland in the 15 km race, he won a silver medal. Moving to the category of adults (1977), Zimyatov wins bronze at the USSR Championship in the 30 km race. And at the next, jubilee 50th national championship, Nikolai has already won 2 gold medals - at a distance of 30 kilometers and in the relay. Subsequently (1979-84) he became the champion of the Soviet Union at various distances.
Nikolay Zimyatov made a serious step towards skiing Olympus in 1978 as a member of the USSR national team at the World Championships in Lahti (Finland). At the 30-kilometer distance, he was second.
And now the XIII Winter Olympic Games in 1980 in the American Lake Placid. The skiing program was opened with a 30 km race in a classic style. Nikolay got a good starting number - 56th (57 athletes started in total). From the very first kilometers, the coaches saw that Nikolai was ready to give battle to the main competitors who were walking in front. From the 10th kilometer, he went ahead, ran in his favorite manner - with a wide, as if flying step, managing to listen to the information of the coach on the national team Boris Bystrov.
Finish - Zimyatov's time is 1 hour 27 minutes 2 seconds, and he accepts congratulations on his victory. When Nikolai was told that the second place went to his teammate Vasily Rochev, who showed a result of 1 hour 27 minutes 34 seconds, the joy of the triumphant knew no bounds. When asked by journalists what he was thinking about now, Nikolai Zimyatov replied: "Now it's not a shame to return home!"
Zimyatov achieved another success with his teammates Vasily Rochev, Nikolai Bazhukov and Yevgeny Belyaev in the 4x10 km Olympic relay. As a result, our main rivals - the Norwegians - settled for silver medals, lagging behind the winners by more than 1 minute 40 seconds. So Zimyatov became the owner of the second gold "snowflake".
And 3 days later, with an unprecedented time for races of this level, Nikolay Zimyatov wins the most prestigious race - 50 kilometers, ahead of the Finnish silver medalist Juhu Mieto by almost 3 minutes. Never before have Soviet skiers become the first in the marathon distance of the Winter Olympics!
It is hardly quantifiable how many times in the evening of that victorious day Nikolai Zimyatov was called the "king of skis." And “His Majesty” himself modestly sat on the sidelines and shyly repeated: “Here they are. Well, what kind of king am I to you? .. ”And even upon arrival in Moscow I could not realize that an impressive crowd of people in front of the IL-86 gangway, who had arrived from Montreal, had gathered on the airfield mostly for his sake.
The journalists asked: "Was your success not the result of the use of some special tactics?" To this the three-time Olympic champion replied: “I try to choose the most rational pace. I never start the race with all my might, after the first 2-3 kilometers I ask the coaches to give the time of the main competitors and on the basis of this I choose the tactics. To keep the race on the winning side, you need absolute self-confidence, based on a clear knowledge of the nature and capabilities of the body. "
Soon an important event takes place in Nikolai's life - he creates a family; his chosen one was the famous skier Lyubov Zykova, in the 1970s - a multiple silver and bronze medalist of the European junior championships, later - a participant in the Olympic Games.
After victories in Lake Placid, Nikolai, together with coach A. Kholostov, set themselves preparations for the next Olympics as a "super task", which is why Zimyatov "goes into the shadows" for a while. Unfortunately, Nikolai begins to pursue colds, which also causes the disappearance of his star from both the domestic and international sports horizons for a very long period by sports standards (2-3 years). He misses the next 1982 World Cup. Gradually, they no longer pin great hopes on him, and almost the only people who believed in Zimyatov at that time were himself and his coach.
Zimyatov trains a lot, shows himself well in the selection for the team for the Olympics-84 and goes to Sarajevo. Fate favors Nikolai - at a distance of 30 kilometers, he gets the last, 72nd number. They had a good chance, but they still had to be able to take advantage of it, because another Zimyatov was at the start - a 28-year-old soldier, more mature, matured and, obviously, realizing that he did not have to waste opportunities to rise to the highest step of the Olympic podium.
The Yugoslavian weather turned out to be capricious - it was snowing all night before the race. By the time of the start of the 30-kilometer race, the temperature was minus six, a blizzard was falling - it was quite "Zimyat" weather. Nikolai knew the names of his main competitors very well - they were Alexander Zavyalov, the Swede Gundé Svan and the Finn Aki Karvonen. As a result of a hard struggle on the track, Zimyatov showed the best time - 1 hour 28 minutes and 56 seconds. The price of this victory can be judged by his words, uttered in response to the journalist's question to the winner, what he feels now: “I’m still all there, on the track ... We will feel something later.”
And then, at the Olympic stadium, the weather was almost ideal for cross-country skiing - frost minus 10-12, solid track, windless, sunny. In such impeccable conditions it was easier to show himself to our rivals, and Swann did it better than others. The UPI correspondent wrote then: "The Swede, who prayed to the sports gods for the end of the snow storm, waited in the wings and won the gold medal in the 15 km race." The best of ours then was Nikitin (4th place), and Nikolay Zimyatov finished sixth.
Everyone was looking forward to the 4x10 km relay. Of the 17 starting teams for the third stage, the contenders for gold were determined - the Swedes and the Russians. The race was held in the sharpest struggle. The last, decisive stage was reached by two champions - Zimyatov and Svan. The leaders are alternately one or the other. It was an exciting confrontation between the two titans of skiing. As a result, the young Swede won less than 10 seconds against Nikolai Zimyatov. Authoritative experts then remarked: "If Nikolai had not been running the" tag, "he could have had enough strength to win ..."
The last race of the Olympics - a 50-kilometer marathon - did not work for Nikolai, as they say. However, even without this, Zimyatov's participation in the 84 Olympic Games deserves admiration.
In the entire history of world skiing, only three athletes managed to win 3 or more gold medals in individual races, one of which was a marathon - these are the Swede Sixten Yernberg (champion of the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics), Nikolai Zimyatov (gold medal at the Olympic 1980 and 1984 games) and Norwegian Bjorn Dali (winner of the 1992, 1994 and 1998 Olympics). Each of them is rightfully called the "king of skis". And no matter how ironic our compatriot treats his "monarchist" title, we perceive it that way.
Now your victorious principle "Believe in yourself!" Nikolay Zimyatov, as the coach of the national team, instills in his pupils. Every year, in the area of ​​the village of Golovino, which is not far from the homeland of the outstanding athlete, open competitions are held for the prizes of Nikolai Zimyatov.
Nikolai Semenovich Zimyatov - four-time Olympic champion, silver medalist of the Olympic Games, awarded the titles Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1980), Honored Trainer of the USSR. He was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner of Labor (1980), Friendship of Peoples (1984), medals for sports achievements.
Lives in Moscow.