Volkov skater biography

To remember: 75 years ago, on April 19, skater Sergei Volkov was born - the first Soviet world champion in men's single skating! He entered his name in the history of domestic and world figure skating. Unfortunately, he passed away very early - died of a serious illness at 41 years old. Since childhood, he was engaged not only in figure skating, but also with gymnastics, football, shooting.

The grandmother led to the Spartak stadium to the school of figure skating, six -year -old Seryozha. The first coach of the future champion was Petr Petrovich Tikhonov. It was so dangle that he resembled a cat with movements. He had by nature phenomenally elastic knees, ankle. He will push off - and as if he carries him on the ice. It is impossible to develop joints to such an extent with any training, ”said coach Viktor Nikolaevich Kudryavtsev.

For 17 years, Sergey Volkov earned the respectful nickname “maestro” among other skaters, because by this age he managed to perfectly master the technique of sliding and the performance of all school figures on ice. Volkov’s sliding was so filigree that the judges did not hear even the slightest grinding of skates and without hesitation put Sergey in first place. He did everything for conscience.

And if I did a triple Salhov or a triple sheepskin coat, then these were exemplary jumps. By the way, another student of Viktor Kudryavtseva, our first world champion among women, Maria Butyrskaya, was also the same. It is amazing that, despite the passion for figure skating, serious sports, Sergei Volkov did not leave and a long-standing desire to fulfill his other dream-to become a test pilot.

At the age of 16, moreover, two years in a row, secretly from the coach of Viktor Nikolayevich Kudryavtsev, he submitted documents to the reception of the flight school in Rostov-on-Don, but did not go both times due to health reasons. But in figure skating, new horizons opened in front of Volkov. From the wolves more than once became a winner and winner of major competitions.

In the year, he conquers silver of the European Championship in Zagreb. Prior to this, he participated in the seven Old World championships. At the same time, in Zagreb, Volkov spoke with his broken finger, but withstood and showed his best result at that time. In the same year, he won the medal of the same silver dignity at the World Cup in Munich. In the history of world figure skating, the competition of men has long been considered the most honorable victory, where the intensity of the struggle among the world elite reached the highest point.

The World Cup, held in the American Colorado-Springs, was no exception. For Volkov, participation in the World Cup was dramatic. On the eve of the world championship at acclimatization training in the United States in the first training session, he received a serious injury - a rupture of a ligament of the knee joint and practically fails. After spending two weeks in the hospital, Sergey, contrary to the opinion of the doctors, resumed training.

Coach Viktor Kudryavtsev, regardless of the recommendations of doctors, knowing the character of his student, convinced the leadership of the Federation to declare Volkov to start. At first glance, the athlete’s chances of success in injury are minimal, but Sergey took part in the European championships since the year, had good results, and was the top ten.

But in reality, he, like a real man, did not want to give out his excitement in anything. He experienced any events and comprehended one, without prying eyes. I saw that Sergey’s progress was going steadily, so I insisted on a speech. ” The main rival of Volkov, everyone considered the Englishman John Curry, who saved in an acute situation. His coach Carlo Fassi admitted after the triumphal victory of our athlete: “In Colorado-Springs, Volkov fought with full return, using the slightest chance, not forgiving the opponents of any mistake.

In the hall, no one suspected that he had performed his foot injury, overcoming pain. Heroic character. " In Colorado-Springs, Volkov worked so carefully in the obligatory figures that his advantages over the rivals were enough for both a short and arbitrary program, where Sergey did not allow Sergey’s full force. Nevertheless, in an arbitrary program, Volkov purely performed three triple jumps - two sheepskin coats and salhov!

Despite the difficulties, thanks to character and perseverance, Volkov entered his name in the history of figure skating, having won a sensational victory. He became the first Soviet world champion among men! In total, in the collection of his awards - four silver medals of the national championship, and three bronze medals, and after success, Sergey a short period of time, for a year, trained under the leadership of Stanislav Alekseevich Zhuk, but the main victories of the athlete were achieved in cooperation with Viktor Nikolayevich Kudryavtsev ...

“A good coach is a person who owns five professions at once: he is a connoisseur of a connoisseur. Techniques, and psychologist, and choreographer, and doctor, and skating sharpeners. And yet this is a cool job! Among his students were Igor Bobrin, Alexander Abt and others. And yet this is a cool job! His sister, Elena Buryak Volkova, is a judge of the international category in figure skating.The wife Lyudmila Volkova was engaged in pairing and subsequently became a coach.

The son, Alexander Volkov, who has already a summer professional experience behind him, is the head coach at the figure skating school in Novo-Pedelkino. Among the students of Alexander Volkov, the winner and winner of Russian and international tournaments Artem Kovalev. The wife is Martin Dazhe, the champion of Canada, also works at the school of Alexander Volkov by a coach-choreographer.

Their daughters of Alex and Camilla Volkov continue family traditions. Both became skater. Alex is a prize -winner of the Canadian championship among juniors. This is another. I want to not let him down ”“ The most striking events associated with my father pop up from childhood, ”says Alexander Volkov, the son of an outstanding athlete. I went to first grade, and dad came to the school line.

He was a famous person, he was remembered as a champion, a talented skater. Of course, I was very pleased that he and his mother are next to me. And it is very exciting, because I did not so much think about my parents at that moment, but about how I went to school for the first time, it was responsible ... I remember the gifts that my dad gave me. A toy tank that shot with small bullets.

Nobody dreamed about radio -controlled toys in those years, they simply were not there. But for me, my father's tank was an awesome gift! I put the soldiers, built fortresses of cubes, and my dad and I played together, and our tanchik fired somehow dad brought me a car and such a road, with a “dead loop”, along which the cars drove away. I remember that.

A fantastic gift ... Father still loved fishing. As a child, I probably went with him too, but I don’t remember for sure. Later, I fell in love with fishing, most likely the genes affected. I caught crucian carp, then let go. And I still like to catch fish, but I always let go ... By the way, once in the country, a funny case happened that my uncle Andrei Olekhov, also a coach, - my mother’s brother.

He and dad went fishing. Three kilometers went to the forest lake. Dad sat on the shore to monitor the float, and his uncle shot from behind the bushes at the float from the wind pistol. Dad thought it was fish, because the float was twitching. Only then I realized that they had played him. It was fun ... Sometimes my father came to our training. We then rode on Crystal in Luzhniki.

It was very interesting for us guys. And Stanislav Alekseevich Zhuk came. He and dad looked together what we were doing, how we train ... Shortly before the dad’s death, I came to his house. He and his mother no longer lived together, parted. It was 41 to his father, but he looked limp years old, he had difficulty moving. When I asked what was with him, I waved my hand, they say, my leg hurts, problems with the knee have a knee.

He did not tell me that he has cancer. Probably did not want to injure, talk about his illness. I was then 14 years old. I remember I left the apartment, found an automatic phone, put two pennies, then there was so much a bell, and called my mother, said that dad was dying. She did not explain anything, she also did not want to upset me, she tried to somehow reassure.

And I went to the collection. And at this time everything happened.

For me, my father’s death was a complete surprise ... Of course, my father, our family influenced the choice of my future profession, that my life is connected with sports, figure skating. Although after school I had an option to go to the university, or rather, the KGB Academy, because I studied in a mathematical class, and I liked this subject. After the Institute of Physical Education, he worked in the show, then switched to coaching.

And the fact that I remember how my father worked as a coach, what I heard from my mother, from his student Sasha Abta, the father was very calm. I, on the contrary, are explosive. Sometimes I think about it, for example, what my father would do in my situation. And over the years, I changed my attitude to many things.