Surely not all figure skating enthusiasts know Volkov Sergey Nikolaevich. And this is not surprising, because the athlete was uncommunicative, inconspicuous and too calm, which is not often characteristic of sports people.
His photographs rarely appeared in newspapers and magazines, but in 1974 everyone had to notice the outstanding talent that Volkov Sergey Nikolaevich was endowed with. Therefore, it is worth telling about it that is still unknown to many.
Childhood
Sergey was born in 1949 on April 19 in the capital. This is the first world champion of our country in men's singles.
Sergei at the age of nine did things on the yard rink that many adults could not afford. The boy’s parents decided to release him on the ice at 3.5 years old. Although the acquaintance with Seryozha and his mother’s skating rink happened by accident, they wandered to the local Spartak stadium, where the guys trained, but the love of ice remained for life.
Coach Viktor Kudryavtsev often said that Volkov Sergey Nikolaevich already had such excellent coordination and flexibility at the age of 9 that the boy needed not to be taught, but only developed. The boy was hardworking. And it is not surprising that at the age of 16 he won the first figure skating competitions.
Success and failure
The first success came to the athlete in the youth championship in 1966. After 2 years, he managed to take the 4th step on the podium at the USSR championship.
In 1968, the Olympic Games were held in Grenoble, where Volkov Sergey Nikolaevich, together with Chetverukhin Sergey, became the first Soviet singles from our country. But success was not achieved, Volkov took only 18th place.
In the winter of the same year he took second place in an international tournament called Moscow Skates.
Volkov Sergey Nikolaevich for the first time in his life took the third place of honor at the European Championship in 1969. A year later, he wins a silver medal at the USSR Championship. At the same time, Volkova recognized as one of the strongest loners of the Soviet Union.
1975 World Cup
In 1975, Sergei stood out at the USSR championship, taking an honorable second place, but at the European tournament, unfortunately, the honor passed the athlete, he took only the 4th position. He received a serious leg injury, but despite this he won the world title after completing three triple jumps.
The injury that prevented Volkov was received by him at the prelaunch training. A man injured his knee. For better acclimatization, the Soviet team arrived in Colorado Springs much earlier than the due date, or rather a month. Everyone was sure that Sergei would not be able to roll back his program or even refuse to participate.
But a shock to others was Sergei's application for participation in the championship. Many considered this move to be adventurous, because it is impossible to act with such an injury. But Volkov went to the rink, overcame severe pain and made a splash with his performance. It was a sensational victory for the Soviet skater.
Then all hopes were pinned on Kovalev, who in 1975 won the European title. Yes, in the composition of the rival teams were such athletes who are difficult to compete with in technology and skill. But Sergey succeeded.
Olympic Games
But the Olympic year was not successful for the skater. The injury made itself felt, not allowing Volkov to speak at any preliminary competition. It is worth noting that the athlete began training under the guidance of a new coach - Stanislav Alekseevich Zhuk. But this was not enough. If all the previous figure skating competitions for Volkov were successful, then at the Olympics it was not possible to achieve success.
A prize place could not be obtained at the European Championships. In Munich, at the first Olympic start, Sergei initially managed to rehabilitate himself, but it was difficult to resist Vladimir Kovalev and John Curry. The 1976 Olympics was lost to them.
Naturally, neither Sergey nor colleagues expected such a turn in the sports biography of this talented solitary.
Personal life
Sergei Volkov, a capital skater, found his happiness in 1972. He met the beauty Lyudmila Olekhova, who was his teammate. Colleagues on the ice said that between the two people there was a kind of kinship in terms of attachment to sports. Lyudmila participated in pair skating and achieved some success. Both Sergey and Lyudmila rode, as they say, for the soul, without pursuing selfish goals.
The spouses had a son named Alexander. The boy was born in 1977. Relatives noted the external similarity of father and son. By the way, Alexander continued the career path of his parents, he is also engaged in figure skating.
The famous Soviet skater died in 1990 from an incurable disease called stomach cancer.