Nikolai Zimyatov, Soviet skier: biography, sports awards, coaching

Sport has long been a part of the life of modern man. Passion, boiling around the world's major events in this area, do not leave even the casual observer indifferent. In every sport there are outstanding personalities - Olympic champions, sportsmen who personify it. Ask a football fan: "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 Wayne Gretzky, in basketball - Michael Jordan. If you take cyclical sports, then when you mention biathlon in memory, the now-existing Norwegian sportsman Ule-Einar Bjørndalen appears. It's nice that our athletes, the Olympic champions, are also highly valued. Who left his mark on world history? "King of skis," - that's how our athlete Nikolai Zimyatov was named after phenomenal success at the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid. A guy from the Moscow region at the time was only 24 years old.

Childhood

Postwar years have left their imprint on the lives 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. In the winter season, the same teens took up sticks or climbed skis and skates.

Nikolay Zimyatov, the future world star of skiing, was a typical child of that time. Nikolai Semenovich Zimyatov was born in the Moscow region on June 28, 1955. The native village of Nicholas - Rumyantsevo - was in the Istra district. Zimyatovs were the usual family of that time. Dad, Semyon Mikhailovich, gave his whole life to one profession. The rare and original work of the glassblower did not bring huge incomes, but was truly loved by Zimyatov-senior. Mykola's mother, Anna Petrovna, is also a man of one profession. At the end of the pedagogical institute, the woman began to work as a teacher of elementary grades and spent all her life in this field. Nikolay was the youngest child of three children in the family of Zimyatov.

My parents saw Nikolai as a musician. Already in his childhood he was enrolled in a music school, choosing a game on the accordion. Six months Nikolay diligently attended classes in the music circle, then the enthusiasm of the teenager began to fade, there were absences of classes. At the family council, it was decided that Nikolai would not attend more music school. As later time showed, the family decision was right.

Skiing

After an unsuccessful epic with a music school, Nikolai healed the life of an ordinary teenager: in the summer - disappearing on a football field, in the winter - playing hockey and skating for fun on skis. Fortunately, Nikolai Zimyatov met on his life's path a coach who helped the guy decide on a job for life. Once, when the regional competitions in cross-country skiing were held, Nikolai, who is in favor of the team of his school, drew attention to A. Kholostov, the ski coach of the Novo-Petrovsky sports school. It was he who invited the teenager to seriously engage in skiing, attending his training. Initially, parents were against choosing their son. Frightened by the fact that the Novo-Petrovskaya sports school was 5 kilometers from his native Rumyantsev. But after a personal conversation with the trainer, Nicholas's parents allowed him to study with A. Holostov.

First successes

What attracted an ordinary student's attention to the coach? According to Kholostov, Nikolai Zimyatov did not differ in his childhood in any phenomenal natural data. But the fighting character, the ability to get together at the right time, to show all their best qualities here and now favorably distinguished the beginning athlete from other teammates.

The first sports successes came to the young man at the level of school performances for his sports school. There were prizes and victories in personal races in regional competitions, successful performances in relay races. And at the age of seventeen, Nikolai Zimyatov was enlisted in the DSO of the Moscow region to perform in the personal-team championship of the USSR, held in Syktyvkar. Nikolay's debut took place on a 15-kilometer run, in which he took third place. The following year, when competitions were held on cross-country ski races of the same rank, Zimyat finished first in the 20-kilometer race. And really loudly Nicholas loudly declared himself in 1975. Acting as a junior, Nicholas was third at the 15-kilometer distance, the second - on the run of 20-kilometer length and as part of the relay team became the USSR champion among juniors. It was clear to everyone - a new star lights up on the ski sky.

International launches

Successes in the domestic sports arena did not go unnoticed by the coaches of the USSR national skiing team. On the eve of the eighth World Ski Championships in Finland, Nikolai Zimyatov is invited to join the junior team of the Soviet Union. The debut championship brought Nicholas silver success in the race for 15 kilometers. In the remaining races of this championship Zimyatov was close to climbing on the podium, but circumstances developed against him.

Career in Adult Sports

Since 1977, Nikolai Zimyatov - skier, who began to perform in the adult classification. The first big success in serious sport is the bronze medal at the 30-kilometer distance earned at the USSR Championship. The next All-Union race in cross-country skiing was special. It was the jubilee, 50th national championship. This triumphant jubilee championship of the country becomes Nikolai Zimyatov. In his active 2 gold medals: in the individual race for 30 kilometers and victory in the composition of his team in the relay race. By this time the candidacy of Nicholas as the main member of the team is seriously considered by the coaches of the USSR team.

USSR national team

After regular victories in the internal arena, Nicholas waited for the next step - he was to loudly announce himself in the ski world and outside the Soviet Union. Chance introduced himself in 1978 at the World Championships in the Finnish city of Lahti. In the first race of the championship at a 30-kilometer distance, Zimyatova was not regarded as the main favorite. Rather, it was a chance to try yourself in the fight against the strongest skiers of the planet. However, Nikolai did not lose his head and won a silver medal in a bitter struggle . His advantage over the bronze medalist, Polish skier Josef Luscheck, was only 4 seconds.

Successfully held World Championship, stable performances at a high level in subsequent competitions made Nikolai Zimyatov the main candidate for participation in the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid

And now it's time for the main start of the four-year, the Winter Olympic Games in the American Lake Placid. The program was the first to ski cross-country (men) for 30 kilometers of classic style. As the main favorites traditionally called the strong Scandinavian skiers. Our fans expected a lot from the Soviet athletes: Nikolai Zimyatov, Vasily Rochev, Yevgeny Belyaev. Drawing start numbers was favorable to Zimyatov. He got the 56th starting number of 57 athletes taking part in this race. This starting position gave a certain advantage to our athlete. During the course of the race, Nicholas could, with the help of our coaches, be guided by 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 in first place and in the future only increased the gap. In the final protocol, Zimyatov's advantage before runner-up Rochov was 32 seconds. That's how the first Olympic gold of Nikolai Zimyatov was earned. And this was only the beginning.

The next test was a relay race 4 to 10 kilometers long. At the starting stage Rochev brought our team to the first place. At subsequent stages, the USSR team retained its leadership, but it was clear to everyone that the fate of Olympic gold will be decided by the fourth stage. At the final stage were collected the strongest skiers of their teams. But the pace that asked Zimyatov Nikolai Semenovich, was not able to the rest of the teams. With each passing kilometer, Nicholas's advantage over his rivals only grew. As a result, the gap of our team from Norway, finishing in second place, was 1 minute 42 seconds. Phenomenal indicator for competitions of this rank.

Third Olympic gold Zimyatova

On the last day of the Olympics, the most prestigious and difficult ski race for men took place. A peculiar ski marathon is running for 50 kilometers. The whole world was eagerly awaiting a 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 one group. The first part of the distance rivals went smoothly. When the skiers reached the finish circle, Zimyatov found the strength to add momentum and break away from the Finn. As a result, at the finish, the time distance between competitors was simply huge - about three minutes. Thus, the third Olympic gold Zimyatova was earned.

Life after the Olympics

The triumphant performance at the Olympic Games made Zimyatov a bright star of skiing. "The king of skis," Zimyatova was called all over the world. A difficult moment in the life of any athlete is to survive the burden of glory that fell on his shoulders. Together with his coach, A. Kholostov, Zimyatov for the next few years sets himself the task of successfully performing at the 1984 Olympic Games. For this, Nicholas misses a number of major international competitions, including the 1982 World Ski Championships. In addition, in the personal Life of Nicholas there are changes. Zimyatov marries, and his chosen one is Lyubov Zykov - a well-known skier, participant of the Olympic Games.

Return to the 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 Zimyatova to the number of contenders for Olympic medals. Several international starts have been won, a victory in the USSR Cup has been won, and Nicholas is among the leaders in the Olympic Games.

And on February 10, 1984, the race for 30 kilometers is planned - the favorite distance of Nikolai. 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. Then followed the relay race, where, like 4 years ago, everything was decided by the last stage. Unfortunately, in competition with a younger Swede, Nicholas gave in 10 seconds. As a result, the Soviet team received a silver medal.

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

Nikolay Zimyatov: personal life

The marriage of two sports people turned out to be really happy. Two children: a girl and a boy - from childhood grew in an atmosphere of respect for sport. Daughter Catherine, despite the employment in childhood as a ski, eventually chose volleyball. Becoming a professional volleyball player, as part of the Moscow CSK has repeatedly been a prize-winner of the Russian championship. Son, Dmitry, for a long time engaged in skiing on a fairly serious level, even played for the Moscow team in its age category. But in the end, the passion for drawing played a role. After graduation, he entered the Stroganov Art Academy at the Faculty of Furniture Design.

Coach career

After the finals of his sports career, Nikolai graduated from the Moscow State Institute of Physical Culture. Finally, to leave the big sport from Nikolai Zimyatov did not work, and he took up coaching. He began to work with young athletes and gradually reached the adult groups. The peak of the coaching career was the 2002 Olympics, at which he headed the Russian national cross-country team. The main star, which Zimyatov gave a ticket to a big sport, you can safely consider the Olympic champion Olga Danilova.

Achievements, sports awards

In the richest history of skiing, many heroes, but only a few skiers managed to win more than three Olympic gold medals. This Swede Sixten Ernberg, Norwegian Bjorn Daly and our compatriot Nikolay Zimyatov. For his sporting success, Nikolai Semyonovich Zimyatov was awarded the title of "Honored Master of Sports", and for the successes of his pupils - the honorary title "Honored Coach of Russia". He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, Friendship of Peoples.