Nikolai Andrianov

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Nikolai Yefimovich Andrianov (Template:Langx; 14 October 1952 – 21 March 2011)<ref>London 2012 – Olympic legend Andrianov dies – Yahoo! Eurosport. Uk.eurosport.yahoo.com. Retrieved on 22 March 2011.</ref> was a Soviet and Russian gymnast.

He held the record for men for the most Olympic medals at 15 (7 gold medals, 5 silver medals, 3 bronze medals) until Michael Phelps surpassed him at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Andrianov is the third athlete (male or female) in cumulative Olympic medals after Phelps's 28 and Larisa Latynina's 18. Andrianov won the most medals at the 1976 Summer Olympics with 6 individual medals and one team medal. Within the sport of Men's Artistic Gymnastics, he also holds the men's record for most individual Olympic medals (12) and shares the male record for most individual Olympic gold medals in gymnastics (6) with Boris Shakhlin and Dmitry Bilozerchev (the latter of which only if you count the 1984 Alternate Olympics). In many other rankings among all-time medal winners at the Olympic, World, and European levels, he ranks very high (for example, he is second only to Vitaly Scherbo in total individual medal counts at either the gold level or any level at the combined Olympic and World levels as well as at the combined Olympic, World, and European levels), easily making him one of the most decorated gymnasts of all time.

Early life and Olympic careerEdit

Andrianov entered the Children and Youth Sports School of the Burevestnik sports society in Vladimir at age 11. His first international success came in 1971 at the European Championships in Madrid, where he won two gold medals. Between 1971 and 1980 he won many international gymnastics competitions, including the Olympic Games, world championships and European championships.<ref name=sr/>

Andrianov's first Olympic medal was a gold in the 1972 floor competition. He dominated the 1976 gymnastics competition, winning four golds, including the all-around, two silvers, and a bronze.<ref name=Reuters /> These medals included golds in the floor exercises, rings, and vault, as well as a prized gold in the 1976 all-around. His record of four gymnastic golds at a single games stood until Vitaly Scherbo won six other medals in 1992.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Andrianov took the Olympic Oath for athletes at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. In the gymnastics competition, he won two more golds, two silvers, and a bronze.<ref name=Reuters>Template:Cite news</ref> Andrianov's golds in that Olympics were in the vault and team competition, his silvers were in the all-around and floor exercises, and his bronze medal was in the horizontal bar.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He retired shortly after that year's Olympics.<ref name=Reuters />

Later lifeEdit

Andrianov married another famous Soviet gymnast, two-time Olympic champion Lyubov Burda. Together they worked as children's gymnastics coaches, with Andrianov being the head coach of the Soviet national men's junior team in 1981–1992. In 1990–1992 he also coached the Soviet senior gymnastics team, and in 1990–1993 headed the Soviet and later the Russian Gymnastics Federation.<ref name=sr/>

In 2001, Andrianov was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.^{{{#if:|{{{2}}}|[1]}}} Between 1994 and 2002 he coached the Japan Olympic gymnastics team, on the invitation of his former rival, Mitsuo Tsukahara. Andrianov coached Tsukahara's son, Naoya Tsukahara, and both father and son credit him with raising Naoya's skills and confidence to equip him to compete at the international level.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2002 he became the director of gymnastics at the N.G. Tolkachyov Specialized Children and Youth sports school in Vladimir, where he first began the sport as a youth.<ref name=sr/>

Illness and deathEdit

In his final years, Andrianov developed the degenerative neurological disorder multiple system atrophy and in his final months was unable to move his arms or legs or talk.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Andrianov died on 21 March 2011 at the age of 58,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> in his hometown of Vladimir.<ref name=Yahoo>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Russia's national gymnastic team coach, Alexander Alexandrov, called the death "tragic", but stated that he had been ill for a long time.<ref name=Yahoo />

Achievements (non-Olympic)Edit

Year	Event	AA	Team	FX	PH	RG	VT	PB	HB
1971	European Championships	3rd		3rd	1st	2nd	1st	2nd
1971	USSR Championships						1st
1972	USSR Championships	1st		1st	2nd	2nd	2nd	2nd	1st
1972	USSR Cup	1st
1973	European Championships	2nd		1st		2nd	1st	2nd
	1973 Summer Universiade	1st	1st	1st	1st		1st
	USSR Championships	1st
1974	World Championships	2nd	2nd		2nd	1st	2nd	2nd
	USSR Championships	1st		1st	1st		3rd	1st
	USSR Cup	1st
1975	World Cup	1st		2nd	2nd			1st
	European Championships	1st		1st	2nd		1st	1st	1st
	USSR Championships			1st					1st
1977	World Cup	1st		1st		1st	2nd	1st
1978	World Championships	1st	2nd			1st	2nd	2nd
1978	USSR Cup	3rd
1979	World Championships		1st				2nd
1979	USSR Championships	3rd					3rd

Honours and awardsEdit

ReferencesEdit

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This article contains information from the website http://www.gymnast.ru/, incorporated into the Wikipedia with permission from its author E. V. Avsenev.

External linksEdit

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