Vyacheslav Ivanov (rower)

Vyacheslav Ivanov

Vyacheslav Ivanov in 1964
Personal information
Born	(1938-07-30) 30 July 1938 (age 78) Moscow, Russia
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	85 kg (187 lb)
Sport
Sport	Rowing
Club	Krasnoye Znamya/CSKA, Moscow
Medal record Men's rowing Representing  Soviet Union Olympic Games 1956 Melbourne Single sculls 1960 Rome Single sculls 1964 Tokyo Single sculls World Championships 1962 Lucerne Single sculls European Championships 1956 Bled Single sculls 1959 Macon Single sculls 1961 Prague Single sculls 1964 Bosbaan Single sculls 1967 Vichy Single sculls 1957 Duisburg Single sculls 1958 Poznan Single sculls Diamond Challenge Sculls 1957 Henley-on-Thames Single sculls 1958 Henley-on-Thames Single sculls Gold Cup Challenge 1956 Philadelphia Single sculls 1958 Philadelphia Single sculls 1960 Philadelphia Single sculls 1962 Philadelphia Single sculls

Vyacheslav Nikolayevich Ivanov (Russian: Вячеслав Николаевич Иванов; born 30 July 1938) is a former rower, and one of the most accomplished rowers of his generation. He rowed for the Soviet Union, and he won the Olympic gold medals in the single sculls class at the 1956 Melbourne Games, the 1960 Rome Games and the 1964 Tokyo Games.

Ivanov was the first man to win the single sculls event three times in the Olympics. At the time, only Americans John B. Kelly Sr. and Paul Costello and Briton Jack Beresford had won three Olympic gold medals in the sport of rowing (since surpassed by Steve Redgrave and others). The only other person to match Ivanov's achievement and win three gold medals in the single scull is Finland's Pertti Karppinen.

Ivanov took up the sport of rowing in 1953. By 1955, at the age of 17, he won the USSR junior championships and finished third in the senior championships, beating defending Olympic single scull champion Yury Tyukalov in the process.

In 1956, Ivanov won the first of his eleven Soviet championship. He went on to take his first European Rowing Championships in Yugoslavia.

Ivanov won his first gold medal in rowing's single sculls event in 1956 Olympics as an 18-year-old. He was in fourth place at the 1500 meter mark. With only 500 meters left, he began a devastating sprint, first catching Poland's Teodor Kocerka, then American John B. Kelly Jr.. Finally, with 200 meters to go, he blew past fellow teenager Stuart Mackenzie of Australia who had led the entire race. Mackenzie had momentarily stopped rowing and according to his account Mackenzie believed that he had won the race. When Mackenzie realized his error, he was unable to regain his form. Ivanov went on to win by a 5½ seconds. At the award ceremony, excited, Ivanov dropped his gold medal into Lake Wendouree, where the race took place. His diving attempts to rescue he medal were fruitless, and the IOC later provided him with a replacement.