[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Olympic Committee ] [ Borzov ] [ Facts ] [ Medal Winners ] [ Philately ] [ Related Sites ] [ Results ] [ Stars ] [ Team ] [ Trivia ]

VALERIY BORZOV PRESIDENT NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE OF UKRAINE MULTIPLE OLYMPIC MEDALLIST

        Valeriy Borzov was born on October 20, 1949, in Sambir, Ukraine. He began competing in athletics as a youngster. At first, he specialized in the long jump leaping 6.28m at age 14. Subsequently, at the urging of his coach, he switched to sprinting.

        In 1966, Borzov entered the Kyiv Institute of Physical Education. He completed his undergraduate degree in 1970 and his graduate degree in 1977.

        At the Institute, Borzov's athletic career developed rapidly under the guidance of coach (and assistant professor) Valentyn Petrovsky. Petrovsky believed that Borzov could be developed into an ideal sprinter using scientific training methods. The athletically gifted Borzov, who exhibited strong will power, self-confidence, perseverance and the desire to win, did not disappoint.

        His first major success occurred in 1968 when Borzov won the sprint double at the European Junior Championships. Later that year, he equalled the world indoor record of 6.4 seconds in the 60m dash.

        Borzov won the European 100m outdoor title in 1969. In 1971, he placed first in both the 100m and 200m dashes, the first European athlete to do so.

        On the eve of the 1972 Olympics, Borzov was one of the favourites in the 100m. He had not lost at the distance event since 1970. He was uncertain though of his entry in the 200m as he ran the final of the event only three times the previous year. At the 1972 Olympics, Borzov established himself as the premier sprinter winning gold medals in both the 100m and 200m dashes. He added a silver medal in the 4x100m relay.

        Four years later, at the Montreal Olympics, Borzov placed third in the 100m. After retiring from athletics, Borzov held numerous administrative posts in Ukraine. In 1986, Borzov was named vice-chairman of the Sport Committee of Ukraine (SSR), and in 1989, chairman of the State Committee of Ukraine (SSR) for Youth, Physical Education and Sport.

         He was elected president of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine (NOCU) in December, 1990.

        The next year Valeriy Borzov was named Minister of Youth and Sport in the first government of an independent Ukraine. He was retained as Minister after the change in government in 1994, and was also elected to the International Olympic Committee that year. He is author of the 1978 book The Duel Lasts Only Seconds. Married to gymnast and Olympic medallist Ludmilla Tourischeva, they have one child, a daughter named Tetiana, who is an aspiring athlete.

Valeriy Borzov's Major Athletic Results

Media Watch Ukraine is an advocacy group for balanced, accurate media coverage of Ukrainians.