Vyacheslav Ivanov

Vyacheslav Nikolayevich Ivanov (; born 30 July 1938) is a former rower, and one of the most accomplished rowers of his generation. He crewed 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 Jack 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. Rowing career Ivanov started as a boxer, in 1950. In 1952 he combined boxing with rowing, eventually opting for the latter sport. By 1955, at the age of 17, he won the USSR junior championships and finished third in the senior championships, beating the Olympic single scull champion Yuriy Tyukalov. In 1956, he won his first Soviet and European titles and an Olympic gold medal. At the Olympics he was placing fourth at the 1500 meter mark. With only 500 meters left, he began a devastating sprint, catching Teodor Kocerka, Jack Kelly Jr., and then Stuart Mackenzie who had been leading the race. At the award ceremony, excited, Ivanov dropped his gold medal into Lake Wendouree, where the race took place. His diving attempts to rescue the medal failed, and the IOC later provided him with a replacement. After the Olympics Mackenzie consistently defeated Ivanov at the Henley Royal Regatta and at the European Rowing Championships in 1957 and 1958. Disappointed by his losses, Ivanov was considering to retire, but was brought back to shape by his coach Arkady Nikolayev. In 1959 Ivanov regained the European title. He also set a world best time of 6:58.8 for a 2000 m single scull race, becoming the first person to break the seven-minute barrier.