Valeriy Nikolayevich Brumel (; 14 April 1942 – 26 January 2003) was a Soviet-Russian high jumper. The 1964 Olympic champion and multiple world record holder, he is regarded as one of the greatest athletes ever to compete in the high jump. His international career was ended by a motorcycle crash in 1965. His father was of German descent. They later moved to Luhansk and taught at a local university.

Athletic career

Brumel took up the high jump at age 12 in Lugansk, coached by P. S. Shtein. Aged 16 he cleared using the then dominant straight-leg straddle technique. He improved his skills under the coaching of V. M. Dyachkov in Moscow. In 1960 he broke the USSR record, , and was selected for the Olympic team. At the 1960 Summer Olympics, he cleared the same height as the winner Robert Shavlakadze, but made more attempts and thus was awarded a silver medal. He also won the high jump at the 1961 and 1963 Universiade, 1962 European Championships, the USSR Championships of 1961–1963, and the 1964 Summer Olympics. Brumel was married three times. His first wife, Marina, was a gymnastics instructor. She left him with a son in 1965, when Brumel was recovering from his motorcycle crash. In 1973 Brumel married Yelena Petushkova, an equestrian and 1972 Olympic champion in dressage. The couple divorced 18 months later, citing irreconcilable differences. They had a daughter, Vlada Petushkova, born in 1974, who was raised by her mother. In 1992 Brumel married Svetlana Belousova, who later founded and managed the Valeriy Brumel Fund. They had a son Viktor.

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Valeriy Brumel with wife 1963.jpg|Brumel with his first wife in 1963

Valeriy Brumel 3.jpg|Brumel jumping at a meet

Valeriy Brumel 2.jpg|Brumel after his leg injury

Valeriy Brumel 1968.jpg|Brumel in 1968 and Ilizarov apparatus that restored his crushed leg

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References

  • Valeri Brumel. IMDb
  • High Jump legend Brumel, dies after long illness. IAAF. 26 January 2003. Retrieved on 14 January 2011.
  • IAAF Mourns Loss of Legendary High Jumper. IAAF. 28 January 2003. Retrieved on 14 January 2011.
  • Frank Litsky, Valery Brumel Is Dead at 60; Russian Set High-Jump Marks. NYT 28 January 2003. Retrieved on 26 January 2014.