Sergei Chalibashvili

Sergei Chalibashvili (Georgian: სერგო შალიბაშვილი; Russian: Шалибашвили Сергей; June 22, 1962 – July 16, 1983) was a Georgian competitive diver from the Soviet Union. He earned a silver medal at the European Youth Championship in 1978 in Florence, diving from the 10-meter diving platform.

Sergei Chalibashvili
Sergei Chalibashvili
Personal information
Native nameGeorgian: სერგო შალიბაშვილი; Russian: Шалибашвили Сергей
NationalitySoviet Union
Born(1962-06-22)June 22, 1962
Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
DiedJuly 16, 1983(1983-07-16) (aged 21)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Sport
SportDiving
Event(s)

Death

Chalibashvili died at the age of 21 following an accident during competition at the 1983 Summer Universiade in Edmonton, Alberta, when he hit his head on the platform while attempting a reverse 3½ somersault in the tuck position. He fell into a week-long coma and subsequently died of heart failure, never having regained consciousness.[1][2]

Greg Louganis was a participant in the competition and witnessed the incident. He remembered what had happened as follows:

I had a premonition. I closed my eyes and plugged my ears. I knew something terrible had happened when I felt the tower shake. I heard screaming. I ran to the edge of the platform and saw a lot of blood in the pool. I wanted to jump in after him, but people were yelling, 'Don't touch him! Don't touch him!' I couldn't watch anymore.[3]

Bob Rydze, the U.S. diving coach at the Edmonton games, blamed the tragedy on the athlete's coach, saying that Chalibashvili had been having difficulty with the dive all week in practice. In answer to a journalist's question as to why Rydze did not warn Soviet coaches, he replied that he would have appeared to be interfering in the Soviet coaches' business.[4] According to Olympic diving champion Elena Vaytsekhovskaya, Chalibashvili went to the Universiade without a coach.[5] According to reports, Chalibashvili's coach was his mother, Thais Muntean, who worked at the department of water sports at the Georgian State Institute of Physical Education (now dissolved and converted into a chair at the State University). She was absent from the competition. Subsequently, she grieved the loss of her only son and gave praise for the care given to him in an Edmonton hospital.

A few years later a similar dive killed Nathan Meade (1966 – 1987), an Australian athlete in training.[6][7][8] Greg Louganis earned a gold medal with the same dive at the 1988 Summer Olympics.[9] At the University of Calgary, there was a memorial scholarship named after Chalibashvili for members of the university's swim team.[10]

Chalibashvili is the only water sports athlete known to have died as a direct result of a mishap during training or competition at an international multi-sport event such as the World University Games, Olympic Games or Commonwealth Games.

See also

References
  1. Burnton, Simon (March 28, 2012). "50 stunning Olympic moments No20: Greg Louganis's perfect dive 1988". The Guardian. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  2. "Milestones: Jul. 25, 1983". Time. July 25, 1983. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  3. Fimrite, Ron (August 2, 1996). "SI Flashback: The greatest diver proved his mettle". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  4. Kirshenbaum, Jerry, ed. (July 25, 1983). "Scorecard". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014.
  5. Lysenkov, Paul (March 1, 2008). Прыжки в воду. Олимпийская чемпионка Елена Вайцеховская: Слезть с вышки без прыжка — это позор [Jumping into the water. Olympic champion Elena Vaytsekhovskaya: get off the tower without the jump - it's a shame]. Советский спорт (en: Soviet Sport) (in Russian). No. 31 (17466). Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  6. Janofsky, Michael (October 25, 1987). "Notebook; COSTLY INJURY IN GYMNASTICS". The New York Times. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  7. ""2:1" и "варварские способы подготовки" Алексея Евангулова" ["2:1" and "barbaric methods of preparation", Alexei Evangulova: Interview with the head coach of Russian Diving]. NTV + Sport (in Russian). March 27, 2008. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  8. "Nathan Meade Memorial Scholarship". Australian Sports Commission. 2011. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  9. Wallechinsky, David; Loucky, Jaime (2012). The Complete Book of the Olympics 2012 Edition. London: Aurum Press. pp. 600–601. ISBN 978-1-84513-695-6.
  10. "University of Calgary: Calendar: Awards: Athletic Awards". The University of Calgary. May 8, 2005. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
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