Yuriy Sedykh

Yuriy Georgiyevich Sedykh (Russian: Ю́рий Гео́ргиевич Седы́х, Ukrainian: Юрій Георгійович Сєдих) (11 June 1955 – 14 September 2021) was a track and field athlete who represented the Soviet Union from 1976 to 1991 in the hammer throw. He was a European, World and Olympic Champion, and holds the world record with a throw of 86.74 m in 1986.

Yuriy Sedykh
Personal information
Native nameRussian: Ю́рий Гео́ргиевич Седы́х
Ukrainian: Юрій Георгійович Сєдих
Full nameYuriy Georgiyevich Sedykh
NationalitySoviet Union[1][2]
Born(1955-06-11)11 June 1955[3][4]
Novocherkassk,[5] Rostov Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died14 September 2021(2021-09-14) (aged 66)
Pontoise, France
Years active1976–1995[6]
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[3]
Weight110 kg (243 lb)
Spouse(s)1. Lyudmila Kondratyeva.
2. Natalya Lisovskaya
Sport
Country Soviet Union (1976–1991)
SportAthletics
Event(s)Hammer throw
ClubBurevestnik Kiev
Avangard Kiev
CSKA Moscow[3]
Turned pro1976
Retired1995
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)86.74 m (1986) WR[3]
Medal record
Representing the  Soviet Union
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1976 MontrealHammer
Gold medal – first place 1980 MoscowHammer
Silver medal – second place 1988 SeoulHammer
World Championships
Gold medal – first place1991 TokyoHammer
Silver medal – second place1983 HelsinkiHammer
European Championships
Gold medal – first place1978 PragueHammer
Gold medal – first place1982 AthensHammer
Gold medal – first place1986 StuttgartHammer

Career

Sedykh was born in Novocherkassk, Russia, and grew up in Nikopol, Ukraine.[1] He took up track and field in 1967 under coach Vladimir Ivanovich Volovik.[7] He trained at Burevestnik and later at the Armed Forces sports society in Kyiv, attaining the rank of major in the Soviet Army. From 1972 he was coached by Anatoliy Bondarchuk, who is widely regarded as one of the best hammer coaches in the world. In 1973 he became a member of the USSR National Junior Team.[7]

Competition

Sedykh won gold medals at the 1976 Summer Olympics and 1980 Summer Olympics as well as taking first at the 1986 Goodwill Games. He set a world record of 86.74 m at the 1986 European championships in Stuttgart, where he won his third title in a row. He also came first at the 1991 World Championships. Only Sedykh and Sergey Litvinov have thrown over 86 meters in the history of the sport (Ivan Tsikhan's 86.73 m throw in 2005 was annulled by the IAAF in April 2014 due to doping sanctions[8]).

Sedykh's 1986 world record has been noted for its longevity, and for dating from "a time when track and field was starting to realize the scale of performance-enhancing drug use" (AP).[9] In his 2020 book The Rodchenkov Affair, Russian doping whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov stated that Sedykh was a heavy user of steroids, but Sedykh denied allegations of doping.[10][9]

Coaching

Sedykh coached French hammer throwers, for example Nicolas Figère (80.88 m).

Technique

Unlike many throwers, Sedykh employed three rotations rather than four. He often practised with lighter and heavier hammers. His technique was based on 'pushing' the ball left and letting the hammer turn him.[11]

Personal life

Previously married to Soviet 100 m Olympic champion Lyudmila Kondratyeva, Sedykh subsequently married former Soviet shot-putter and world-record holder Natalya Lisovskaya who won gold in the 1988 Olympics. They had one daughter, Alexia, born in 1993, who came first in the girls' hammer throw at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore. Sedykh and his family moved to Paris, France, where he taught strength and conditioning at higher education level. Sedykh died in France on 14 September 2021 at the age of 66.[9] The urn with the ashes was buried in the Federal Military Memorial Cemetery's Pantheon of Defenders of the Fatherland" in Mytishchi, Russia.[12]

References
  1. World hammer record-holder Yuriy Sedykh dies. Athletics Weekly
  2. "Mag: The untouchable hammer throw record". ESPN.com. 13 June 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  3. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Yury Sedykh". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 24 July 2009.
  4. Khavin, Boris (1979). Всё об олимпийских играх [All About Olympic Games] (in Russian) (2nd ed.). Moscow: Fizkultura i sport. p. 578.
  5. 'Yuriy Sedykh Soviet athlete'. Encyclopedia Britannica, undated. Accessed 21 April 2022
  6. 86.74 is going to stand for a long time. espn.com
  7. E. G. Bogatyrev (1982). Yuriy Sedykh. Heroes of the Olympic Games (in Russian). Moscow: Fizkultura i sport.
  8. "Revision of results following sanctions of Tsikhan and Ostapchuk| News".
  9. "Yuriy Sedykh, hammer world record holder, dies at 66". AP News. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  10. Dr Grigory, Rodchenkov (2020). The Rodchenkov Affair. United Kingdom: WH Allen. pp. 37–39. ISBN 9780753553329.
  11. The Hammer According to Sedykh Throw and Show
  12. (Russian) "the ashes of the athlete Sedykh were buried at the military cemetery in Mytishchi". smotrim.ru 19 Mai 2022

Further reading
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