Born on June 28, 1955 in the village of Rumyantsevo, Istrinsky district, Moscow region. Father - Semyon Mikhailovich Zimyatov (born 1917), a man of a rare profession - glass blower. Mother – Anna Petrovna Zimyatova (born 1921), teacher primary classes. Wife – Lyubov Aleksandrovna Zykova (born 1959), skier. Daughter – Ekaterina (born 1981). Son – Dmitry (born 1987).
Nikolai was the third and youngest of the children in the Zimyatov family. The future Olympic champion mastered the skiing alphabet at the Novo-Petrovsk sports school, located 5 kilometers from his home. His personal trainer A. Kholostov became a true enthusiast for many years skiing. It was he who recognized in Kolya the makings of a great athlete and managed to “reconfigure” his student from simple skiing to a serious passion for them - fortunately, the boy already had a stubborn character and the ability to overcome difficulties that had arisen from childhood. It cannot be said that nature endowed Nikolai with great health, but from birth he was endowed with a unique quality - his body, under extreme conditions, was able to seem to flare up, to “flare up” at the peak of stress. True, after such stress, he needed a longer rest than others.
Nikolai’s first significant successes came in 1973 at the USSR personal and team championship in Syktyvkar, when he, speaking for rural VSOs of the Moscow region, took 3rd place at a 15-kilometer distance. The following year, Zimyatov won the 20-kilometer race, and in 1975 he distinguished himself as a junior in 3 disciplines: at the 15-kilometer distance he was third, at the 20-kilometer distance he was second, and in the relay he rose to the highest step of the podium.
Nikolai Zimyatov’s first performances in international competitions also occurred in 1975: at the 8th European Junior Championships in Finland, he won the 15-kilometer race silver medal. Having entered the adult category (1977), Zimyatov won bronze at the USSR Championship in the 30-kilometer race. And at the next, anniversary 50th national championship, Nikolai already won 2 gold medals - at a distance of 30 kilometers and in the relay. Subsequently (1979-84) he became the champion Soviet Union at various distances.
Nikolai Zimyatov took a serious step towards the ski Olympus in 1978 as a member of the USSR national team at the World Championships in Lahti (Finland). At the 30-kilometer distance he was second.
And here are the XIII Winter Olympic Games in 1980 in Lake Placid, America. program ski competitions opened the 30-kilometer race in classic style. Nikolay got a good starting number - 56th (a total of 57 athletes started). From the very first kilometers, the coaches saw that Nikolai was ready to give battle to the main competitors ahead. From the 10th kilometer, he went ahead, ran in his favorite manner - with wide, as if flying strides, managing to listen to information from national team coach Boris Bystrov.
Finish – Zimyatov’s time is 1 hour 27 minutes 2 seconds, and he accepts congratulations on his victory. When Nikolai was told that second place went to his teammate Vasily Rochev, who showed a result of 1 hour 27 minutes 34 seconds, the joy of the triumphant knew no bounds. When asked by journalists what he was thinking about now, Nikolai Zimyatov replied: “Now it’s not a shame to return home!”
Zimyatov achieved another success with his team colleagues Vasily Rochev, Nikolai Bazhukov and Evgeniy Belyaev in the Olympic 4x10 kilometer relay race. As a result, our main rivals – the Norwegians – were content with silver medals, lagging behind the winners by more than 1 minute 40 seconds. So Zimyatov became the owner of the second golden “snowflake”.
And 3 days later, with a time unprecedented for races of this level, Nikolai Zimyatov wins the most prestigious race - 50 kilometers, beating the silver medalist Finn Juha Mieto by almost 3 minutes. Never before have Soviet skiers become the first marathon distance Winter Olympics!
It is hardly possible to count how many times on the evening of that victorious day Nikolai Zimyatov was called the “king of skis.” And “His Majesty” himself sat modestly on the sidelines and embarrassedly repeated: “Well, things have worked out. Well, what kind of king am I to you?..” And even upon arrival in Moscow, he could not realize that the impressive crowd of people in front of the IL-86 ramp, which arrived from Montreal, had gathered on the airfield mostly for his sake.
Journalists asked: “Was your success a consequence of the use of some special tactics?” To this, the three-time Olympic champion replied: “I try to choose the most rational pace. I never start a race with all my might; after the first 2-3 kilometers I ask the coaches to give the main competitors time and, based on this, I choose my tactics. To keep the race in a winning spirit, you need absolute self-confidence, based on a clear knowledge of the character and capabilities of the body.”
Soon an important event occurs in Nikolai’s life - he starts a family; his chosen one was the famous skier Lyubov Zykova, in the 1970s a repeated silver and bronze medalist at the European junior championships, and later a participant in the Olympic Games.
After victories in Lake Placid, Nikolai, together with coach A. Kholostov, set themselves the preparation for the next Olympics as a “super task,” which is why Zimyatov “goes into the shadows” for a while. Unfortunately, Nikolai is beginning to be plagued by colds, which also causes the disappearance of his star from both the domestic and international sports horizons for a very long period by sports standards (2-3 years). He misses the next World Cup in 1982. Gradually they stop connecting with him high hopes, and perhaps the only people who believed in Zimyatov at that time were himself and his coach.
Zimyatov trains a lot, shows himself well when selecting for the team for the 1984 Olympics and goes to Sarajevo. Fate favors Nikolai - at a distance of 30 kilometers he receives the last, 72nd number. There was a good chance, but they still had to be able to take advantage of it, because another Zimyatov was coming to the starting line - a 28-year-old army man, more mature, mature and, obviously, understanding that he did not have to waste opportunities to rise to the highest step of the Olympic podium.
The Yugoslav weather turned out to be capricious - it snowed all night before the race. By the time the 30-kilometer race started, the temperature was minus six, there was a snowstorm - quite “Zimyatov” weather. Nikolai knew the names of his main competitors very well - they were Alexander Zavyalov, Swede Gunde Svan and Finn Aki Karvonen. As a result of a difficult struggle on the track best time showed Zimyatov - 1 hour 28 minutes and 56 seconds. The cost of this victory can be judged by his words, uttered in response to a journalist’s question to the winner, how he feels now: “I’m still all there, on the ski track... We’ll feel something later.”
And then on olympic stadium The weather was almost ideal for cross-country skiing - frost minus 10-12, hard track, windless, sunny. In such impeccable conditions it was easier to prove ourselves to our rivals, and Swann did it better than anyone else. A UPI correspondent wrote then: “The Swede, who prayed to the sports gods for the end of the snow storm, waited in the wings and won gold medal in a 15 kilometer race." The best of our team back then was Nikitin (4th place), and Nikolai Zimyatov finished sixth.
Everyone was looking forward to the 4x10 kilometer relay. Of the 17 teams that started, the contenders for gold were determined by the third stage - the Swedes and the Russians. The race took place in the most intense competition. Two champions, Zimyatov and Svan, reached the final, decisive stage. They lead alternately - first one, then the other. It was an exciting confrontation between two titans of skiing. As a result, the young Swede still beat Nikolai Zimyatov in less than 10 seconds. Authoritative experts noted then: “If Nikolai had not run tag, he might have had enough strength to win...”
The last race of the Olympics - the 50-kilometer marathon - did not go well for Nikolai, as they say. However, even without this, Zimyatov’s participation in the 84 Olympic Games deserves admiration.
In the entire history of world skiing, only three athletes managed to become owners of 3 or more gold medals in individual races, one of which was the marathon - the Swede Sixten Jornberg (Olympic champion in 1956, 1960 and 1964), Nikolai Zimyatov (gold at the Olympics). Games 1980 and 1984) and Norwegian Bjorn Dali (winner of the 1992, 1994 and 1998 Olympics). Each of them is rightly called the “king of skis.” And no matter how ironically our compatriot treats his “monarchical” title, we perceive it exactly like that.
Nowadays our winning principle is “Believe in yourself!” Nikolai Zimyatov, as the coach of the national team, instills in his students. Every year in the area of the village of Golovino, which is not far from the homeland of the outstanding athlete, open competitions for the prizes of Nikolai Zimyatov.
Nikolai Semenovich Zimyatov - four-time Olympic champion, silver medalist of the Olympic Games, awarded the titles Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1980), Honored Coach of the USSR. Awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1980), Friendship of Peoples (1984), and medals for sporting achievements.
Four-time Olympic champion, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, Honored Coach of the USSR
Born on June 28, 1955 in the village of Rumyantsevo, Istrinsky district, Moscow region. Father - Semyon Mikhailovich Zimyatov (born 1917), a man of a rare profession - glass blower. Mother - Anna Petrovna Zimyatova (born 1921), primary school teacher. Wife – Lyubov Aleksandrovna Zykova (born 1959), skier. Daughter – Ekaterina (born 1981). Son – Dmitry (born 1987).
Nikolai was the third and youngest of the children in the Zimyatov family. The future Olympic champion mastered the skiing alphabet at the Novo-Petrovsk sports school, located 5 kilometers from his home. A. Kholostov, a true skiing enthusiast, became his personal trainer for many years. It was he who recognized in Kolya the makings of a great athlete and managed to “reconfigure” his student from simple skiing to a serious passion for them - fortunately, the boy already had a stubborn character and the ability to overcome difficulties that had arisen from childhood. It cannot be said that nature endowed Nikolai with great health, but from birth he was endowed with a unique quality - his body, under extreme conditions, was able to seem to flare up, to “flare up” at the peak of stress. True, after such stress, he needed a longer rest than others.
Nikolai’s first significant successes came in 1973 at the USSR personal and team championship in Syktyvkar, when he, speaking for rural VSOs of the Moscow region, took 3rd place at a 15-kilometer distance. The following year, Zimyatov won the 20-kilometer race, and in 1975 he distinguished himself as a junior in 3 disciplines: at the 15-kilometer distance he was third, at the 20-kilometer distance he was second, and in the relay he rose to the highest step of the podium.
Nikolai Zimyatov’s first performances in international competitions also occurred in 1975: at the 8th European Junior Championships in Finland, he won a silver medal in the 15-kilometer race. Having entered the adult category (1977), Zimyatov won bronze at the USSR Championship in the 30-kilometer race. And at the next, anniversary 50th national championship, Nikolai already won 2 gold medals - at a distance of 30 kilometers and in the relay. Subsequently (1979-84) he became the champion of the Soviet Union at various distances.
Nikolai Zimyatov took a serious step towards the ski Olympus in 1978 as a member of the USSR national team at the World Championships in Lahti (Finland). At the 30-kilometer distance he was second.
And here are the XIII Winter Olympic Games in 1980 in Lake Placid, America. The program of ski competitions opened with a 30-kilometer race in classical style. Nikolay got a good starting number - 56th (a total of 57 athletes started). From the very first kilometers, the coaches saw that Nikolai was ready to give battle to the main competitors ahead. From the 10th kilometer, he went ahead, ran in his favorite manner - with wide, as if flying strides, managing to listen to information from national team coach Boris Bystrov.
Finish – Zimyatov’s time is 1 hour 27 minutes 2 seconds, and he accepts congratulations on his victory. When Nikolai was told that second place went to his teammate Vasily Rochev, who showed a result of 1 hour 27 minutes 34 seconds, the joy of the triumphant knew no bounds. When asked by journalists what he was thinking about now, Nikolai Zimyatov replied: “Now it’s not a shame to return home!”
Zimyatov achieved another success with his team colleagues Vasily Rochev, Nikolai Bazhukov and Evgeniy Belyaev in the Olympic 4x10 kilometer relay race. As a result, our main rivals – the Norwegians – were content with silver medals, lagging behind the winners by more than 1 minute 40 seconds. So Zimyatov became the owner of the second golden “snowflake”.
And 3 days later, with a time unprecedented for races of this level, Nikolai Zimyatov wins the most prestigious race - 50 kilometers, beating the silver medalist Finn Juha Mieto by almost 3 minutes. Never before have Soviet skiers become first in the marathon distance of the Winter Olympics!
It is hardly possible to count how many times on the evening of that victorious day Nikolai Zimyatov was called the “king of skis.” And “His Majesty” himself sat modestly on the sidelines and embarrassedly repeated: “Well, things have worked out. Well, what kind of king am I to you?..” And even upon arrival in Moscow, he could not realize that the impressive crowd of people in front of the IL-86 ramp, which arrived from Montreal, had gathered on the airfield mostly for his sake.
Journalists asked: “Was your success a consequence of the use of some special tactics?” To this, the three-time Olympic champion replied: “I try to choose the most rational pace. I never start a race with all my might; after the first 2-3 kilometers I ask the coaches to give the main competitors time and, based on this, I choose my tactics. To keep the race in a winning spirit, you need absolute self-confidence, based on a clear knowledge of the character and capabilities of the body.”
Soon an important event occurs in Nikolai’s life - he starts a family; his chosen one was the famous skier Lyubov Zykova, in the 1970s a repeated silver and bronze medalist at the European junior championships, and later a participant in the Olympic Games.
After victories in Lake Placid, Nikolai, together with coach A. Kholostov, set themselves the preparation for the next Olympics as a “super task,” which is why Zimyatov “goes into the shadows” for a while. Unfortunately, Nikolai is beginning to be plagued by colds, which also causes the disappearance of his star from both the domestic and international sports horizons for a very long period by sports standards (2-3 years). He misses the next World Cup in 1982. Gradually, high hopes are no longer pinned on him, and perhaps the only people who believed in Zimyatov at that time were himself and his coach.
Zimyatov trains a lot, shows himself well when selecting for the team for the 1984 Olympics and goes to Sarajevo. Fate favors Nikolai - at a distance of 30 kilometers he receives the last, 72nd number. There was a good chance, but they still had to be able to take advantage of it, because another Zimyatov was coming to the starting line - a 28-year-old army man, more mature, mature and, obviously, understanding that he did not have to waste opportunities to rise to the highest step of the Olympic podium.
The Yugoslav weather turned out to be capricious - it snowed all night before the race. By the time the 30-kilometer race started, the temperature was minus six, there was a snowstorm - quite “Zimyatov” weather. Nikolai knew the names of his main competitors very well - they were Alexander Zavyalov, Swede Gunde Svan and Finn Aki Karvonen. As a result of a difficult struggle on the track, Zimyatov showed the best time - 1 hour 28 minutes and 56 seconds. The cost of this victory can be judged by his words, uttered in response to a journalist’s question to the winner, how he feels now: “I’m still all there, on the ski track... We’ll feel something later.”
And then at the Olympic stadium the weather was almost ideal for cross-country skiing - frost minus 10-12, hard ski track, windless, sunny. In such impeccable conditions it was easier to prove ourselves to our rivals, and Swann did it better than anyone else. A UPI correspondent wrote then: “The Swede, who prayed to the sports gods for the end of the snow storm, waited in the wings and won a gold medal in the 15-kilometer race.” The best of our team back then was Nikitin (4th place), and Nikolai Zimyatov finished sixth.
Everyone was looking forward to the 4x10 kilometer relay. Of the 17 teams that started, the contenders for gold were determined by the third stage - the Swedes and the Russians. The race took place in the most intense competition. Two champions, Zimyatov and Svan, reached the final, decisive stage. They lead alternately - first one, then the other. It was an exciting confrontation between two titans of skiing. As a result, the young Swede still beat Nikolai Zimyatov in less than 10 seconds. Authoritative experts noted then: “If Nikolai had not run tag, he might have had enough strength to win...”
The last race of the Olympics - the 50-kilometer marathon - did not go well for Nikolai, as they say. However, even without this, Zimyatov’s participation in the 84 Olympic Games deserves admiration.
In the entire history of world skiing, only three athletes managed to become owners of 3 or more gold medals in individual races, one of which was the marathon - the Swede Sixten Jornberg (Olympic champion in 1956, 1960 and 1964), Nikolai Zimyatov (gold at the Olympics). Games 1980 and 1984) and Norwegian Bjorn Dali (winner of the 1992, 1994 and 1998 Olympics). Each of them is rightly called the “king of skis.” And no matter how ironically our compatriot treats his “monarchical” title, we perceive it exactly like that.
Nowadays our winning principle is “Believe in yourself!” Nikolai Zimyatov, as the coach of the national team, instills in his students. Every year, in the area of the village of Golovino, not far from the homeland of the outstanding athlete, open competitions are held for the prizes of Nikolai Zimyatov.
Nikolai Semenovich Zimyatov - four-time Olympic champion, silver medalist of the Olympic Games, awarded the titles Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1980), Honored Coach of the USSR. Awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1980), Friendship of Peoples (1984), and medals for sporting achievements.
Lives in Moscow.
Nikolai Zimyatov was born on June 28, 1955. He has been involved in skiing since 1969. He plays for Spartak (Moscow region). In 1979, Zimyatov was the USSR champion at distances of 15 km and 30 km. At the last world championship in Lahti (Finland) he won silver award. In Lake Placid, an athlete from the Moscow region won three top awards at once: he won the 30 km, 50 km races and, together with his comrades, the 4X1 km relay. Honored Master of Sports N. Zimyatov is a student at the Moscow Regional Institute of Physical Education. He is a deputy of the Moscow Regional Council. Lives in Krasnogorsk. Awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
In Lake Placid, Nikolai Zimyatov made a “golden” start in our team: the day after the opening of the White Olympics, he finished with best result at a distance of 30 km. Then there was a relay race that ended in victory for the Soviet athletes, and finally, on the penultimate day of the competition, Zimyatov excelled in the most difficult marathon race. Three gold medals! No skier has ever achieved such success in the entire history of the Winter Olympic Games.
In Lake Placid, Zimyatov became the “king” of skiing. Although outwardly there is nothing royal about him: he is modest, sometimes even shy. In a conversation, he always emphasizes that his victory is the merit of his teammates, his first mentor Alexei Kholostov and, of course, the current coaches. “They taught me to fight to the end, for every split second, and on the Lake Placid ski track I remembered these lessons with a kind word,” says Zimyatov. On the ski track, not a trace of his shyness remains. On the ski track, Zimyatov is a fighter. Powerful, rapid running. Great technique. Self-confidence. Accurate tactical calculation.
The last quality is usually characteristic of experienced craftsmen. But young Zimyatov also possesses it in full. At the World Championships in Lahti, experts were amazed at how skillfully the debutant of the USSR national team distributed his forces over the 30-kilometer distance.
Of course, Zimyatov is naturally gifted. However, it was primarily his work and perseverance that made him a great athlete. Demanding of himself, he is extremely kind and attentive to people, especially children. With his busy studies and training, Nikolai always takes the time to visit his home school and communicate with the kids. How much such meetings mean to them!
“Zimyatov is a real person,” says Finnish skier Juha Mieto. - In Lake Placid, the 50-kilometer race was very difficult for me. But Nikolai encouraged me, and I was his rival. Thanks to him I won a silver medal. If only all teams had guys like the Soviet one...
Nikolai Zimyatov, Olympic champion in cross-country skiing
Hello, “king of skis”!
There were not so many of them - racers to whom rumor and the press awarded the loud title of “king of skis”. Finns Veiko Hakkulinen and Eero Mäntyranta, Swede Sixten Ernberg, our Vyacheslav Vedenin... Who else? It is unlikely that we will be able to add to this list, no matter how much we turn through the pages of history, because we are talking about truly outstanding racers, whose ski career- an example of almost asceticism, an example of incredible perseverance, hard work, and patience.
So can Nikolai Zimyatov remain on this list?!
I remember the evening of February 23rd in Lake Placid. In the afternoon, the last ski race - 50 kilometers - ended with a brilliant victory for Zimyatov. We were sitting in a tiny room No. 103 of block N in Olympic Village. May the coaches forgive us, they drank champagne - the victory was worth it: never before at any of the Olympics has any Soviet skier become first in the marathon. They knocked on the door endlessly. Someone opened it slightly, squeezed through and, realizing that it was no longer possible to penetrate beyond the threshold, smiled and playfully asked:
- Does Nikolai Zimyatov live here? Let me congratulate the three-time Olympic champion...
And every time a cheerful hubbub reigned in the room. Pale, exhausted from racing, with deeply sunken eyes on his emaciated face, Vasily Rochev - Zimyatov’s teammate on the USSR national team and roommate - shouted loudly:
- What kind of Zimyatov is this?! What three-time Olympic champion?! You have to ask the ski king! And pa-a-pra-shu with respect!
The “king” himself at that moment was sitting on a hard bunk in the lower tier, flushed, happy and, rising to accept congratulations, he was comically embarrassed and said:
- Come on... Now we've become attached: king, king... Well, what kind of king am I to you?
Really, what kind of “king” is he?! Zimyatov became a three-time Olympic champion at the age of 24, winning three victories in a row at one Olympics. No one in the history of men's cross-country skiing has managed to win three gold medals at once, especially at such a young age. Let's say that the great Ernberg has four gold medals, but they were won at three Olympics. And the famous Hakkulinen made the same journey to become the winner of three gold medals...
But the point is not only in the number of awards and age, but also in the ease, at least externally, with which they were won. In amazing ease! Truly, I came, I saw, I conquered. And how can we now bow to the other “ski kings” when their heir in just 12 days accomplished what they achieved at the cost of a long time? sports career.
Yes, to really win three minutes over a 50-kilometer distance from your closest rival is a chance recent championships World and Olympic Games unprecedented. Let us remember that in 1968 the Norwegian Ove Ellevsetor won in Grenoble at a distance of 50 km from Vedenin in 17 seconds. His compatriot Paul Tyldum won the Sapporo marathon by 15 seconds. Again, the Norwegian Ivar Formu in Innsbruck at the same distance “brought” 43 seconds to his closest rival. And here are three minutes!.. There is only one thing left to assume: everyone who could claim something in this race, remembering Zimyatov’s unconditional victory in the “thirty”, having become convinced on the day of the relay that the champion would not be inferior to anyone in speed, gave up in a marathon without a fight. Or let’s put it mildly - without serious resistance, wisely deciding that to fight Zimyatov in at the moment It’s useless: you still can’t reach the gold medal and it’s better to think about other awards - silver and bronze.
But was it all that easy? There was only a month left before the Olympic Games in Lake Placid. A national team of skiers from Austria moved to final stage training in Bakuriani, and there on the very first day Zimyatov fell ill. No, no, I didn’t get sick with a sore throat or the flu, but nevertheless I lay flat. Day, two, three... I suffered from insomnia, lost my appetite, and lost the desire to exercise. I wanted to lie down and not think about anything. Boris Bystrov Sr., the coach of the men's team, came into Zimyatov's room, admonished him, and got angry. Finally, he said to Venedikt Kamensky, the head coach of the national team: “I don’t know what to do with him. At least send it to Moscow...” But then Zimyatov stood up, began to slowly ride, move away...
What's happened? In Austria, Zimyatov trained furiously. There was no need to adjust it - just hold it. Roller skis, running, imitation. Two to three workouts a day. And there was a breakdown. Zimyatov is incredibly tired. Physically and psychologically. Every cell of his body, every muscle, every nerve protested against work and prayed for rest. And Bystrov’s wisdom in this case was that, admonishing Zimyatov, being angry with him, he still left him the opportunity to act as his body told him. Bystroye, in principle, trusted Zimyatov, knowing his conscientiousness and commitment.
Arriving from Bakuriani to Moscow, just before the USSR Cup in Krasnogorsk, as had happened to him more than once in past years, Zimyatov got really sick and could not start, although the starts were very necessary. That is why the first race in Lake Placid required enormous effort from him. He didn’t really know anything: neither how ready he was, nor how ready his main rivals were, nor who they were, finally...
True, he had experience performing in Lake Placid. A year earlier, he came there and in the 30 km race - his favorite distance - he took second place behind the Norwegian Oddvar Bro, who had no equal in the 1979 season. Zimyatov lost to him by 25 seconds, but started in an awkward position - far ahead of his opponent. I ran the distance very easily and felt that I could improve and maybe win. But then that was not the main thing. The main thing was that he liked the climate and the relief, and that the hope of victory was born in him, which, like a guiding star, led him for a whole year - until the Games.
He was born and raised in the village of Rumyantsevo, Istrinsky district, Moscow region. Rumyantsevo stretches along the Volokolamsk highway. From there there is a fork in another highway, Sergeevskoe. A small street flows like a stream into an asphalt river - it’s called New. The Zimyatovs’ house is located on it. It was built by his parents. Zimyatov remembers that time. He came here with his sisters to watch the walls rise day after day. Now this is a home, with its own smells, with its own nightly creaks and rustles. In it, Zimyatov owns a small room - his room from childhood - all now filled with sports prizes and awards. He loves this room and always returns to it after long and difficult roads. Friends of childhood and youth inevitably gather, tea begins - something like a solemn ritual in the Zimyatov family - and calm conversations flow about ski racing, about sports, about the fate of friends and comrades, about life - about everything you can talk about with friends.
Now, recalling meetings with Zimyatov, turning over the pages of written notebooks, reconstructing the events of Lake Placid, I am trying to determine the main character trait of my hero, which one way or another is revealed in him in all life situations. Loyalty... Yes, exactly fidelity.
This is loyalty to friends. And loyalty to their home on Novaya Street. And loyalty to this street. On it, as on all streets, two companies confronted and coexisted, personifying good and evil. Zimyatov, of course, was one who knightly defended and instilled the principles of justice. However, the difference in positions did not prevent the companies from uniting when the time of fierce football and hockey battles began - street to street. Zimyatov played hockey and football well.
Returning to the house... Every year in the spring, Zimyatov comes to Rumyantsevo with his friend from the national team, Anatoly Ivanov, to dig up a vegetable garden. The sun is warming up, the earth, damp and greasy, sticks to the shovel, the breeze carries the smells of humus around, clouds slowly float in the sky. Gradually, jackets, sweaters, shirts, and T-shirts are pulled off the shoulders. And now both are naked to the waist. Those who are losing weight after the end of the season - at least study the structure of the spine.
Mom, Anna Petrovna, a primary school teacher, for a long time could not get used to the fact that her son deliberately exhausted himself with training, and every time, looking at him critically, she asked:
- Well, how can you compete with them? They are so healthy.
They are Evgeny Belyaev, Yuri Vakhrushev, Nikolai Bazhukov - really very strong guys... The mother was worried and, as soon as her son appeared at home, she fed him fresh milk. She calmed down only after one day Zimyatov came home with Rochev. He was in good shape, and therefore thin almost to the point of transparency, where would Zimyatov be?
Television made a film about Zimyatov. There is such an episode - the future three-time Olympic champion chops firewood. Tall, slender, flexible - he wields an ax with dexterity, almost with grace, crushing log after log with strong, precise blows. An amazing strength lives in his seemingly frail body.
Yes, Zimyatov is not like Vyacheslav Vedenin, Ivan Garanin, and even more so Evgeny Belyaev. He is a completely different type of skier. Strength, perseverance, courage are hidden behind his boyish fragility. But I saw him on the ski track, I saw all three of his Olympic gold finishes.
Zimyatov was incomparable. Thin lips, eyes white with anger, sunken cheeks. Unusually wide with quick steps, pushing hard with sticks, stretching out like a string, after two hours of a grueling race, he quickly flew to the finish line, surprising with his ability to draw inexhaustible reserves of strength from the hiding places of his body.
Zimyatov built all his winning races in Lake Placid tactically ingenuously, without thinking about what starting number he had, profitable or not, and in what position his opponents would start - in front or behind. He picked up the pace right away, and from the very first meters he began to win, canceling out all the temporary layouts of the leaders. At this pace, he covered the entire distance with wide, light steps. Whether it was thirty kilometers or fifty - it didn’t matter to him, just as it didn’t matter what the weather was like: whether it was snowing (on the day of the 30-kilometer race it was falling), whether the temperature was changing (on the day of the marathon it was changing). By the way, what is surprising in Zimyatov is not only the inner strength invisible to the eye, but also the rare ability to adapt to any weather conditions and the state of the ski track. Even recoil, which skiers most dislike, is not a tragedy for him - somehow, even with recoil, he always finds the optimal move.
However, reader, we have digressed from the main topic: Zimyatov’s character, or rather, one of his traits. Following her, one must pay tribute to Zimyatov’s relationship with his first coach Alexei Kholostov... Frankly, the concept of “coach” is too narrow when applied to Kholostov. He became a master of sports in skiing at the age of 40 - a fact that speaks of a person’s immense love for skiing. AND sports school in the Novo-Petrovsky village, close to Rumyantsev, he organized it solely out of the desire to get kids off the streets. How successful he was in creating a strong group of children can be judged at least by the fact that Kholostov’s students - for several generations - always get together at their school once a year. These evenings are wonderful, Zimyatov did not miss a single one.
It was Idle who discovered the talent of a skier in Zimyatov - such a thing exists - and gradually, carefully, from entertainment and distraction, he transferred his ward to the rails of a serious sports hobby.
However, the time will come in their joint work when Holostoy will utter a sad, but also great phrase for every true coach: “As a coach, I can’t give you anything more...” Zimyatov will have other mentors, famous experts: in the youth team - Nikolai Anikin, in the adult team - Boris Bystroe. But through all the years he will carry a touching affection for Kholostov and will retain the need to turn to him in moments of mental anxiety and doubt.
I understand that loyalty to friends, first coach, family is not yet a comprehensive manifestation of loyalty. There are its highest criteria, loyalty to duty, for example.
Zimyatov once told me, not without pride: “I cannot study poorly at the institute - I built this institute with my own hands.” We were talking about the Malakhov Institute of Physical Education, which Zimyatov is graduating from this year. And after my first brilliant victory in Lake Placid - on the “thirty” - to my question:
- What are you thinking about now?
He replied:
- About the fact that now there is no shame in returning home...
This idea was born two years ago, when, having first joined the national team, he won a silver medal in the 30-kilometer distance at the World Championships in Lahti and realized that he would probably go to Lake Placid.
This persistent thought, the thought that he would not be ashamed to return, drove him on during training: on the first snow in the taiga mountain village of Vershina, where nature was preserved in its pristine beauty, and in popular prints in Austria, when in his zeal he intercepted over the edge. The thought of this forced him to swim from early spring until late autumn - to harden himself, because he was prone to colds.
He understood the need to win the Olympic Games as his duty, and, having become a three-time Olympic champion, Zimyatov was truly happy, as happy is a person who is proud of the consciousness of his duty.
Speaking about Zimyatov's high sense of duty, I would like to note one more fact from his biography: Zimyatov is a deputy of the Moscow Regional Council of People's Deputies. He was nominated to this honorable and obliging post by the staff of the institute and one of the Malakhov factories. Zimyatov’s meeting with voters took place shortly before leaving for Lake Placid. Then they wished Zimyatov to return with victory. This was not a serious order, and it was not about Zimyatov specifically, everyone understood: winning the Olympic Games is no joke. However, Zimyatov took the wish precisely as an order, and people elected him to the deputies already with the rank of Olympic champion.
He returned to Moscow on the morning of February 27. IL-62, which made a non-stop flight on the route Montreal - Moscow, landed at Sheremetyevo International Airport. Zimyatov went out onto the gangway and saw a sea of people. “I wonder who they’re meeting?” - he thought and mechanically turned back. He was gently pushed forward: “Go, go, they are meeting you...” And then he saw in the crowd his Rumyantsev friends Slavka and Tolya Polunin, Kolya Egorov, Vasya Ananyev... He saw familiar Spartak players. They picked him up, lifted him up and carried him across the square... Honor and respect to the “ski king”! Finally, they carefully put him on his feet. Rumyantsev’s friends, on the one hand, dragged him to the bus, Spartak’s friends, on the other, pulled him to the “Chaika”. A situation was created as if there were equal forces in a tug-of-war. But then the “king” piteously begged:
- Let me go, brothers...
He left that day for Rumyantsevo.
In the last days of March, Nikolai Zimyatov and I sat in a room at the Polar Dawns hotel in Murmansk. They remembered the past and talked about the future.
- What would you like now? - I asked him.
“To rest,” he honestly admitted. “Five or six days at sea.” And a few more days at home in the fall. Go mushroom picking with my father: he has a place in mind - a lot of saffron milk caps.
Semyon Mikhailovich - Zimyatov's father - is a man of a rare profession, a glass blower. Manufactures original, ultra-fine instruments for chemical laboratories. After the Olympics, Nikolai came to work with him at the Academy of Public Utilities. Workers, employees, and my father’s comrades gathered. And Nikolai was pleased to see the respect with which everyone treated his father, and Semyon Mikhailovich was pleased by the deep respect people had for his son. Zimyatov the father is rightfully proud of Zimyatov the son...
We sat in a hotel room and talked about the difficult skiing. I peered into Zimyatov’s face - cute, still boyish and not at all royal. I rejoiced at the optimism, humor and some kind of childish naivety of my hero. But at the same time, I felt his independence, strength of character, and civic maturity...
“King of Skis”... Well, three gold medals give full right to this title. But when they call him “king,” he becomes embarrassed and says: “Well, what kind of king am I to you?”
Well, maybe he's right. But he is a brilliant skier. The skier is of a modern, so to speak, design. And we can only hope that the first Olympics in his life in Lake Placid is not his last, that we still have to rejoice at Zimyatov’s victories and be proud of them.
(born 1955)Four-time Olympic champion in cross-country skiing. In 1980, he won at distances of thirty and fifty kilometers, and also as a member of the USSR national team in the 4 x 10 kilometer relay race. In 1984 he won the thirty-kilometer distance. At the 1984 Olympics he became silver medalist as part of the USSR national team in the 4 x 10 kilometer relay. Silver medalist at the World Championships in Lahti (1978).
Zimyatov became a three-time Olympic champion at twenty-four. Before him, no one in the history of skiing had ever managed to win three gold medals at one Olympics. Zimyatov, in twelve February days in Sarajevo, accomplished what luminaries achieved throughout their entire sports career.
Nikolay Zimyatov born June 28, 1955. As a boy, Zimyatov raved about hockey, although he also played football well. Nikolai's father Semyon Mikhailovich - a wonderful master glassblower - looked at his son's hobby condescendingly. What normal boy doesn’t kick a ball in the summer and a puck in the winter? But mother Anna Petrovna, a primary school teacher, was worried: I wouldn’t hurt myself, I wouldn’t break something, I wouldn’t catch a cold - Zimyatov was often sick. Therefore, Anna Petrovna insisted that Kolya enter the local music school in the accordion class. Zimyatov later admitted: “The day I broke up with music school, became the most joyful for me."
By that time, Zimyatov, like many guys from Rumyantsev, went to Golovin to ski training To Alexey Ivanovich Kholostov. The paths of coach and student, the paths of Kholostov and Zimyatov crossed in 1969. And before that, four years earlier, the physical education teacher at Novo-Petrovskaya secondary school number one, master of sports in skiing, Kholostov, was offered to head a sports school that... did not exist. Kholostov agreed; he had long dreamed of training boys (later girls also came to school). He agreed and created the school from scratch. There was no room, no equipment, no illuminated tracks... In a word, there was only desire. And thanks to Kholostov’s asceticism, the school grew stronger, gained strength, and began to grow.
The coach's personality... Often for teenagers it means more than the authority of their parents. Kholostov turned out to be just such a coach. At the age of forty, for example, he fulfilled the standard of master of sports in skiing - a rare case: you need to have great perseverance and put in a lot of work. Kholostov fulfilled the standard not for the sake of prestige and not for the sake of a badge, but solely in order to confirm the motto in the eyes of the guys: “Whoever wants, will achieve it!”
And it was Kholostov, who defended the principles in the relationships of the children - justice, loyalty, honor - who himself strictly followed these principles in all cases of life. After this, is it worth saying that the overwhelming majority of Alexei Ivanovich’s students tried to be like their coach and dreamed of entering the Institute of Physical Education.
It was Kholostov who discovered the talent of a skier in Zimyatov. In a tall, thin, not very healthy teenager, he saw endurance, stubbornness, and determination - qualities without which there is no good racer. And days and months of training dragged on: cross-country, imitation, roller skiing, training on a power circle in the forest (by the way, a year after these classes, Zimyatov had already done 50 push-ups and 16 pull-ups on the crossbar). And after each training, physical labor was obligatory: they cleared and built the track, built locker rooms, and a recovery center. Zimyatov became stronger and mastered the technique better than other guys, but Kholostov, mindful of his health, was in no hurry to increase the volume of training - he moved from stage to stage carefully, prudently, gradually. It was then, after the first year of classes, that Kholostov said approvingly to Zimyatov: “You’re a fine boy, you’re just sick a lot. Brother, you need to toughen up.” And Kolya Zimyatov began to wet himself cold water, swim from early summer until late autumn.
Zimyatov was not a fanatic, no. It was enough for studying, and for dancing, and for walks with a girl. His life was simply more eventful than that of many of his peers. And there was a goal that helped him succeed in everything. Sports brought up courage and fortitude, perseverance and perseverance in Zimyatov. And the ability to endure is one of the most important human skills.
At first, as the coach recalled, Nikolai did not stand out in any way and went to the Moscow Region Championship in 1970 as a reserve. However, it so happened that the first number fell ill and had to flee Nikolay Zimyatov. Then he took third place, and Kholostov believed that this was only the forerunner of victories. Zimyatov’s ascent was quite smooth, without any special disruptions, but by no means easy.
In 1972, at the USSR Junior Championships in Syktyvkar, Nikolai took third place. In my heart, of course, I was rejoicing. And yet, imagine, Kholostov was upset. He was very afraid that Zimyatov would not be included in the youth team, where the workload would immediately increase by several orders of magnitude, and such a subtle pedagogical moment necessary for Zimyatov - an individual approach - would hardly find a place. Fortunately - Kholostov believed that it was fortunately - Zimyatov was not taken to the national team, and the two of them had the opportunity to work for another year calmly, seriously, and most importantly, without forcing loads. And the moment will come in this work - Zimyatov will by that time become the national champion among juniors (1973), and a year later at the European Championship he will win a silver award and will be included in the national youth team - when Kholostov will utter a sad, but great for everyone a real coach’s phrase: “As a coach, I can’t give you anything more.” He, of course, cheated - Kholostov. He understood that everyone who trained a talented athlete for the team could not become a mentor to the national team. He - Kholostov - did his job: he trained a capable skier and transferred him to the team. And now he did not want - in the interests of Zimyatov he had no right - to allow his authority - the authority of the first mentor - to overshadow the authority of the national team coaches... As for their further relationship - coach and student - everything now depended on , how much he - Kholostov - put useful and kind into the soul and heart of Zimyatov. Alexey Ivanovich knew that he had invested a lot, and knew that the seeds had fallen on fertile soil, and therefore believed that his relationship with Zimyatov would not end.
Kholostov was right here too. Kholostov will remain both Zimyatov’s first mentor and senior friend. And every time, returning from long-distance tours, he will come to Kholostov for advice and begin to sort out with him the plans for the year received in the national team. And Kholostov, unobtrusively, will insist and prove that Zimyatov does 15-20 percent less work.
In 1978, Nikolai became the silver medalist at the World Championships in the Finnish city of Lahti. At the XIII Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, Nikolai came second in the team. He was a debutant and was not well known in the sports world, so the medal in Lahti was regarded as an accident. But they believed in Zimyatov, and perhaps most of all his friend Vasily Rochev. When the coaches asked them to choose who would run the “thirty” in the fourth, strongest group, Rochev immediately named Zimyatov.
He went to bed later than usual in order to fall asleep immediately, and slept soundly, without dreams. I woke up from the cold - the room had grown cold during the night, and even the blanket did not help. And then the race began. In the morning, thick, wet snow began to fall. It was hard to think of worse weather for the guys. Our skiers are used to and love to run in the cold, on hard, almost icy ski tracks. And the weather undoubtedly unsettled some people. But not Zimyatova. He is patient by nature and does not waste his nerves over trifles.
Our trainers worked magic with ointments for a long time, hiding from prying, overly curious eyes in a small house. This, however, was done in every team. It was not in vain that they did their magic - they hit the ointment 100%, which is very difficult on such a track. The glide was good, the skis did not shoot through.
Standing at the start, waiting for my turn, Nikolay Zimyatov physically felt the expression “knees are buckling”, he was very worried at that moment. And yet he was afraid, he was worried only for the first half a kilometer, and then, when he got into the rhythm, he worked it out, calmed down and ran, as in ordinary competitions.
The trainers set Zimyatov a simple task: he must constantly, from kilometer to kilometer, increase the pace, forcing Mieto, Bro and other possible contenders to go big, as skiers say, oxygen debt. He coped with this task, it was enough for him. After the tenth kilometer, Zimyatov became the leader and did not let anyone go ahead until the finish.
This is how a skier from the hitherto unknown or little-known village of Rumyantsevo won his first ever Olympic gold medal and the first Lake Placid medal of our entire team. Then Nikolai was five seconds short of a medal at fifteen kilometers. He won his second gold medal as part of the USSR national team in the 4 x 10 kilometer relay. Ahead was a marathon, a distance that requires supermaximal effort from the skier, testing everyone who runs it for athletic and human maturity.
The Scandinavians never wanted to give up this distance: ours never won the marathon against them at the Olympics. It was also necessary to take into account that for the Finn Juha Mieto, the marathon was seen as the last chance to win an Olympic gold medal. Zimyatov started at number forty-one, Mieto - as the lot decided - at thirty-eighth.
While you’re walking “fifty dollars,” Zimyatov said, “you’ll have time to remember your whole life, it’s a long distance. And heavy. When it became completely unbearable, I persuaded myself, like a mother feeding a child: “These hundred meters are for Uncle Petya, this climb is for the sisters, for my nephew Alyosha...” At times he switched off, as if he was losing consciousness. Everything around him became indistinguishable: the trees along his long road, the figures of fans, the voices of coaches. He knew only one thing: that he would give everything, all his strength and nerves, all his sporting anger - he would give his all. “Kolya will fight for victory, even when there seems to be no chance,” these words belong to his teammate, Olympic champion Sergei Savelyev.
He caught up with Mieto on the third lap of the marathon and, gliding next to him on a parallel track, exhaled dully in German and Russian: “Kom! Come with me!” Huge bearded Finn ski poles in whose hands they looked like matches, he accepted the invitation and firmly “sat down” on Kolya’s heels. Our coaches, understandably, were not happy about this - in a marathon, the real struggle begins somewhere after the forty-fifth kilometer, and here anything can happen.
When Kolya and Mieto went on the fourth lap (each 12.5 kilometers), Kholostov realized: “Either now, or...” and shouted: “Kolya! Have a blast, have a blast on the climb!” Zimyatov shook his head heavily, saying he understood, and won ten meters from Mieto on this climb - he ran, pushing hard with his poles, as if there were no more than forty kilometers behind him hard race. After this, the Finn “got up.” No, he was still in a hurry, he tried to do something, but he no longer counted on gold. The “gold” was ours. Kholostov seemed frozen, petrified, until he was brought to his senses by someone shouting: “Why are you standing there?! Zimyatov took the third gold!”
And Alexey Ivanovich ran, falling into the soft snow, awkwardly jumping over fences. At the finish line, one of the national team coaches hugged him: “Well, thank you, Ivanovich! What a guy you raised!” And the three-time Olympic champion stood and smiled at the now famous to the sports world embarrassed smile. At this moment he did not feel any joy, only great fatigue.
Who could have guessed that Nikolay Zimyatov after Lake Placid, he will suddenly and unexpectedly disappear from the ski horizon for a long time, sowing a lot of guesses and perplexed questions both among his admirers and among the coaches of the national team.
However, Zimyatov would still win one race - at the beginning of March 1980, at the national championship. The very first race - Nikolai's favorite "thirty" - gathered an unprecedented number of spectators in Birch Grove. It seemed that everyone came to the ski track, came “to see Zimyatov”, as they come to the theater to see their favorite actor. Zimyatov understood this. And he also realized that he could not, had no right to disappoint his fans, to deceive their expectations. By that time, Zimyatov, as the skiers say, was just skating, relaxing from the stress. And, on the contrary, those who did not get into. the Olympic team - also strong skiers - prepared specially for the championship, were in “peak” shape and longed for, albeit senseless, albeit belated, but still revenge.
It is not known what that race cost Zimyatov, how much effort, but he carried it out brilliantly, in one breath, and won with a significant margin, as befits a three-time Olympic champion. That day, he seemed to convince the Krasnoyarsk residents: “You wanted to know if I’m a real champion? You see, I’m real. And winning is natural and simple for me.”
Who knew that that victory was his last. Although at first after Lake Placid and even a year later they still talked and wrote about Zimyatov. Journalists in their reports on the competitions always, as if out of politeness, mentioned: “The three-time Olympic champion also took part in the race. Unfortunately, he is still far from better shape and took..." A place in the second or third ten was called. Both at first and a year later, journalists still asked the coaches questions: they say, what is happening with Zimyatov, will he enter the ranks, will we see his victorious run?.. And the coaches at first assured: yes, yes, of course... Of course, he will enter, of course, we’ll see... And yet these assurances sounded less and less often - optimism faded a year after the Olympics, Nikolai Zimyatov performed extremely unsuccessfully. Winter Spartakiad friendly armies, a year later he was not included in the team that went to the World Championships in Holmenkollen... And they practically forgot about him. Actually, it couldn’t be otherwise: the new “stars” made people talk about themselves - Alexander Zavyalov, Yuri Burlakov, a whole galaxy of very young racers...
After Lake Placid, two and even more so three years later, it seemed to everyone that Nikolay Zimyatov has exhausted itself. At the rally of candidates for Olympic team in Sevastopol, Boris Bystrov, coach of the country's men's team, answered the question: does Zimyatov have a chance to be part of the team at the Games in Sarajevo? He answered firmly: “No!” Then he explained: “Lake Placid, huge success, speeches to students, speeches to workers, congratulations, increased attention... What do you journalists call it? The burden of fame... Not everyone can stand it. And Zimyatov at some point I couldn’t resist. I started training. Then I realized that I had to catch up: my teammates had gone far ahead. He pushed himself too far, got sick, and his health was always bad. And now, as you can see, he has to catch up. It’s impossible. The guys in our national team are young and talented. "
However, Zimyatov and his coach thought differently. Kholostov understood perfectly well that Zimyatov’s health would not allow him to race at a high competitive level. If you bet again on Olympic victory, then there was only one way out: reduce the load, go into the shadows for some period. Zimyatov moved to CSKA, moved to. He graduated from the Institute of Physical Education, dreaming of a future profession as a coach. He married Lyubov Zykova, also an excellent skier, and they had a daughter, Katya.
And yet, in the three years since Lake Placid, Nikolay Zimyatov I trained quite a lot, although not as intensely as my colleagues on the national team. Zimyatov in Sarajevo will be the best among our skiers, the only one who can win a gold award. And therefore, whether he is right from the point of view of science or not, it is certain that Zimyatov chose for himself the most optimal option of behavior on the way from Olympics to Olympics.
However, his trip to the Olympics was in doubt. The wheel of the coach's disbelief in Zimyatov was spinning at full speed. Although, as Bystrov promised, he was taken to all the preparatory training camps, at the very beginning of the Olympic winter he was sent on a competitive tour abroad.
Perhaps, since the Olympics in Sapporo, a tradition has taken root in our skiing - to prepare for the Olympics and World Championships within our own walls, at home. But in this case, how can we get an idea of the balance of power between our athletes and our rivals? Very simple. Two or three skiers from the second echelon - sort of scouts - are sent to international competitions. Then they compare and analyze the results of those competitions with the results of internal competitions and, in general, get some more or less real picture. This is how Nikolai Zimyatov and Vladimir Sakhnov went to Davos as spies at the beginning of the Olympic winter.
And now - a sensation! First in the Olympic season: Zimyatov, after three years of stubborn silence, wins the 15-kilometer distance! Accident? Literally a few days later in Ramsau, Zimyatov wins the second race - again a tag race. There was something to be surprised about, something to talk about, something to reflect on! USSR Cup in Syktyvkar, distance 30 kilometers, Zimyatov wins. Control competitions for team members - wins. A series of starts in the Urals - he wins... He rises higher and higher. And now everyone is making noise about the mysterious return of Zimyatov...
February 10, 1984 in Sarajevo, on the Igman plateau - the day of the thirty-kilometer Olympic race. A gusty wind blew, without stopping for a second, and soft snow fell. Bad weather. However, this was a good sign, because Zimyatov’s ability to adapt better than others to the most tricky conditions: fog, ice, rain...
Just like in Lake Placid Nikolay Zimyatov one of the last to start. As in Lake Placid, he started calmly, feeling that he could improve at any moment. And as the race progressed, his advantage inevitably grew: 10 seconds, 20, 30... No one could resist this inevitable onslaught: neither the rising “star” of Swedish skiing Gunde Svan, nor the veteran Thomas Wassberg , nor all Norwegians taken together - dangerous and strong.
And here is the finish. Victorious finish. Having not yet crossed the line, Zimyatov glances at the electronic scoreboard. The lines are still running. But it is already clear: in a moment they will freeze, marking the best time - 1 hour 28 minutes 56 seconds... Four years ago, having won the laurels of the “ski king” in Lake Placid, he unexpectedly and for a long time went into the shadows. Left to return. Return like a king.
Sport has long become a part of the life of a modern person. The passions boiling around major world events in this area do not leave even an outside observer indifferent. Every sport has its own outstanding personalities - Olympic champions, the athletes who personify it. Ask a football fan: “Who is the king of football?” In most cases, the answer you will hear is “Pelé.” In hockey, such an informal title was awarded to the great of basketball - Michael Jordan. If you take it, when you mention biathlon, the current Norwegian athlete, Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, comes to mind. It’s nice that our athletes, Olympic champions, are also highly valued. Who left their mark on world history? “The King of Skis” - that’s what our athlete Nikolai Zimyatov was called after his phenomenal success at the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid. The guy from the Moscow region was only 24 years old at that time.
Childhood
The post-war years left their mark on the lives of teenagers in our country. The main hobby of most boys of that time was sports. The classical division into specific specializations practically did not exist. In the summer it was football or volleyball. In the winter season, the same teenagers picked up clubs or got on skis and skates.
Nikolai Zimyatov, the future world star of skiing, was a typical child of that time. Nikolai Semenovich Zimyatov was born in the Moscow region on June 28, 1955. Nikolai’s native village, Rumyantsevo, was located in the Istra district. The Zimyatovs were an ordinary family of that time. Dad, Semyon Mikhailovich, devoted his whole life to one profession. The rare and original work of a glassblower did not bring in huge incomes, but was truly loved by Zimyatov Sr. Nikolai’s mother, Anna Petrovna, is also a person of the same profession. After graduating from the pedagogical institute, the woman began working as a primary school teacher and spent her whole life in this field. Nikolai was the most youngest child of three children in the Zimyatov family.
Parents saw Nikolai as a musician. Already in childhood he was enrolled in a music school, choosing to play the button accordion. For six months, Nikolai diligently attended music club classes, then the teenager’s enthusiasm began to fade, and absences began to occur. At the family council, it was decided that Nikolai would no longer attend music school. As time later showed, the family decision was correct.
Skiing
After an unsuccessful epic with a music school, Nikolai lived the life of an ordinary teenager: in the summer he spent time on the football field, in the winter he played hockey and skied for fun. Fortunately, Nikolai Zimyatov met a coach on his life’s path who helped the guy decide on an occupation for life. Once, when regional competitions were held ski racing, A. Kholostov drew attention to Nikolai, who plays for his school’s team, ski coach Novo-Petrovsk sports school. It was he who suggested that the teenager take up skiing seriously by attending his training sessions. Initially, the parents were against their son's choice. What frightened me was the fact that the Novo-Petrovskaya sports school was located 5 kilometers from Rumyantsev’s native home. But after a personal conversation with the coach, Nikolai’s parents allowed him to study with A. Kholostov.
First successes
What did an ordinary schoolboy attract the coach's attention to? According to Kholostov, Nikolai Zimyatov as a child did not have any phenomenal natural abilities. But a fighting character, the ability to gather oneself at the right moment, to show all one’s best qualities here and now they distinguished the aspiring athlete from other teammates.
The young man’s first sporting successes came at the school level of performances for his sports school. There were prizes and victories in personal races at regional competitions, successful performances in relay races. And at the age of seventeen, Nikolai Zimyatov was recruited into the DSO of the Moscow region to compete in the USSR personal and team championship, held in Syktyvkar. Nikolai's debut took place in a 15-kilometer race, in which he took third place. The following year, when cross-country skiing competitions of the same rank were held, Zimyatov finished first in the 20-kilometer race. And Nikolai loudly declared himself loudly in 1975. Speaking as a junior, Nikolai was third in the 15-kilometer race, second in the 20-kilometer race, and as part of the relay team became the USSR champion among juniors. It was clear to everyone that a new star was shining on the ski horizon.
International starts
Successes on the internal sports arena did not go unnoticed by the coaches of the USSR national skiing team. On the eve of the eighth World Ski Championships in Finland, Nikolai Zimyatov is invited to join the junior team of the Soviet Union. The debut championship brought Nikolai silver success in the 15-kilometer race. In the remaining races of this championship, Zimyatov was close to climbing the podium, but circumstances were against him.
Career in adult sports
Since 1977, Nikolai Zimyatov has been a skier who began competing in the adult competition. The first big success in serious sports was the 30-kilometer distance, earned at the USSR Championship. The next all-Union cross-country skiing race was special. It was the anniversary, 50th national championship. Nikolai Zimyatov becomes a real winner of the anniversary national championship. He has 2 gold medals: in the 30-kilometer individual race and a victory as part of his team in the relay race. By this time, the coaches of the USSR national team were seriously considering Nikolai’s candidacy as the main member of the team.
USSR national team
After regular victories in the domestic arena, the next step was expected from Nikolai - he had to loudly declare himself in ski world and outside the Soviet Union. The chance came in 1978 at the World Championships in the Finnish city of Lahti. In the first race of the championship at a 30-kilometer distance, Zimyatov was not considered the main favorite. Rather, it was a chance to try myself in the fight against the strongest skiers on the planet. However, Nikolai did not lose his head and, in a bitter struggle, won a silver medal. His advantage over the bronze medalist, Polish skier Josef Luschek, was only 4 seconds.
Successfully held World Championships, stable performances at high level in subsequent starts they made Nikolai Zimyatov the main candidate for participation in the 1980 Winter Olympics.
in Lake Placid
And now the time has come for the main starts of the four-year anniversary, the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, America. The first thing on the program was cross-country skiing (men) for 30 kilometers in the classical style. Strong Scandinavian skiers have traditionally been named as the main favorites. Our fans expected a lot from Soviet athletes: Nikolai Zimyatov, Vasily Rochev, Evgeniy Belyaev. The draw for starting numbers was favorable to Zimyatov. He received the 56th starting number out of 57 athletes taking part in this race. This starting position gave a certain advantage to our athlete. During the distance, Nikolai, with the help of our coaches, was able to focus on the time of his opponents. For a long time, Nikolai’s teammate Vasily Rochev was the leader of the race. But already from the 10th kilometer Zimyatov took first place and subsequently only increased the lead. In the final protocol, Zimyatov’s advantage over Rochev, who took second place, was 32 seconds. This is how Nikolai Zimyatov’s first Olympic gold was earned. And that was just the beginning.
The next test was a 4 x 10 kilometer relay race. At the starting stage, Rochev brought our team to first place. At subsequent stages, the USSR team retained its leadership, but it was clear to everyone that the fate of Olympic gold would be decided by the fourth stage. At the finishing stage, the strongest skiers of their teams were gathered. But the pace that Nikolai Semenovich Zimyatov set turned out to be beyond the strength of the other teams. With every kilometer passed, Nikolai’s advantage over his rivals only grew. As a result, the gap between our team and the Norwegian team, which finished in second place, was 1 minute 42 seconds. A phenomenal indicator for competitions of this rank.
Zimyatov's third Olympic gold
The most prestigious and difficult cross-country skiing race for men took place on the last day of the Olympics. Peculiar ski marathon- 50 kilometer run. The whole world was looking forward to the duel between Nikolai Zimyatov and the Finnish star Juhi Mieta. For the Finnish athlete, this was the last chance to win Olympic gold. Both favorites started in the same group. The first part of the distance the opponents walked smoothly. When the skiers set out for the finishing lap, Zimyatov found the strength to pick up the pace and break away from the Finn. As a result, at the finish line the time distance between the competitors was simply enormous - about three minutes. Thus, Zimyatov’s third Olympic gold was earned.
Life after the Olympics
The triumphant performance made Zimyatov a bright star in skiing. “The King of Skis,” that’s what Zimyatov was called all over the world. A difficult moment in the life of any athlete is to survive the burden of glory that has fallen on his shoulders. Together with his coach, A. Kholostov, Zimyatov sets himself the task of performing successfully at the 1984 Olympic Games in the coming years. To achieve this, Nikolay misses a number of major international starts, including ski championship world 1982. In addition, changes are taking place in Nikolai’s personal Life. Zimyatov gets married, and Lyubov Zykova, a famous skier and participant in the Olympic Games, becomes his chosen one.
Return to Ski Olympus
Rare starts on the international stage mean that on the eve of the Olympics in Sarajevo, Soviet skier N. Zimyatov is not among the possible favorites. But the first starts in the pre-Olympic season return Zimyatov to the list of contenders for olympic medals. Won several international starts, won the USSR Cup, and Olympic Games Nikolai is among the leaders.
And so on February 10, 1984, a 30-kilometer race was planned - Nikolai’s favorite distance. And again the lot favors our athlete - he runs last of the racers. And already halfway through the distance it becomes clear that our athlete will win his fourth Olympic gold. This was followed by a relay race, where, like 4 years ago, everything was decided last stage. Unfortunately, in his competition with the younger Swede, Nikolai lost 10 seconds. As a result, the Soviet team received a silver medal.
And the second Olympics in Nikolai Zimyatov’s sports career ended triumphantly for our athlete.
Nikolay Zimyatov: personal life
The marriage of two sports people turned out to be truly happy. Two children: a girl and a boy, grew up in an atmosphere of respect for sports from childhood. Daughter Ekaterina, despite skiing as a child, eventually chose volleyball. Having become a professional volleyball player, she was repeatedly a prize-winner of the Russian Championship as part of the Moscow CSK. My son, Dmitry, has been skiing for a long time at a fairly serious level, even competing for the Moscow national team in his age category. But in the end, my passion for drawing played a role. After graduating from school, he entered the Stroganov Art Academy at the Faculty of Furniture Design.
Coaching career
After the final of his sports career, Nikolai graduated from the Moscow State Institute physical culture. Nikolai Zimyatov did not manage to finally leave big sports, and he took up coaching activities. He started working with young athletes and gradually reached adult groups. The peak of his coaching career was the year in which he led the Russian cross-country skiing team. The main star, to whom Zimyatov gave a ticket to big sport, we can safely assume Olympic champion Olga Danilova.
Achievements, sports awards
Skiing's rich history has many heroes, but few skiers have won more than three Olympic gold medals. These are Swede Sixten Ernberg, Norwegian Bjorn Daly and our compatriot Nikolai Zimyatov. For his sporting successes, Nikolai Semenovich Zimyatov was awarded the title “Honored Master of Sports”, and for the successes of his students - the honorary title “Honored Coach of Russia”. Awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and Friendship of Peoples.
