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06/02/2021

USSR CHAMPION

USSR CHAMPION

The duel between two great long- jumpers lasted for 8 years: Igor Ter-Ovanesyan from the USSR and Ralph Boston are in these pictures.
Igor started doing sport early thanks to his dad, Aram, who was the record holder in discos throwing. He was at the stadium every day. When he was 17, he was accepted in the national team. He was the first long-jumper from Europe who achieved more than 8 metres!
The main rival in sport for him was an American athlete, Ralph Boston. They won each other in different competitions for a long time.

When Igor was preparing for Rome competitions in 1960, he decided to live in the mountains. But when he was skiing, he fell down from the hill and got injured and had a concussion. The doctors thought that he would have to forget about his sport. Once a famous long-jumper , Valeri Brumel, came in this hospital and he was interested in Igor`s health. Instead of the answer Igor showed the wound. But there was no thought about giving up the sport! He did special exercises and could take part in the competitions again.

Soon he had new problems with the health because of training. That was the most difficult time for him. But he could take part in competitions again and he was at American athlete association, where the most famous sportsmen were. His first jump was not accepted by judges: he found the absence of the fixative spade of roller. He did the second jump with great result, but judges didn’t accept it again. Even his rival, Ralph Boston, who jumped at 7 meters and 86 centimeters, said that he didn’t want such an unfair victory. At last he jumped again and he didn’t run to the line of the spade and he jumped to 8 meters 3 centimeters. That was enough to get in the final.

The most dramatic moment for Rlph and Igor was Bob Bimon`s jump on 8meters 90 centimeters in Mexica in 1968. But next year Igor gained revenge!

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