One of the most successful athletes whoToday he is working in this field - this is Vyacheslav Ekimov, a cyclist with a capital letter. The story about the career and achievements of the winner of the Olympics will be presented in this article.
Ekimov Vyacheslav Vladimirovich - knownRussian cyclist, a living cycling legend. Multiple Olympic champion. In the XX century, became the best cyclist of the Russian Federation. He received the title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR. Winner of the Badge of Honor (1988) and the Order of Honor (2001). All these regalia and titles are carried by one person - Vyacheslav Ekimov.
Biography
The future champion in Vyborg was born in 1966 6February in the family of truck driver Vladimir Ekimov and Ida Mikhailovna. Prior to his breathtaking cycling career, the young man was actively involved in athletics. As a child, Vyacheslav Ekimov and his brother Vladimir shared one bicycle, the Eaglet, for two, because the family was not rich. By the way, Vyacheslav's brother (Vladimir) also did cycling, but did not reach such heights in professional sports.
As a child, Ekimov was a restless prankster,every Saturday his mother went to the school teacher to find out what her son had done. But it's hard to imagine a champion who would have been a good boy in childhood, because in order to conquer the heights and win medals, you need a strong and persistent character.
Start a career in cycling
Vyacheslav Ekimov started cycling at 12years old. After that, the athlete every year became a champion and received medals. He graduated from the University. P.F. Lesgafta (Faculty of Physical Education) in St. Petersburg. He served in Sportrote SKA LenVo. His first coach was Alexei Redakov in the Lokomotiv Sports School.
In Lokomotiv, Evdokimov became verydisciplined person. Redakov says that all technical actions were explained to the athlete once, he no longer needed to repeat. Vyacheslav could mess around with his bike for hours: change wheels, wash vehicles, or change parts. All the guys involved in the first year had to sew up tires, and they didn’t like it very much, while Vyacheslav gladly took on this business and even helped others.
Fateful decision
Later, coach Alexander Kuznetsov invited him toyour St. Petersburg bike center. There were daily workouts 4 times a day, fees lasted for several months. At one point, Vyacheslav even wanted to give up, but his father insisted that we should at least try.
It was Alexander Kuznetsov who helped Ekimov get intoDutch "Panasonic", who paid a large amount of money for a layperson. Vyacheslav Ekimov worked out this money with numerous victories. The racer got to the Russian team at 16, and to professional cycling at 24 years old.
First successes and achievements
Вячеслав выиграл первенство в гонке в 1985 и 1986 years with a grandiose result - 4.28.9. Such an indicator could not establish the closest pursuers. Ekimov also became the champion in the pursuit race among students.
During the Goodwill Games in 1986, establisheda new world record - 4.12,830 in the race between the teams, together with A. Krasnov, V. Shpundov, S. Khmelinin, and also in the race between the athletes - 4.26.077. In the hour-long race, he set a record - 49 km 671 m.
In 1988, Vyacheslav Ekimov won the Olympicgold in seoul. In 2000 he again received the highest prize at the Olympic tournament. But it was not the final either. In 2004, in August, Vyacheslav won the gold medal in the race with a separate start of 48 km in Athens. These high achievements can boast a few cyclists.
Ekimov became a professional in 1989, whenonce again won the pursuit. In 1990, he won the championship among professional cyclists in the 5 km race. In 2000 he became the winner in the race with a dividing start.
В шоссейной гонке в 2004 году занял второе место.The first place was taken by Tyler Hamilton. Later, the champion was accused of doping, but because of an error in the laboratory, his guilt was not established. However, in 2011, Hamilton stated that he did use doping and returned the gold medal. In 2012, the medal was awarded to Vyacheslav Ekimov.
Injuries racer and the completion of a professional career
In 2005, in training in America, Vyacheslavhit the pit. The blow fell on the chest. Ekimov injured his back. Doctors found multiple fractures and prescribed 6 weeks of bed rest. However, despite the pain, Vyacheslav Ekimov participated in the Russian Championship, and later was invited to the Tour de France races. The team held a place for Ekimov and in the championship, it was he who ascended to the podium as the champion of the team race.
Екимов Вячеслав – чемпион нескольких этапов «Тур de France. After this race in 2006, Ekimov announced that he was ending his sports career, although he had previously planned to stop sports activities after the 2008 Olympics.
Cycling as a lifestyle
Since 2012, Vyacheslav Ekimov becomesgeneral manager of the Russian bicycle team "Katyusha" and makes every effort for the successful performance of athletes at prestigious competitions, including the 2016 Olympics, which was held in Rio de Janeiro. From 2017, Katyusha will become a partner of the German company Alpetsin and will continue to perform under the Swiss flags. The Portuguese José Azeveda was invited to the place of Vyacheslav Yekimov. The team thanked Vyacheslav for their long cooperation. It is known that Ekimov will continue to work in Katyusha-Alpetsyn, but in another post. Most likely, he will act as a manager of public relations.
Also in 2012, Vyacheslav Yekimov, for whom cycling is still one of the top priorities in life, became an adviser on a professional sport project for the development of cycling.
Interesting Facts
В 1999 Вячеслав выступал за итальянскую сборную "Amika Chips." Its owners constantly delayed wages, and soon they stopped paying them altogether. In the end, a huge debt of a half million dollars has grown. Vyacheslav Ekimov decided to write a letter to the International Cycling Union, namely to its president Hein Verbruggen. The letter responded quickly. Bicycle Union sued the owners of the team, and businessmen had to pay all the money.
Later the Dutchman was very complimentary aboutEkimov's deed and set it as an example to other athletes. After this incident, a chapter appeared in the statutes of the International Cycling Union, which obliged the team owners to submit documents from the bank, which guarantee that the athletes will be paid salaries. And Vyacheslav Yekimov played a significant role in this.
Athlete's wife and children
In family life, Vyacheslav is doing well. Together with his wife Irina they bring up two children: a son and a daughter. This year (2016) Ekimov celebrated the anniversary - the cyclist turned 50 years old.
