Famous Russian journalist, commentator andwriter Vladimir Gomelsky played for the CSKA basketball team. At the age of 22 he became a master of sports of international class. Four times received a champion trophy and USSR Cup.
Childhood and the first steps in sports
Vladimir was born on October 20, 1953 inthe family of professional athletes Olga Zhuravleva and Alexander Gomelsky. His father was one of the most famous and triumphant basketball coaches, and his mother was the champion of Europe and the Soviet Union in the same sport.
The boy showed interest in basketball from an earlychildhood. Parents taught him to play, and his grandmother coached the Spartak club in Leningrad. They kept in the apartment the first European Champions Cup, made in the form of a basketball ring and net. It was there that Vladimir Gomelsky learned to perform his first throws with a toy ball.
В 1961 году он поступил в рижскую школу, где его mother taught physical education. When Vladimir was 8 years old, he was transferred to an educational institution with in-depth study of the English language. At the same time he began to train in the children's team SKA.
Career in CSKA, studies and military service
When Vladimir was 20 years old, he firsthit the starting lineup of the famous CSKA top five, played against the Latvian team Zalgiris. After passing the summer exams in 1973, he took part in many tournaments.
He became the USSR champion three times.basketball club CSKA. In 1975, became the winner of the friendly Games. However, Gomelsky Vladimir Aleksandrovich received little playing time, since his father was a coach of the team.
He managed to study in a prestigious university andat the same time to take part in big sports. However, in 1976, he missed the military camps of Moscow State University and as a result was expelled from a prestigious institution. Gomel was called up for military service. Just a few months later he became a junior lieutenant. Nevertheless, Vladimir could not accept the expulsion from the university. He turned for help to the dean of the faculty, Mikhail Solodkov, a great sports fan. As a result, he allowed the young man to pass state exams. But officers and military personnel were forbidden to study full-time. As a result, the athlete received an academic certificate instead of a diploma of higher education.
Disappointment and the beginning of the coaching path
In one of the matches with the Dynamo team, he was seriously injured. As stated by CSKA player: "Basketball - a game in which they demonstrate perseverance and the will to win. "However, Vladimir received a tendon break. He underwent a difficult operation, but he was never able to recover.
The famous athlete started a crisis.He was very stressed after a sudden career end at such an early age. Close people tried their best to support him, and the CSKA club offered the position of head of the children's basketball school. Vladimir agreed to engage in coaching. A year later, he was appointed assistant to the chief mentor of the CSKA doublers.
In 1979, a young team of the second compositionwent to the championship of the USSR. The first game of his wards had quite successfully. However, the match with Dinamo Tbilisi did not go without a scandal for the CSKA coach. “Basketball is a sports game, not a street fight,” one commentator said.
Personal life of a famous athlete
His wife, Larisa Konstantinovna, - master of sportsin rhythmic gymnastics. They have two children - Ilya and Olga. Vladimir lives and works in Moscow, devotes all his free time to his family. They love to relax in a country house in Bronnitsy.
Former basketball player interested in literature.Vladimir Alexandrovich boasts a large home library. His favorite authors are Ray Bradbury, the Strugatsky brothers, Isaac Asimov, Fyodor Dostoevsky and Anton Chekhov. He collects pen knives and listens to music by Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Fausto Papetti.
In addition, Vladimir Gomel is a fan of CSKA basketball club. Supports the SKA hockey team, since it is being trained by his close associate Boris Mikhailov.
Career journalist
The first debut of a famous player and athleteheld in the television program "The Best NBA Games". In 1990, he began commenting on the games of the regular season of the basketball league "NBA" with his father. After that, Vladimir Gomelsky took the post of deputy producer of the ORT channel. His work has aroused great interest from many sponsors.
In the early 2000s, he headed the boardsports programs channel RTR and commented on the Olympics in Sydney. A few years later, Vladimir began a fruitful collaboration with the NTV-Plus television company.
At the moment, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Gomelsky continues commentary activity on the state television channel. He is an outstanding personality in the world of Soviet and Russian sports!