Boris Anfiyanovich Shakhlin (Russian: Борис Анфиянович Шахлин; 27 January 1932 – 30 May 2008) was a Soviet gymnast who was the 1960 Olympic all-around champion and the 1958 all-around World Champion. He won a total of 13 medals including seven gold medals at the Summer Olympics, and was the most successful athlete at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He held the record for most Olympic medals by a male athlete record until gymnast Nikolai Andrianov won his 14th and 15th medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics. He also won 14 medals at the World Championships.[1]

Boris Shakhlin
Boris Shakhlin in 1966
Personal information
Country represented Soviet Union
Born(1932-01-27)27 January 1932
Ishim, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died30 May 2008(2008-05-30) (aged 76)
Kyiv, Ukraine
Height1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight71 kg (157 lb)
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior international
ClubBurevestnik
Retired1966
Medal record
Men's Artistic Gymnastics

Representing  Soviet Union

Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1956 Melbourne Team competition
Gold medal – first place 1956 Melbourne Pommel horse
Gold medal – first place 1960 Rome All-around
Gold medal – first place 1960 Rome Pommel horse
Gold medal – first place 1960 Rome Vault
Gold medal – first place 1960 Rome Parallel bars
Gold medal – first place 1964 Tokyo Horizontal bar
Silver medal – second place 1960 Rome Team competition
Silver medal – second place 1960 Rome Rings
Silver medal – second place 1964 Tokyo Team competition
Silver medal – second place 1964 Tokyo All-around
Bronze medal – third place 1960 Rome Horizontal bar
Bronze medal – third place 1964 Tokyo Rings
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1954 Rome Team competition
Gold medal – first place 1958 Moscow Team competition
Gold medal – first place 1958 Moscow All-around
Gold medal – first place 1958 Moscow Pommel Horse
Gold medal – first place 1958 Moscow Parallel bars
Gold medal – first place 1958 Moscow Horizontal bar
Silver medal – second place 1954 Rome Horizontal bar
Silver medal – second place 1962 Prague Team competition
Silver medal – second place 1962 Prague Still rings
Silver medal – second place 1962 Prague Parallel bars
Silver medal – second place 1962 Prague Pommel Horse
Silver medal – second place 1966 Dortmund Team competition
Bronze medal – third place 1962 Prague All-around
Bronze medal – third place 1962 Prague Vault
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1955 Frankfurt All-around
Gold medal – first place 1955 Frankfurt Parallel bars
Gold medal – first place 1955 Frankfurt Pommel horse
Gold medal – first place 1955 Frankfurt Horizontal bar
Gold medal – first place 1963 Belgrade Still rings
Gold medal – first place 1963 Belgrade Horizontal bar
Silver medal – second place 1955 Frankfurt Still rings
Silver medal – second place 1963 Belgrade All-around
Silver medal – second place 1963 Belgrade Parallel bars
Bronze medal – third place 1963 Belgrade Pommel horse

Career

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Shakhlin was born in Ishim, Russian SFSR. He began gymnastics at the age of 12. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, he "set a career record of 10 individual titles in the world championships and also won gold medals at three successive Olympic Games. His tally of seven gold, four silver, and two bronze Olympic medals placed him among the most-decorated at the Games".[2]

Shakhlin retired from competition at the age of 35 after suffering a heart attack. He joined the FIG Men's Technical Committee in 1968 and continued to work on the Committee until 1992. In the 1990s and 2000s (decade), he worked as a lecturer at the University of Kyiv.[3]

He was awarded the Red Banner of Labor in 1956 and the Order of Lenin in 1960. He was named an honorary citizen both in his birth town Ishim and in Kyiv where lived for many years.[1] In 2002, he was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.[3][4]

He died on 30 May 2008.[5]

Philatelia

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The Mongol Post issued a postage stamp - Boris Shakhlin (No.525, 1969).

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Borys Shakhlin". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
  2. ^ Boris Anfiyanovich Shakhlin – Britannica Online Encyclopedia
  3. ^ a b "Boris Shakhlin, 1932-2008" Archived 2008-06-03 at the Wayback Machine Amanda Turner International Gymnast, May 30, 2008
  4. ^ International Gymnastics Hall of Fame
  5. ^ "Obituary: Boris Shakhlin". The Guardian. 2008-06-10. Archived from the original on 2022-07-14.
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Records
Preceded by Most career Olympic medals by a man
1964 – 1980
Succeeded by
Preceded by