Pavel Konstantinovich Kolchin (sometimes spelled Pavel Koltsjin; russian: Павел Константинович Колчин; 9 January 1930 – 29 December 2010) was a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

cross-country skier who competed during the 1950s and 1960s, training at

Dynamo file:DynamoElectricMachinesEndViewPartlySection USP284110.png, "Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, ) A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator (electric), commutator. Dynamos were the f ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. He was born in

Yaroslavl Yaroslavl ( rus, Ярослáвль, p=jɪrɐˈsɫavlʲ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluence ...

. He competed in two

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

, earning a total of four medals. His bronze in the at the

1956 Winter Olympics The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games ( it, VII Giochi Olimpici invernali) and commonly known as Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 ( lld, Anpezo 1956 or ), was a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from ...

was the first ever medal awarded to a non-Scandinavian (

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

) in cross-country skiing. Kolchin also won at the

Holmenkollen ski festival The Holmenkollen Ski Festival ( no, Holmenkollen skifestival or ) is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. History It takes place in March ...

, winning both the and events in 1958. His wife,

Alevtina Kolchina Alevtina Pavlovna Kolchina (russian: Алевти́на Па́вловна Ко́лчина alternate spelling: Alevtina Koltsjina; 11 November 1930 – 1 March 2022) was a Soviet cross-country skier who competed during the 1950s and 1960s for ...

, was also an Olympic champion in cross-country skiing in 1964. Kolchin also found success was at the

FIS Nordic World Ski Championships The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships is a biennial nordic skiing event organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). The World Championships was started in 1925 for men and opened for women's participation in 1954. World Championship e ...

, where he won three silver medals in 1958 (15 km, 30 km, and 4 x 10 km) and a bronze medal in 1962 (4 x 10 km). Kolchin was awarded

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...

(twice - in 1957 and 1972) and

Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour (russian: орден «Знак Почёта», orden "Znak Pochyota") was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding ...

(1970). For his successes at the Winter Olympics, the Nordic skiing World Championships and the Holmenkollen, Kolchin received the Holmenkollen medal in 1963 (Shared with his

(his wife),

Astrid Sandvik Astrid Sandvik (born 1 October 1939) is a Norwegian Alpine skier who finished tied for sixth place (with fellow Norwegian and 1958 Holmenkollen medalist Inger Bjørnbakken) in the women's slalom at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo ...

, and

Torbjørn Yggeseth Torbjørn Yggeseth (18 June 1934 – 10 January 2010) was a Norwegian ski jumper who was active in the 1960s. He competed for Heggedal Idretsslag. Yggeseth won the ski jumping competition at the Holmenkollen ski festival in 1963, the same year ...

). Kolchin and Kolchina are the first husband and wife team to ever win the Holmenkollen Medal. Kolchin died on 29 December 2010.

References

* * - click Holmenkollmedaljen for downloadable pdf file * - click Vinnere for downloadable pdf file * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kolchin, Pavel 1930 births 2010 deaths Sportspeople from Yaroslavl Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism, Department of Chess alumni Cross-country skiers at the 1956 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1964 Winter Olympics Dynamo sports society athletes FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in cross-country skiing Holmenkollen medalists Holmenkollen Ski Festival winners Medalists at the 1956 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 1964 Winter Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for the Soviet Union Olympic cross-country skiers of the Soviet Union Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union Olympic medalists in cross-country skiing Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR Merited Coaches of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Russian male cross-country skiers Soviet male cross-country skiers