Pavel Serafimovich Lednyov (russian: Павел Серафимович Леднёв; 25 March 1943, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia – 23 November 2010, Moscow, Russia) was a Russian

modern pentathlete The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event is inspired by the traditional pentathlon held during the anci ...

and Olympic Champion. He won a total of seven Olympic medals in modern pentathlon, more than any other player to date. He won four individual World Championships, and two gold medals as a member of the Soviet team.

Career

Lednyov competed in

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

and

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

, and won a total of two gold medals, two silver medals, and three bronze medals. Lednyov became Soviet champion in 1968 and qualified for the Summer Olympics in Mexico City. At his first Olympic games, he won an individual bronze medal, and a silver medal with the Soviet team, which consisted of Lednyov, Boris Onishchenko, and Stasys Šaparnis. In Munich in 1972, he won a silver medal in the individual competition, behind

András Balczó András Balczó (born 16 August 1938) is a retired Hungarian modern pentathlete. He competed at the 1960, 1968 and 1972 Olympics in the individual and team events and won three gold and two silver medal; he missed only one medal, finishing fourt ...

, and an Olympic gold medal in the team competition, together with Boris Onishchenko and

Vladimir Shmelyov Vladimir Konstantinovich Shmelyov (31 August 1946 – 14 June 2023) was a Soviet modern pentathlete and Olympic Champion. He competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where he won a gold medal in the team competition (together with Boris Oni ...

. In London in 1973, Lednyov became double World Champion, by winning the individual competition with 5,412 points, 145 points ahead of Shmelyov, and the Soviet team won the team competition before West Germany. In 1973 he also became a national champion for the second time. He became a double World Champion again in 1974, and in 1975 he became an individual World Champion for the third time. At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, he won an individual silver medal, behind gold winner

Janusz Pyciak-Peciak Janusz Gerard Pyciak-Peciak (born 9 February 1949) is a Polish modern pentathlete, Olympic champion and several times world champion. Olympics Pyciak-Peciak competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics. Four years later at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Mo ...

. In 1978 he became World Champion again, his fourth in the individual competition. At the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, he won an individual bronze medal, and also his second Olympic gold medal with the Soviet team, together with

Anatoli Starostin Anatoli Starostin (born 18 January 1960) is a former Soviet modern pentathlete and Olympic champion. Olympics Starostin competed for the Soviet Union at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, where he won an individual gold medal, and a team gold ...

and

Yevgeny Lipeyev Yevgeny Lipeyev (born 28 February 1958) is a former Soviet modern pentathlete and Olympic Champion. He competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, where he won a gold medal in the team competition (together with Anatoli Starostin and Pavel L ...

Awards

Lednyov was listed among the Soviet Union top ten athletes of the year by the ''Federation of Sports Journalists of the USSR'' in 1973 and 1975.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lednyov, Pavel 1943 births 2010 deaths Soviet male modern pentathletes Russian male modern pentathletes Olympic modern pentathletes for the Soviet Union Modern pentathletes at the 1968 Summer Olympics Modern pentathletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics Modern pentathletes at the 1976 Summer Olympics Modern pentathletes at the 1980 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union Olympic silver medalists for the Soviet Union Olympic bronze medalists for the Soviet Union Olympic medalists in modern pentathlon Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics World Modern Pentathlon Championships medalists Burials in Troyekurovskoye Cemetery Sportspeople from Nizhny Novgorod Sportspeople from Dnipro Ukrainian male modern pentathletes Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR