Viktor Ivanovich Kosichkin (russian: Виктор Иванович Косичкин; 25 February 1938 – 30 March 2012) was a

speed skater Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating. ...

who competed for the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. Kosichkin trained 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 ...

. He participated in the

1960 Winter Olympics The 1960 Winter Olympics (officially the VIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Squaw Valley 1960) were a winter multi-sport event held from February 18 to 28, 1960, at the Squaw Valley Resort (now known as Palisades Tahoe) in Squaw Vall ...

in Squaw Valley. On the 5000 m, held on his 22nd birthday, he won gold, while the silver medal went to his major rival,

Knut Johannesen Knut ("Kupper'n") Johannesen (born 6 November 1933) is a former speed skater from Norway. Biography Born in Oslo and representing the skating club ASK (''Arbeidernes Skøyteklubb'' – later called ''Aktiv Skøyteklubb'') Johannesen won the Wor ...

. On the 10000 m two days later, the roles were reversed, with Johannesen winning gold and Kosichkin silver. The next year (1961), Kosichkin became Soviet and European Allround Champion, while winning silver at the World Allround Championships (behind

Henk van der Grift Hendrik ("Henk") van der Grift (born 25 December 1935) is a retired Dutch speed skater. At the 1960 Winter Olympics van der Grift finished 10th on the 500 m and fell on the 1500 m. Not satisfied with training facilities in the Nether ...

). In 1962 he was not selected to be on the Soviet team for the European Championships and he damaged his skates in anger. His friend Yevgeny Grishin gave him an old pair of skates and Kosichkin became World Champion on these. 1963 was not a good year for Kosichkin, winning no major medals and finishing only 15th at the Soviet Allround Championships. In 1964, he once more won silver behind Johannesen at the World Allround Championships. He also participated in the 5000 m and the 10000 m at the

1964 Winter Olympics The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games (german: IX. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 ( bar, Innschbruck 1964, label=Austro-Bavarian), was a winter multi-sport event which was celebr ...

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

, but he did not win any medals. He was Soviet Champion on the 5000 m in 1958, 1960, 1961 and 1962, and on the 10000 m in 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964 and 1965. Kosichkin's highest ranking on the Adelskalender, the all-time allround speed skating ranking, was a third place.

Medals

An overview of medals won by Kosichkin at important championships, listing the years in which he won each:

External links

Viktor Kosichkin at SkateResults.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kosichkin, Viktor 1938 births 2012 deaths People from Rybnovsky District Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Dynamo sports society athletes Medalists at the 1960 Winter Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union Olympic medalists in speed skating Olympic silver medalists for the Soviet Union Olympic speed skaters of the Soviet Union Speed skaters at the 1960 Winter Olympics Speed skaters at the 1964 Winter Olympics World Allround Speed Skating Championships medalists Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Russian male speed skaters Soviet colonels Soviet male speed skaters Burials in Troyekurovskoye Cemetery