Oleksandr Valentynovych Apaychev (Russian: Александр Валентинович Апайчев; Ukrainian: Олександр Валентинович Апайчев; born 6 May 1961)[1][2] is a former Soviet Ukrainian decathlete. His personal best score of 8709 points is the current Ukrainian record and ranks 16th on the world all-time list. He placed second at the 1986 Goodwill Games and competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics, but failed to finish due to a leg infection. In 2009 he was named as head coach of Ukraine's national athletics team.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | ||
Representing  Soviet Union
| ||
| Goodwill Games | ||
 |
1986 Moscow | Decathlon |
Career
editApaychev scored his personal best, 8709 points, at the 1984 Soviet Union-East Germany dual meet in Neubrandenburg.[3] At the time, it was a Soviet record; as of 2014, it remains the Ukrainian national record and places him 16th on the world all-time list.[4] Apaychev couldn't compete at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles due to the Soviet-led boycott; instead, he took part in the Friendship Games in Moscow.[3] At the Friendship Games he was on good pace after the first day, but a poor showing in the seventh event, discus throw, killed his chances for a good result, and he eventually fell out of the medals.[3] Track & Field News ranked him fourth in the world that year, behind Olympic top two Daley Thompson and Jürgen Hingsen and Friendship Games gold medallist Grigoriy Degtyaryev.[5]
Apaychev's Achilles tendon was operated at the end of 1984 and he took some time to regain top shape.[3] In 1986 he placed fifth at the European Championships in Stuttgart and won silver at the Goodwill Games in Moscow.[1][3] He was in good shape in 1988 and was one of the favorites for the Summer Olympics in Seoul, but a leg infection spoiled his chances[3] and he gave up without finishing even the first event, 100 metres.[6] The infection effectively ended his career, as he took more than a year to recover; he attempted a comeback in 1990, but injured himself and retired from competition.[3]
Apaychev has remained active in the sport as a coach. Between 2001 and 2005 he served as a coach in Qatar, coaching among others Qatari decathlon record holder Ahmad Hassan Moussa.[7] In 2009 he was named as head coach of Ukraine's national team.[8]
Personal life
editApaychev is married to former athlete Tetyana Khamitova.[6][9]
References
edit- ^ a b Oleksandr Apaychev at Tilastopaja (registration required)
- ^ Oleksandr Apaychev at World Athletics
- ^ a b c d e f g Александр АПАЙЧЕВ: "Тренер - это фокусник и гипнотизер" (in Russian). 31 May 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ^ Jalava, Mirko. "World Alltime Top 30". Tilastopaja. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ^ "World Rankings — Men's Decathlon" (PDF). Track & Field News. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Oleksandr Apaichev Bio, Stats and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ^ Александр Апайчев: Если ученик верит тренеру, ни один психолог не нужен (in Russian). 15 June 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ^ Олександр Апайчев: «Почнемо із жорсткої дисципліни.» (in Ukrainian). Ukrainian Athletics Federation. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ^ Самоленко и Апайчев женились через 21 год после знакомства (in Russian). 15 April 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
