Borys Onyshchenko

Borys Hryhorowytsch Onyschtschenko ( Ukrainian Борис Григорович Онищенко , Russian Борис Григорьевич Онищенко / Boris Grigorievich Onishchenko * 19th September 1937 in Beresnjaky , Poltava , Ukrainian SSR ) is a retired Ukrainian- Soviet modern pentathlete . Although he won silver with the team in 1972 as an Olympic champion and at the same individual games, as well as four years earlier with the team, he became famous in 1976 when he manipulated his fencing weapon and was disqualified at the modern Olympic pentathlon competition .

Onyshchenko was a member of the Soviet Army and first took part in the Olympic Games at the 1968 Summer Games. In the individual competition, he narrowly missed the medal ranks in fifth , but with the team he made second place and won his first silver medal.

A year later he became world champion with the team for the first time, which he was able to repeat in 1973 and 1974. He was also runner-up in the individual world championship in 1969. In 1970 he was runner-up with the team. His best year was 1971 when he became world champion in the individual ranking. At the 1972 Olympics , he started as a favorite. He won the competition with the team and came second in the individual standings.

At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal , he went back to the competition as a favorite. After show jumping , the USSR was in fourth place behind the British team. Since Onyshchenko was considered the best fencer in the field, the British had little hope of continuing after the meeting. First he met running specialist Adrian Parker , who complained that the hit display worked without touching it. Jeremy Fox , captain of the British, observed the duel and noticed that the hit light of the automatic system, despite a miss by almost 8 inches, came on. After a complaint from the British, it turned out that Onyshchenko's sword had been manipulated in such a way that it could arbitrarily close the circuit using a small button on the weapon. As a result, Onyshchenko was disqualified. The Soviet team lost their team gold medal believed to be safe. There was wild speculation about Onyshchenko's further fate. According to a report by the British Guardian , Onyshchenko was flown back to the Soviet Union while the competition was still ongoing. After his return, he is said to have been quoted before party leader Leonid Brezhnev , who had given him a sermon. Furthermore, he was dishonorably discharged from the Red Army . In addition, all sporting awards are said to have been stripped of him and he had to pay a fine of 5000 rubles. Subsequently, he is said to have made a living as a taxi driver in his hometown of Kiev for a while. It is true that he ended his sporting career. According to reports from some athletes close to him, he is said to have been rehabilitated a few months after this incident and to have resumed his work within the Soviet army. After a professional career in the Kiev sports administration, he now lives as a pensioner in Kiev. The British pentathlete Jeremy Fox , who uncovered the scandal, is said to have been seriously affected by the fate of Onyshchenko, a long-time athletic companion of the Englishman, during the 1976 Olympic competition, which had a negative effect on his performance in the subsequent disciplines. Nevertheless, the British team was able to win the Olympic team gold medal on the last day of the competition, helped by the elimination of the Soviet Russians, but even more by the extraordinary mileage of Adrian Parker.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.gbrathletics.com/sport/pent.htm
2. ↑ Simon Burnton: 50 stunning Olympic moments No18: Boris Onischenko, GB wins gold . The Guardian . the 14th of March. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
3. ^ Andy Archibald: Modern Pentathlon - A Centenary History: 1912-2012 , Grosvenor House Publishing 2012, ISBN 978-1-78148-756-3 , pp. 237, 245
4. ^ Archibald: Modern Pentathlon , p. 232ff.