Leonid Wassiljewitsch Spirin

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Leonid Wassiljewitsch Spirin ( Russian Леонид Васильевич Спирин ; born June 21, 1932 in Schaworonki , Moscow Oblast , Russia ; † February 23, 1982 ) was a Russian walker and Olympic champion who competed for the Soviet Union.

At the Olympic Games in 1956 , instead of 10 km walking, 20 km walking was held for the first time . Leonid Spirin won the competition in 1:31:27 h, ahead of his teammates Antanas Mikėnas (1:32:03 h) and Bruno Junk (1:32:12 h). Fourth was the Swede John Ljunggren (1:32:24 h) ahead of the Briton Stan Vickers (1:32:34 h).

Two years later, Leonid Spirin won silver in 1:35:04 h at the European Championships in 1958 . Gold won Vickers, who however had a clear lead with 1:33:09 h after his immediate pursuers Bruno Junk and Dieter Lindner from the GDR were disqualified shortly before the finish.

literature

  • Ekkehard zur Megede: The Modern Olympic Century 1896-1996 Track and Fields Athletics. Berlin 1999 (published by the German Society for Athletics Documentation eV )