Sergei Ivanovich Kovalenko

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sergei Ivanovich Kovalenko ( Russian Сергей Иванович Коваленко ; born August 11, 1947 in Lüshunkou ; † November 18, 2004 in Kiev ) was a Soviet basketball player who was Olympic gold medalist in 1968 and Olympic champion in 1972.

Athletic career

Kowalenko was born in China when Lüshunkou was under Soviet administration after World War II . He began his basketball career at Burewestnik Tbilisi. From 1969 to 1975 he played with BK Budiwelnyk Kiev , then with PBK CSKA Moscow . With CSKA Moscow, the 2.16 m tall center was several times Soviet champions.

In 1966 Kovalenko was with the selection of the USSR Junior European Champion. From this team from 1966 with Alexander Boloschew , Micheil Korkia , Sergei Kowalenko and Anatolij Polywoda four players became 1972 Olympic champions.

Kowalenko's first major tournament with the Soviet national team was the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. The team from the USSR won their preliminary group before the Brazilians . In the semifinals, the Soviet team lost to the Yugoslavs with 62:63, in the final bronze game they defeated the Brazilians with 70:53. Kowalenko threw 42 points in eight games. The following year, the Soviet team reached the final of the European Championship in Italy in 1969 and won 81:72 against the Yugoslavs. Kowalenko scored 19 points in six games. The 1970 World Cup took place in Yugoslavia and for the first time on the European continent. Six teams qualified through the preliminary round, Yugoslavia as host was set for the final round in Ljubljana. The Yugoslavs won the title, behind the Brazilians the players from the Soviet Union received the bronze medal. Kowalenko scored 50 points in nine games.

Up to and including 1968, Olympic basketball tournaments were always won by the United States team. At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, the US team won their preliminary group and the Soviet team won the second preliminary group without defeat. Both teams also won their semi-finals and met in the final on September 9th. The Americans switched to a very defensive tactic, but were still behind at half-time with 21:26. The American Doug Collins scored six seconds before the end and put his team 50:49 in front . Then the final siren sounded. After protests by the Soviet team, the clock was set to three seconds remaining and in the last three seconds Iwan Jadeschka passed the ball to Alexander Below , who scored the goal for 51:50. Now the Americans protested, but the jury confirmed the victory of the Soviet team. Kowalenko threw 18 points in seven games, he was not used in the final. Kowalenko's last major tournament with the national team was the 1973 European Championships in Spain, when he received another bronze medal. In six games he scored 45 points.

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Listed in 1966 at archive.fiba.com
  2. ↑ Volker Kluge : Olympic Summer Games. The Chronicle III. Mexico City 1968 - Los Angeles 1984. Sportverlag Berlin, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-328-00741-5 . Pp. 140 to 143
  3. ↑ Player statistics from the 1968 Olympic Games at archive.fiba.com
  4. ↑ Medal winner at the European basketball championships at sport-komplett.de
  5. ↑ Player statistics of the EM 1969 at archive.fiba.com
  6. ↑ Medal winner at basketball world championships at sport-komplett.de
  7. ↑ Player statistics from the 1970 World Cup at archive.fiba.com
  8. ↑ Volker Kluge : Olympic Summer Games. The Chronicle III. Mexico City 1968 - Los Angeles 1984. Sportverlag Berlin, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-328-00741-5 . Pp. 358 to 360 and pp. 432f, notes 652 and 655
  9. ↑ Player statistics from the 1972 Olympic Games at archive.fiba.com
  10. ↑ Player statistics of the European Championship 1973 at archive.fiba.com
personal data
SURNAME Kovalenko, Sergei Ivanovich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Коваленко, Сергей Иванович (Russian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION soviet basketball player
DATE OF BIRTH August 11, 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH Lüshunkou
DATE OF DEATH November 18, 2004
Place of death Kiev