Mykola Smaha
Nikolai Jakowljewitsch Smaga ( Russian: Николай Яковлевич Смага, Ukrainian: Mykola Smaha , born August 22, 1938 in Bobrowo , Sumy Oblast ; † March 28, 1981 in Kiev ) was a Ukrainian walker who ran for the Soviet Union. With a height of 1.80 m, his competition weight was 74 kg.
Nikolai Smaga was one of the best walkers in the world in the 1960s and early 1970s.
He received his first international medal at the European Championships in Budapest in 1966 , when he won bronze in the 20 km walk behind Dieter Lindner from the GDR and his compatriot Volodymyr Holubnytschyj . At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City , he also won bronze behind Holubnytschyj and the local hero José Pedraza . Smaga also won bronze at the European Championships in Athens in 1969 , this time behind the Englishman Paul Nihill and the Romanian Leonida Caraiosifoglu .
In Helsinki at the European Championships in 1971 , he won his most important title when he crossed the finish line with a narrow margin over Gerhard Sperling from the GDR and Paul Nihill. In 1:27:20 h he improved Dieter Lindner's championship record by over two minutes. At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich , he missed his second Olympic medal by one minute in fifth.
He set his best time in the 20 km walk of 1:25:49 h in 1968.
literature
- ATFS (Ed.): USSR Athletics Statistics. London 1988
- Ekkehard zur Megede : The Modern Olympic Century 1896–1996. Track and Field Athletics. German Society for Athletics Documentation eV, Neuss 1999.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Smaha, Mykola |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Smaga, Nikolai; Smaga, Nikolai Jakowljewitsch (full name); Смага, Николай Яковлевич (Russian) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | soviet athlete |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 22, 1938 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bobrowo , Sumy Oblast |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 28, 1981 |
| Place of death | Kiev |