The Russian pitcher, who still holds the world record (86.74), died on Tuesday at the age of 66.
Athletics received with consternation on Tuesday the news of the death, at the age of 66, due to a heart attack, of a world record holder. From russian Yuriy Sedykh, which reigned historically in hammer throwing since the remote date of August 30, 1986, when, at the European Championship in Stuttgart, he launched the device at a distance of 86.74 meters.
Sedykh’s is one of those records from the 1980s that stands untouched atop the rnkings and they are subjected to eternal doubt, to widespread suspicion, to permanent discussion about its legality. Imposing marks achieved by necessarily superlative athletes, with their powers enhanced by doping. An insurmountable mixture and a generalized scourge, but which, in the countries of Eastern Europe, especially in the German Democratic Republic, has the character of a scientific and systematic state plot.
The launches accumulated and accumulate a good part of the benefits obtained thanks to the (presumed) collaboration of the pharmacopoeia. Since those 80s, the men’s hammer and discus, and the women’s weight and discus, have remained world records, apart from a flood of brands that are still among the best of all time. Grigory Rodchenkov, the doctor who fled Russia in 2017 and pulled up the carpets, accused Sedykh of taking anabolics. The athlete always denied it and attributed his successes to the refined technique that characterized him.
Only three turns
Indeed, Sedykh was noted for his impeccable technique. On dancer’s feet, it would spin three times instead of four because it was able to reach the maximum spin speed before the others. In addition, keep your arms ideally straight during these turns in a perfect balance in all phases of support. Sedykh needed this technique because, without, curiously, a visible muscular definition, he was physically shorter (1.85) and less heavy (102 kg) than the rest of hammermen, considered the “strong men” of athletics.
Sedykh empez a sonar in 1973 by winning the European junior title. He was trained by the former world record holder and Olympic gold in Munich72, Anatoliy Bondarchuk, who, however, remained active and to whom, in the Montreal Olympic final76, the student (gold) relegated to bronze, behind Alexei Spiridonov (silver). That triplet reflected a constant of those years: the Soviet dominance with Russians, Ukrainians (like Bondarchuk), Belarusians, Tajiks, etc., of the specialty.
Sedykh, yes, was a Russian, born in the town of Novocherkassk, near Rostov, on June 11, 1955. And there was never anywhere a better hammer thrower, king of an unrivaled school. Three times European champion and Olympic champion in Montreal76 and Moscow80, he missed the Los Angeles84 Games because of the eastern boycott in response to the western Moscow. He returned in Sel88 to reach silver in another Soviet triplet with Sergey Litvinov (Russian, gold) and Yri Tamm (Estonian, bronze).
Too high a barrier
Sedykh passed the 86 meters three times, setting three successive world records. Only he, also gold in the World Cup in Tokyo91 at the age of 36, and Litvinov (86.04 in 1986) have surpassed that barrier. He was married three times, two of them to Olympic champions: Lyudmila Kondratyeva, I gold in Moscow in the 100 meters, and Natalya Lisovskaya, gold at Sel88 in shot put and, in addition, current world record holder since 1987.
With his personal lights and shadows in a time of general shadows and lights, Yuriy Sedykh was a giant whose loss athletics mourns today.
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