Sport is not just about keeping fit. For a certain category of people, sport is a matter of their whole life, a matter to which they devote themselves from beginning to end. The reasons may be different - the desire to prove the greatness of human capabilities, the fight for one’s country, self-improvement, and finally, simply an incredible will to win. In this article we will talk about the most famous athletes on the planet.
There is perhaps no other name in the world that is so strongly associated with enormous physical strength as the name Ivan Poddubny. This legendary weightlifter was born in the Poltava region, in the small village of Krasionivka in 1871. His father and mother were hereditary Cossacks and put honor above all else. In the entire village, Ivan’s father, Maxim Poddubny, was the strongest and surprised his fellow villagers with his capabilities. The son took after his father and by the age of 17 he could move five-pound bags 
with grain and unbend horseshoes. At the age of twenty, Ivan left the village to work in the Sevastopol port, where he got a job as a loader. For his unprecedented strength and enormous height, everyone in the port respectfully called him Ivan the Great. In 1895 Poddubny moved to Feodosia and began serious training in kettlebell lifting and wrestling. Already in 98 he won his first victory in the Truzzi Circus championship. In 1903, Ivan Poddubny joined the St. Petersburg athletic society and in the same year went to the World Championships in Paris. There he loses to Raoul le Boucher, who performed several techniques prohibited by the rules. However, the following year, Poddubny restored justice, defeating Le Boucher in the Moscow Ciniselli Circus.
Ivan Poddubny retained his strength for such a long time thanks to regular training, which included weight training, training wrestling and hardening, as well as due to proper nutrition. The fact that Poddubny never drank alcohol or smoked cigarettes also played a role. He won all his major victories not so much by force as by good tactics. For more than twenty-five years, Poddubny was a true champion of champions, a symbol of invincible strength.
Today, even people who are as far from basketball as possible have heard the name at least a couple of times Michael Jordan. This great basketball player not only showed amazing athletic results - he turned the entire basketball world upside down, and it was thanks to him that the NBA, and basketball in general, became known in many countries around the world. Michael began his professional career at the University of North Carolina in the early eighties. Having won the NCAA in '82 with the team, Michael moved to the Chicago Bulls. Since that time, Jordan's popularity has been gaining momentum very quickly and he soon became a real NBA star. His scoring and jumping ability earned him the nickname "Air Jordan". During that period, Michael secured the title of the best basketball defender that has ever existed. For three years, starting in 91, Michael, as part of the Chicago team, won all the NBA championships. In 1993, unexpectedly for everyone, he left basketball due to the death of his father. During this period, Michael tries his hand at baseball, but nothing comes of it. And at 95, he makes a triumphant return, after which he brings the Chicago Bulls three more victories in the NBA championship in 1996, 1997 and 1998. At the same time, Michael managed to set an absolute NBA record for matches won during the season - 72 victories. Jordan retired again in 1999, but returned again in 2001, but this time as a member of the Washington Wizards. Among other things, Jordan is a two-time Olympic winner (1984 and 1992) and is the only one who, along with these titles, managed to win the title of NBA champion and the most valuable player of the season.
The most famous football player in the world, the famous one, is the only three-time FIFA World Cup champion. His real name is Edson Arantes di Nascimento and he was born in 1940 in Brazil. Edson's family was very poor, and football was the boy's favorite pastime. His father, a former football player, taught Pele the basics and told him a few professional secrets. At the age of seven, the boy was accepted into the local youth team. Subsequently, Pele delighted everyone with his spectacular and effective attacking play. For some period of time, the coach of this team was Valdemar de Brito - former member the Brazilian national team, which determined Pele’s future. Valdemar arranged a trial for the young football player at the little-known Santos football club. This is how Pele entered the world of professional sports. At the age of 15, the first official match took place in which Pele took part. It was a match against Corinthians and Pele managed to score a goal. Over the next two years, he was repeatedly awarded the title of top scorer - in 1958 he scored 58 goals.
Pele made his debut in the national team in 1958, at the World Cup in Sweden. His play created a real sensation and led the team to victory. As a result, Pele became not just the best player, according to spectators, experts and opponents, but also the youngest world champion, because at that time he was only 17 years old. During all his games for the national team, Pele scored 72 goals against the enemy - a football achievement that remains unsurpassed to this day. His unique technique and the mastery of improvisation combined with well-practiced strikes radically changed the traditional attitude towards football. Many consider Pele not just a football player, but a real grandmaster who manages to calculate every step and make the right decisions with lightning speed. At the same time, the legendary football player paid great attention to the work of the team as a whole, believing that more than one victory cannot be won alone. True, Pele to some extent refuted this statement when, in 1961, at the Maracanã stadium, he alone beat the entire Fluminense team and scored a goal that is now commonly called the “goal of the century.”
The list of the greatest athletes of Russia and the USSR opens with Olympic and world champion, gymnast Larisa Latynina. She has 18 Olympic medals. Today she occupies an honorable second place in the team table of multiple Olympic winners.
Born in 1934 into a simple family. My father died at the front. The mother raised her daughter alone. Larisa's childhood dream was to become a ballerina. From the fifth grade I began attending the school gymnastics section. From that time on, her success in sports began.
The first gold medal was won at the world championship in 1954 in Rome, as part of the USSR national team. This was the start of her career.
The Olympics in Melbourne, Rome and Tokyo added 18 medals to the collection, 9 of them of the highest value. At the 1958 championship in Moscow, Latynina competed in her fifth month of pregnancy. And she showed amazing results - 5 first and 1 second place. But even after the birth of the child, Larisa did not lose her victorious grip. European and World Championships bring new prizes.
From 1966 to 1977, Latynina was the senior coach of the national team and more than once led the team to victory.
Now the legendary gymnast, a happy wife and mother, helps raise two grandchildren and runs the household (rabbits, pigs, sheep).
The documentaries “Monologue” (2007) and “Legends of Sports” (2017) tell about the achievements and life of the famous athlete.
At the Olympians' Ball in 2000, Larisa Semyonovna Latynina was included in the TOP 10 “Best Russian Athletes of the Twentieth Century.”
Yuri Vardanyan
The best Russian weightlifters want to achieve the results of multiple USSR, European and world champion Yuri Vardanyan, winner of the Moscow Olympics in the weight category up to 82.5 kg. He has 43 records.
The gold of the next Olympic Games went to another weightlifter, but only because, according to the political leadership of the USSR, no one took part in the championship. At the “Friendship-84” competition, Vardanyan lifted 50 kg more than the Olympic Games winner, Romanian Petre Bekeru.
The record set by Yuri for the sum of two exercises: snatch and clean and jerk (405 kg) was surpassed only in 1993, when the new registration international achievements in connection with the revision of the boundaries of weight categories.
A talented person, a recognized weightlifter, also had great inclinations for athletics. With a small height of 171 cm, he jumped more than 2 m in height, and ran the 30-meter dash in less than 11 seconds.
The head of the International Weightlifting Federation, Golfried Schedl, shocked by the results of Yuri Vardanyan at the Olympics, said that this was fantastic.
According to Vardanyan himself, one of the greatest athletes in Russia and the USSR, the secret of his victories is “uncontrollable will.”
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The great athlete of Russia, Alexander Karelin, lost only two fights in his entire sporting career and won more than 800 victories. Fighter classic style, multiple champion of the USSR, Russia, CIS, Europe and the world. The Olympic Games brought him one silver and three gold medals. Awarded the title of best athlete Russian Federation and the world, became one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century.
His favorite technique is the “reverse belt”, which only Alexander Karelin could perform in the heavyweight division.
In 1999, a duel took place between Karelin and Maeda, where Alexander used only classical wrestling techniques, and Akira from Japan used mixed martial arts techniques. The result of the fight is a victory on points for the legendary Russian wrestler. At the end of the bout, the Japanese wrestler could not move independently due to fatigue.
At the beginning of the 21st century, Alexander Karelin goes into politics.
The qualifying tournament for the World and European Championships in Greco-Roman Wrestling for boys aged 15-16 is named after Karelin.
Alexander Popov is rightfully considered one of the best Russian athletes in the history of swimming. He has 48 medals, 31 of which are of the highest value. Multiple European and world champion, winner of the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney. In 1996 he was awarded the title of best athlete of the Russian Federation.
The sad story is connected with the assassination attempt on Alexander, when he was stabbed in the left side and hit on the head with a stone. Complications were avoided thanks to the swimmer’s trained body, although his lung and kidney were punctured. After this incident, Popov returned to professional sports and received silver at the Sydney Olympics.
The International Swimming Federation recognized Popov as the best swimmer of the last decade of the 20th century.
Natalya Ishchenko won 12 times at the European Championships, 19 times at the World Championships, and received five Olympic gold medals. The first synchronized swimmer to reach the highest step of the podium four times at the European Championships in Budapest for all disciplines (solo, duet, group, combination).
The famous synchronized swimmer partly owes her success to her first mentor. They didn’t want to take Natalya into the section, considering her natural abilities not good enough for serious swimming.
According to the FSJR, she was chosen as the best athlete in 2009, 2011 and 2012, and the European Swimming League awarded Natalia the title of “Best Synchronized Swimmer” for three years in a row from 2009 to 2011.
The famous goalkeeper Lev Yashin is one of the outstanding athletes of Russia of the 20th century. One of the founders of the style of play throughout the penalty area, he became the first to knock the ball out in acute situations.
Born in 1929, in the second half of the Great Patriotic War worked at a factory. While serving in the army, the Dynamo coach drew attention to Yashin. Since 1953, Lev has taken first place in goal. He received the nickname “Black Panther” for the color of his uniform and physical characteristics. But the basis of his success lies in his ability to guess the enemy’s further actions.
The International Football Federation organized a special prize named after the famous goalkeeper.
Lev Yashin is the best goalkeeper of the 20th century according to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics and the International Football Federation, the only goalkeeper to win the Golden Ball award.
Great Russian winter sports athletes such as Lyubov Egorova deserve special mention. Repeated medalist of world championships, conquering Olympus six times.
The peak of her career was between 1991-1994. The Olympic Games in Albertville and Lillehammer, international competitions in Val di Fiemme and Falun brought 15 medals, of which 9 were of the highest rank.
After the birth of her son in 1995, successes were no longer so bright. But the first places at the World Cup stage remain with Lyubov. At the world championship, the stimulant bromantane was found in her blood, followed by a two-year disqualification. Egorova was no longer able to stand on the first step of the podium. And in 2003, the famous skier ends her performances and begins to engage in politics.
Elena Isinbaeva joined the ranks of great Russian athletes in the pole vault discipline. She has 12 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals. Three-time Olympic medalist, took prizes at the World and European Championships, won the World Cup in 2006.
At competitions, Elena took the warm-up height first, the next attempt was as high as needed to win, and the final attempt was the record level. The wrapping of the poles was specially made in different colors: pink for the first jump, blue for the second, gold for the third.
Isinbayeva was excluded from the Olympic reserve; they did not see her as a future medalist. But the first coach considered that pole vaulting, given her high stature and gymnastics background, should give good performance. His hopes were justified; Elena, in gratitude for the “start in life,” gave A. Lisovoy an apartment.
According to the Laureus World Sports Award, Isinbayeva was named athlete of the year for five years in a row from 2005 to 2009.
The famous saber fencer Stanislav Pozdnyakov can rightfully be called one of the great athletes at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries in Russia. Prize-winner of the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and Athens, won multiple world championships, won 13 gold and 4 bronze medals at European championships. The World Cup was in the hands of Pozdnyakov five times, and Stanislav became the champion of our country in individual competitions the same number of times.
Pozdnyakov himself calls his coming to fencing a fortunate coincidence of circumstances. Before that, he was involved in swimming, but he didn’t really like it, Stanislav decided to try his hand at football. He was lucky - the first sign that caught his eye was a sign about recruiting Olympic fencing reserves to the school.
Since 2008, Stanislav Pozdnyakov has coached our country’s national fencing team, and since May 2018 he has headed the Olympic Committee of the Russian Federation.
In 1998 he founded the Vladislav Tretyak International Sports Academy Foundation, designed to develop and support national sports.
In 2006, he was elected head of the Russian Hockey Federation. Winner of the honorary sign “Public Recognition”, in 2011 became a deputy of the State Duma, member of the Committee on physical culture, sports and youth affairs. In 2016, he was re-elected (health committee).
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The USSR and Russia have always been famous for their sporting achievements.
Ours have always been the fastest, strongest, smartest and most resilient.
In this article I would like to mention those heroes of Soviet and Russian sports who live in my memory to this day.
Unfortunately, this resource is not enough to write here about all the outstanding athletes of my homeland, please do not be offended by this.
The best athletes of the USSR and Russia
Of course, the No. 1 sport in the USSR was hockey.
The legendary top five of the USSR national hockey team - Fetisov, Kasatonov, Krutov, Larionov and Makarov. They also formed the first link of the CSKA team.
It is also necessary to mention here the legendary goalkeeper of the USSR national hockey team - Vladislav Tretyak. When he stood at the goal, ours always won!
Separately, I would like to remember legend No. 17 - Valery Kharlamov. Perhaps the best hockey player of all time. On August 27, 1981, an accident occurred that led to his death.
Among modern Russian hockey players, I would like to mention Ovechkin, Malkin, and Bure.
Figure skating.
One of the strongest figure skaters in world figure skating.
The name of Irina Rodnina is the first to appear when figure skating is mentioned. The figure skater earned such recognition thanks to her outstanding career, during which she became an Olympic champion three times in 1972, 1976 and 1980 and won the USSR Championship 6 times in 1970-1971, 1973-1975 and 1977.
In addition, Rodnina also won the European Championship eleven times in 1969–1978 and 1980 and the World Championship 10 times in 1969–1978.
Irina Konstantinovna holds a unique record. From 1969 to 1980, she and her partners did not lose a single competition in which they took part.
Evgeniy Viktorovich Plushenko (born November 3, 1982, Solnechny, Khabarovsk Territory, RSFSR, USSR) is a Russian figure skater who competed in men's singles skating. Honored Master of Sports of Russia. Two-time Olympic champion (2006 in single skating, 2014 in team competition), two-time Olympic silver medalist (2002 and 2010), three-time world champion (2001, 2003, 2004), seven-time European champion
Pole vaulting.
The first athlete in the world who was able to reach a height of more than 6 meters!
Elena Isinbaeva
Two-time Olympic champion among women (2004, 2008), winner of the bronze medal for women at the 2012 Olympic Games. Three-time world champion outdoors and 4-time world indoor champion among women, European champion both outdoors and indoors among women.
Long jump
Russian track and field athlete, who competed in the long jump and triple jump, 2004 Olympic champion in the long jump, multiple world, European and Russian champion.
Basketball.
Arvydas Romas Andreevich Sabonis (lit. Arvydas Romas Sabonis; born December 19, 1964 in Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR) is a Soviet and Lithuanian professional basketball player, Olympic champion in 1988, world and European champion as part of the USSR national team. One of the strongest centers in the world in the 1980s and 1990s. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1985)
Volleyball.
Russian volleyball player, national team player in 1999-2012 and 2014, two-time world champion. Honored Master of Sports of Russia. The best athlete of Russia in 2010. Torchbearer at the opening ceremony of the 2013 World Summer Universiade in Kazan
Football.
Lev Ivanovich Yashin (October 22, 1929, Moscow - March 20, 1990, Moscow) - Soviet football player, goalkeeper, who played for Dynamo Moscow and the USSR national team. Olympic champion in 1956 and European champion in 1960, 5-time champion of the USSR, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1957). Hero of Socialist Labor (1990). Colonel, member of the CPSU since 1958. The best goalkeeper of the 20th century according to FIFA, IFFIS, World Soccer, France Football and Placar.
Andrey Arshavin and Alexander Kerzhakov
Legendary football players of St. Petersburg Zenit, who made millions of people and the whole city - St. Petersburg - fall in love with Russian football again.
Skis.
Lyubov Ivanovna Egorova (born May 5, 1966, Seversk, Tomsk region, RSFSR, USSR) - Soviet and Russian skier, 6-time Olympic champion, 3-time world champion, World Cup winner (1993), Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1991 ), Honored Master of Sports of Russia, Hero of the Russian Federation (1994, “for outstanding achievements in sports, courage and heroism shown at the XVII Winter Olympic Games in 1994”)
Raisa Petrovna Smetanina (born February 29, 1952, village of Mokhcha, Komi ASSR) is a famous Soviet skier, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1976). Winner of the 1980/81 World Cup (unofficial World Cup), 4-time Olympic champion, 4-time world champion, multiple champion of the USSR. One of the most successful racers in the history of skiing.
Biathlon.
Evgeny Ustyugov
Two-time Olympic champion (mass start 2010 and relay 2014), bronze medalist of the Olympic Games as part of the relay (2010). Two-time silver medalist at the 2011 World Championship, winner of the Small World Cup in mass start (2009-2010).
Came to biathlon in 1997. He made his debut in the Russian national team in the 2006-2007 season, competed at the International Biathlon Union Cup, and has competed in the World Cup since the 2008-2009 season.
On April 5, 2014, at the Race of Champions in Moscow, he announced his retirement from his sports career.
A great athlete who defeated Norwegian "asthmatics".
Skating
Soviet speed skater, the only 6-time Olympic champion in the history of speed skating, absolute champion of the 1964 Olympics in Innsbruck.
The sports nickname is “Ural Lightning.”
Two-time Olympic champion in 1960 (1500 and 3000 m).
4-time Olympic champion 1964.
Two-time absolute world champion (1963, 1964).
World record holder at distances of 1000 m (1963–1968), 1500 m (1960–1962) and 3000 m (1967).
Bobsleigh and arm wrestling
Russian bobsledder and arm wrestler, 2006 Olympic silver medalist in fours, 2010 Olympic bronze medalist in doubles, 2011 world champion in doubles.
Before switching to bobsleigh, he became a three-time world champion and three-time winner of the World Cup (Nemiroff) among professional arm wrestling
Swimming.
Alexander Vladimirovich Popov (born November 16, 1971, Sverdlovsk-45, Sverdlovsk region, RSFSR) - Soviet and Russian swimmer, four-time Olympic champion, six-time world champion, 21-time European champion, one of the dominant swimmers at the world level in the 1990s.
Vladimir Valerievich Salnikov (May 21, 1960, Leningrad, USSR) - Soviet swimmer, 4-time Olympic champion, multiple world and European champion and world record holder. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1978), a graduate of the Ekran sports school (St. Petersburg), played for CSKA. Since February 2010 - President of the All-Russian Swimming Federation.
Larisa Dmitrievna Ilchenko (born November 18, 1988 in Volgograd, USSR) is a Russian swimmer, the first ever Olympic champion at a distance of 10 km ( open water), the only 8-time world champion in the history of Russian women's swimming. Honored Master of Sports of Russia (2006). He plays for CSKA. Lives and trains in Volgograd.
On April 29, 2010, Larisa Ilchenko was recognized as the best athlete of the first decade of the 21st century in open water.
Classical wrestling (Greco-Roman)
Alexander Aleksandrovich Karelin (born September 19, 1967, Novosibirsk) - Soviet and Russian athlete, classical (Greco-Roman) style wrestler, statesman and political figure, deputy State Duma five convocations. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1988), Hero of the Russian Federation (1997).
He is included in the Guinness Book of Records as an athlete who has not lost a single fight for thirteen years.
Freestyle wrestling
One of the most titled freestyle wrestlers in history. Three-time Olympic champion (1996, 2004, 2008), six-time world champion (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005), six-time European champion (1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006), four-time Russian champion, seven-time winner of the Krasnoyarsk tournament in memory of Ivan Yarygin, winner of the 1998 Goodwill Games, Honored Master of Sports of Russia (1995).
Mixed Martial Arts
9-time world champion!
Boxing
Soviet, Russian and Australian boxer, three-time champion of the USSR (1989-1991), two-time European champion (1989, 1991) and world champion (1991) among amateurs, absolute world champion (according to WBC/WBA/IBF) among professionals. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1991). Outstanding boxer of the USSR (1991).
The best position in the Pound for Pound ranking is 3 (2004).
Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (2011).
Chess.
Some of the greatest chess players in the world.
Rhythmic gymnastics.
The great gymnast of the USSR, the most titled athlete in the world until 2012!
2004 Olympic champion in the individual all-around and bronze medalist of the 2000 Olympic Games in the individual all-around. Two-time absolute world champion (1999 and 2003). Five-time absolute European champion (1998-2000, 2002, 2004). Six-time absolute champion of Russia (1999-2001, 2004, 2006-2007). Honored Master of Sports of Russia.
Artistic gymnastics.
Russian gymnast, two-time Olympic champion in parallel bars (1996, 2000), 9-time world champion, including three times in the absolute championship and five times in the parallel bars, and 13-time European champion (three times in the absolute championship). Honored Master of Sports of Russia (1995)
Alexey Nemov Sharapova
Among our tennis players, of course, we remember Anna Kournikova, Elena Dementieva, Anastasia Myskina and, of course, Maria Sharapova.
They would certainly be the best in the world if American women, according to their new rules of the game, were not officially allowed to dope...
Cycling
Vyacheslav Ekimov
Soviet and Russian cyclist, three-time Olympic champion. World record holder at distances of 4, 5, 10, 20 km and in the hour race since 1985. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1986). The best cyclist of the 20th century in Russia.
Synchronized swimming.
Maria Kiseleva is one of the most titled Russian synchronized swimmers. The list of the best synchronized swimming athletes can be continued indefinitely - after all, the Russians are all the best here.
Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Ermakova
Kirill Sarychev
Russian powerlifter, record-breaking weightlifter. President of the World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF). International master of sports in powerlifting and bench press. Absolute Russian, European and World record holder for bench press without equipment; in super heavyweight - 335 kg and powerlifting - 1100 kg.
Weightlifting.
Soviet weightlifter, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1970), Honored Coach of the USSR (1991), two-time Olympic champion (1972, 1976), eight-time world champion (1970-1977), eight-time European champion (1970-1975, 1977-1978), seven-time champion of the USSR (1970-1976).
Let me conclude this list of our greatest athletes.
If you think that someone should definitely be added here, write to the email indicated in the contacts. We will be happy to listen to your wishes!
In the last century there was a great army of Soviet athletes. These people fought courageously for victories, bringing joy to their fans, raising the prestige of the country, and developing Soviet sports. All of them were idols of youth of that time. Remembering famous athletes, one cannot help but mention the main events in sports life of the Soviet period.
The main achievements of the athletes were, of course, the Olympic Games. The Soviet Union took part in the Olympic Games for the first time in 1952, at the Helsinki Olympics. In those games, the Soviet country won 22 gold medals, 30 silver and 19 bronze.
The first Olympic medalist – Nina Apollonovna Ponomareva-Romashkova
The first gold medal of the USSR was won by Nina Apollonovna Ponomareva - Romashkova. The athlete began her sports career in running disciplines, and later became interested in discus throwing. Immediately after the games in Helsinki, the gold medalist set a world record in discus throwing - the throw range was then 53 meters 61 centimeters. Later in Nina’s sports career there were many victories, including new records. Since 1966, Nina Apollonovna switched to coaching, preparing growing athletes for new victories. 
On the ice arena. Irina Rodnina
Hockey team players and figure skating representatives brought many victories to the Soviet Union. At world competitions, Soviet athletes had no equal on the ice in terms of strength and skill. Irina Rodnina has become famous among figure skating masters since 1963, performing at all-Union youth competitions. From 1964 to 1969, life on the ice was not easy for Irina. Under the guidance of coach S.A. Zhuk, who complicated the program many times, with his partner Alexei Ulanov, Irina went to the European Championship. The couple took first place in free skating, and Irina received the title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR.
For her victory at the Olympics in 1972, Rodnina was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. On the eve of the performance, the athlete suffered a traumatic brain injury during training, but she did not give up the performance and overcame her painful condition. Since the fall of 1972, Irina began performing in tandem with Alexander Zaitsev. Figure skating fans will remember this duo for a long time. 
Golden goalkeeper – Vladislav Tretyak
There is hardly a more famous figure in hockey than Vladislav Tretyak.
The first goalkeeper of our country, many times recognized as the best at the world championships, recognized as the best hockey player of the last century. The legendary Soviet athlete, the first European to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in 1997. Three-time Olympic champion who won gold; 10-time world champion; 9-time European champion; 13-time champion of the USSR, whose books were published on different languages, were printed four times and instantly sold out in America. Since 2006 - President of the Russian Hockey Federation. 
Storm of the Gate - Valery Kharlamov
Another legendary athlete is CSKA scorer Valery Kharlamov, whose life was tragically cut short. A man who once beat his fate. Two-time Olympic champion in 1972 and 1976. An 8-time world champion, Valery began playing sports as a small, sickly boy. In appearance he could not be given his age - he was so short. But what would Soviet hockey be without him? He received many honors justly, because he has 438 matches for CSKA and 293 goals in his matches. At the World Cup and Olympics - 123 matches, 89 goals.
The best scorer in the history of the World Hockey Championships - won 155 points in 105 matches. Fate did not spare him, but he did not give up. Once he got into a car accident, trained for a long time and finally went on the ice again. Later, as a result of a fatal mistake, he also dies in a car accident. Two children remain, a girl and a boy. And then the hockey club came to the rescue. The fates of the hockey players were closely intertwined, everyone was family, teammates looked after little son Alexandra, who also became a hockey player. It’s not surprising, because one of his mentors was Fetisov. 
Vyacheslav Fetisov is an Honored Master of Sports of the USSR and an Honored Trainer of Russia. Defender of CSKA, and later of the Spartak club, who played 480 matches at the USSR and Russian championships and scored 153 goals. Winner of all top hockey titles. The areas of his activity today are anti-doping programs for athletes at different levels. 
On a black and white field: about Karpov and Kasparov
There is hardly a person unfamiliar with the names Karpov and Kasparov. Ice and fire, struggle and hope. Lots of tournaments. The rating of the match between Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov in 1984-85 does not decrease even today. Modern chess players learn to play from these matches, and old, experienced chess players are still trying to figure it out, look into that time from here, and understand what was most important in that period: integrity, determination, calculation and scientific skill. Anatoly Karpov is 64 years old this year, and Garry Kasparov is 52, he is a lecturer and entrepreneur. 
Record holder Alexander Dityatin
Alexander Nikolaevich Dityatin is not just a three-time Olympic champion and 7 times world champion, he also distinguished himself by the fact that at the 1980 Olympics, held in Moscow, he earned 8 medals in all evaluated gymnastic exercises. It was with this record that he entered the Guinness Book of Records. 
In the air as on the ground: Sergey Bubka
The famous Soviet and Ukrainian track and field athlete Sergei Nazarovich Bubka is familiar to many for his unforgettable pole vaulting. He is an Honored Master of Sports of the USSR and the champion of the 1986 Olympic Games, a 6-time world champion, who set his own world record in pole vaulting at 6.15. This record was broken only in February 2014. Strength, speed and technique are the main components that Sergei Bubka was taught to master by his personal trainer Vitaly Afanasyevich Petrov. 
Boxer Kostya Tszyu is an Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, he became the USSR champion three times, was a two-time European champion and once a world amateur champion. Konstantin Tszyu develops his own methods of training professional boxers and successfully trains famous athletes today. 
One of the greatest Greco-Roman wrestlers. This athlete managed to compete not only for the USSR national team, but also for Russia. He won the Olympic Games once as part of the USSR national team and two more times as part of Russia. He also has 9 victories at the World Championships and 12 European Championships. Recognized as the best athlete of the year in the world, included in the list of the 25 greatest athletes of the 20th century. He won 888 fights and lost only 2 times. There were even cases when opponents were simply afraid and refused to go against him.
In the sports of Soviet times, there were no losers and the victories of athletes from the USSR were incomparable with the victories of many foreign representatives. Russian sport these days continues to delight its fans with its bright victories.