World Modern Pentathlon Championship 1961

The USSR national team was composed of Igor Novikov, Ivan Deryugin and Boris Pakhomov.

Head coach A.Sokolov. Coaching staff: N. Shelenkov, L. Saychuk, V. Polikanin, V. Zhdanov and E. Talayev.

August 19, 1961. Sports base "Glider" (Moscow region, Khimki).

The competition took place at the Planernaya equestrian base, which was specially built for the modern pentathlon competitions. Later, there was a children's and youth sports school in modern pentathlon and equestrian sports DSO "Spartak" (Moscow).

Finn T.Kare was the first to start the equestrian cross-country race. The rain did not bother him. In Finland, you won’t surprise anyone with such weather. He managed to exactly go the distance for 7.43.2 (948 points). This result became a guideline, which only six athletes managed to surpass. When the Hungarian A. Balzo’s turn came, the rain poured out of a bucket. But the athlete started and very briskly started the race, knowing that you can win if you win the equestrian cross. However, he did not succeed. In one section, the horse fell. 80 penalty points, which, perhaps, will not be reached at the end of the competition. Nevertheless, the result of the Balzo is quite high - 7.35.8 (900 points). Now the turn of I. Novikov. The three-time world champion never took any chances. It has always been too much responsibility. He was the captain of the team and was responsible for it. Now, in order to defeat the Balzo, Novikov had only one chance - to win the equestrian cross from the Hungarian. For this, risk was needed, and Novikov decided. He did not get the best horse. But he squeezed everything out of her. It was as if the clouds had cleared specially at the start, the sky smiled at the champion. But he didn't care about anything. He did not hear the audience cheering him, and, being in the grip of excitement, he saw only blue triangles indicating the route and obstacles. There are twenty-one on the track. Twenty-one tasks, each of which had to be completed without error. And he, having passed the distance for 7.11.2 (1076), ahead of the Balzo.

Finn E. Lohi and Romanian D. Tsinta tried to improve Novikov’s time, but to no avail. It's hard to do it in the rain. In such weather, Hungarian I. Nad, the second number of his team, failed to break into the lead. He received a total of 812 points. Now everyone was looking forward to the start of two-time USSR champion Boris Pakhomov. Much depended on him. Pakhomov did not always perform smoothly. That is why for a long time I could not take a permanent place in the national team. But in this cross he, like the team captain, went the distance confidently and swiftly for 7.17.6 (1052 points). After this performance, it became clear that the Soviet team took a leading position in the tournament. To maintain leadership to the end, it is necessary that the third number of the Soviet team — Olympic champion I. Deryugin not lose to Hungarian F. Nemeth. But these two starts were still ahead, and while it was raining and athletes from different countries left one by one in his gray veil, arguing with time and gusty wind.

Dramatic start.

F. Nemeth, the Olympic champion of Rome, was preparing to start, but at the warm-up, a few minutes before the signal there was a fall, the horse crushed his thigh with a croup. I had to call the reserve Terek from the track, who, contrary to the rules, in a training suit and sneakers got into the saddle to save the team. This is how Sandor David writes about this in his book. “In the pouring rain, he galloped so that real cowboys would envy him. A wet training suit stuck to his body, his legs were broken in blood. After each jump he crawled from the saddle, but after a moment he found himself in it again, fought, fought for himself, for This dramatic fight at a distance was one of the unforgettable moments in the history of modern Pentathlon.The judges were indulgent, approved the result of Terek, who scored only 52 points, and did not disqualify the Hungarian national team, although they could if they blindly held vivo Recording rules. And they demanded to Terek started with a spare horse final, prepare well, in full uniform.

So an unsuccessful warm-up deprived the Hungarian team of hope for victory in the championship. The third issue of the Soviet team, Ivan Deryugin in equestrian cross-country, performed brilliantly. He finished with 1052 points. The last participant, the Austrian Peter Lichtner-Hoer passed the track for 6.59.6-1124 points and won the first day in the individual competition. The first place was won by the Soviet team with 3180 points. She was almost 400 points ahead of her neighbor in the standings - the Finnish team and by more than 1000 points of the Hungarians.

• Personal championship. Horse Cross.

On the second day of the competition, each of the participants had to conduct 41 sword fights. Having won 31 earned 1000 points. No one received the coveted thousand. I. Novikov, like at three previous world championships, won fencing. Although he started badly, losing two fights to the Mexicans. Following them, two Romanians D. Tsintya and G. Tomyuk won against him. Only in the third round did Novikov begin to score points. Meeting with athletes of the GDR - three victories, Great Britain - two, Sweden — two, Germany — three, Poland — three, Japan — two. His teammates I. Deryugin and B. Pakhomov did not lag behind their captain - each invested his share in the common piggy bank. With the strongest rivals — fencers in Hungary and Austria, America brought lots of Soviet athletes to the end of the tournament. They lost all three meetings with a minimum score, which could no longer affect the overall results. Novikov — 904, Deryugin — 840, Pakhomov — 680 points. Experts know that the first three days of the modern pentathlon - equestrian cross-country, fencing, shooting — these are three unknowns, because none of the athletes can even assume that he will be waiting for him in the next form of competition.

• Personal championship. Fencing.

The Swedes performed well in equestrian cross-country and fencing. After two days, they took fourth place, only 16 points behind the Finns. They did not think that after the shooting they would be in the seventh and they would not be able to realize the attractive prospect of getting around their rivals. In the first shift, the hope of the Swedish team G. Lilienwal knocked out only 160 points. Worst of all participants in the championship was B. Janson, who after two days was in 5th place — 176 points. And even the result of S. Erickson — 183 points — could not change anything. The Swedes took last place in the shooting. But the shooting has changed a lot in the position of the Hungarian team. After the failure in equestrian cross-country, skeptics believed that the Hungarians could not fight even for the last prize. But they performed great. They had never shot so accurately. Balzo knocked out 195 points, Nagy - 191. Terek, who first performed at such important competitions, was extremely assembled and did not fail. In a shift in which Czech V. Cherny sent bullet after bullet to the top ten, Pakhomov and Nadia challenged leadership among themselves, and the Austrian G. Poltshuber fought to maintain second place won in the previous days, Terek was not easy. But knocked out 189 points allowed the team to take second place.

• Personal championship. Shooting.

August 22, 1961. Moscow. Pool "Luzhniki".

After the shooting, the Hungarian team climbed to fifth place. She was 192 points behind the Austrians, 328 behind the Finns. There were hopes to seriously improve the results in the upcoming swimming and running - types in which much can be predetermined and calculated.

The problem with three unknowns, which Soviet athletes had to solve in previous fights, was excellent, which testified to the productive work of the athletes and their coaches A. Sokolov, N. Shelenkov, L. Saychuk, V. Polikanin, V. Zhdanov and E. Talaeva. If after firing the fate of personal places, in fact, was determined, then the team struggle only reached the highest intensity.

In swimming, Balzo finished in 3.46.5 and took second place after Deryugin. His compatriot Imre Nagy showed 4.09.2, and Terek 4.26.6. But since the Finns and Austrians had worse results, the Hungarians managed to come close to the Finns, with whom only 38 points shared them in the standings.

It is appropriate to use the subjunctive mood ... If someone won two more victories in fencing, if Terek managed to put on his boots before jumping into the saddle, this difference would not exist now. Nevertheless, in shooting and swimming, the Hungarians did everything they could. Their 38 points mean that while running the Finns will always feel the rapid rhythm of their closest rival, feel that their prize is slipping away. To get bronze medals, Hungarians need to beat the Finns in running for only 13 seconds. The Hungarians are more satisfied with silver medals, and so far they are in the hands of the Americans. Can the Americans keep them? It seems that US athletes fenced off their competitors with a solid wall of 449 points. But this is not entirely true, for running is their weak point.

• Personal championship. Swimming.

• Tournament position after four kinds.

Personal championship.

1. I. Novikov - 3995
2. I. Deryugin - 3897
3. A. Balzo - 3842

Team championship.

1. USSR - 11614
2. USA - 10300
3. Finland - 9889
4. Hungary - 9851
5. Sweden - 9473
6. Austria - 9413

August 23, 1961. Station Planernaya (Moscow region, Khimki).

The weather was sunny, unlike the day when riding competitions were held. The race track was four difficult kilometers of rough terrain and roughly coincided with the equestrian cross-country route. On the first 200 meters the track went a bit downhill. Then one small ascent and one steep, then almost a kilometer descent, followed by a 2-kilometer mark - a plain. The last kilometer began with a steep climb and the last 600 meters to the very finish of the plain. These 4 km had to be run in 15 minutes. This time gives 1000 points. Each lost or found second takes away or adds three points. The Swede Jansson was the first to storm the track. Behind him Deryugin. Running ahead of many rivals is unprofitable. Rear runners always have an advantage - they know the time of those who are ahead and can make adjustments to the pace of their run.

But Deryugin did not stop to finish through 13.55.9 and take third place in this form. Good results were achieved by the Swedes Jansson and Erickson, the American Beck. But the main struggle ensued between Novikov and the Balzo. Both had a chance to win, and they did their best not to miss it. Novikov's time at the finish line was 13.46.5, Balco 13.44.4.

So, five days of struggle are behind. The Soviet team scored a record amount of points — 15,220. Having shown 5217 points in the competition, Novikov became the world champion for the fourth time. In second place - the team of Hungary, in third — the United States. The fourth place was taken by the team of Finland, the fifth - by Sweden. Great success was achieved by the Japanese team. No one expected that the Japanese would be able to seriously compete with European teams. According to official figures, at that time only 30 people were engaged in modern pentathlon. Nevertheless, they took fifth place in shooting, third in running and sixth in the sum of five species.

In the individual championship, Deryugin was second, Balzo - third, Pakhomov - fourth, Kare - fifth, Nagy - sixth.

• Personal championship. Swimming.

Men

• Personal championship.

43 pentathletes from 15 countries took part in the individual championship.

• Novikov I.A. Five days and all life. - M .: Young Guard, 1974.- 239 p. - ( Sports and personality . Book 21).
• Novikov I.A. Thirteen starts. - SPb. : Golden Fleece, 2004 .-- 288 p. - 3000 copies.