Dmitry Bilozerchev
Dmitri Vladimirovich Bilosertschew (Russian: Дмитрий Владимирович Билозерчев; born December 22, 1966 in Moscow) is a former Soviet and Russian gymnast. At the age of 16 he won in 1983 in Budapest, his first all-around world title. During his career he won in the following years three gold medals at Olympic Games, eight gold medals at World Championships and ten gold medals at the European Championships, making it one of the most successful gymnasts in the 80s.
Life and athletic career
Sporting career
While Bilosertschews father would have liked that his son is hockey player, his mother took him at the age of six years for gymnastics. Nine years later Bilosertschew won his first international medals. At the Junior European Championships 1982, he was an outstanding participant and won the all-around, on the ground, on pommel horse, the rings, and jump in on the parallel bars. On stretching, he won the silver medal. The following year, he started with the Soviet national team of seniors at the European Gymnastics Championships in Varna. Even in his first appearance at international championships at senior level, he became the most successful gymnasts. He won the gold medal in the all around on the high bar, the rings and in the jump. In the bottom of the final he reached the sixth. A short time later, he also launched at the World Gymnastics Championships in Budapest. With nearly one-point lead was Bilosertschew World Champion in the all around. At this time he was 16 years and eleven months of age, then made him the youngest all-around world champion of all time. This brand was undercut in 2001 by the Chinese Jing Feng, who was a month younger when he won as Bilosertschew. Bilosertschew won further on pommel horse, high bar and rings. At the bottom and with the Russian team, he won the silver medal. In the jump, he finished sixth. Due to the boycott of the socialist states Bilosertschew could not attend the 1984 Summer Olympics. He began instead with the parallel discharged competitions of friendship and won five competitions, including the individual all-around.
A year later Bilosertschew won at the European Championships in Oslo six of seven possible titles. He defended his European title in the all around, on the high bar and rings. He erturnte to further the gold medals on pommel horse, parallel bars and on the ground. In Jump, however, he had to focus on DDR Turner Sylvio Kroll beaten and could therefore not defend his title in 1983. 10 days before the World Gymnastics Championships 1985 Bilosertschew had a serious car accident while under the influence. The athlete, who had only been in the possession of a driving license and was on his way back from his engagement party for a training camp, lost on a wet road control of the car. His left leg broke in the accident in more than 40 parts. The fraction was so complicated that amputation was not excluded. The doctors saved his leg by they used a steel rod from his knee to his heel. After it had been able to save his leg to Bilosertschew fought back mainly through the support of his wife Svetlana, in the gymnastics elite. The World Gymnastics Championships 1987 in Rotterdam he had a treaty which is regarded for not comeback. He won again the World Champion title in the heptathlon at the pommel horse and high bar. With the Russian team, he could also erturnen the world title. On rings and parallel bars, he also still won the silver medal. So Bilosertschew traveled as a favorite to win the all-around at the Olympic Summer Games in 1988, after Seoul. But in the team competition, which is the first part of the individual all-around campaign, passed him a mishap on the high bar. The resulting lost points he could not catch up despite an outstanding final round ( 59.75 points) over the course of the competition. He won the bronze medal behind his countrymen Vladimir Artyomov and Valeri Ljukin. With the Soviet team on pommel horse and rings he won the gold medal.
After the Olympics, it came between Bilosertschew and Soviet Gymnastics Federation to differences. He was thrown together with his teammates Vladimir Gogoladse after a two-day drinking binge from the national team in 1989. Bilosertschew was then forced to end his active career.
After the athletic career
After the expulsion from the Soviet team, Bilosertschew fell into a hole and started to drink more frequently. After a friend died as a result of alcohol abuse, he changed his life in 1991. Together with his wife Olga (born Dubrovskaya ) and his 1990 -born son Alexy 1993, he fled to the United States. There Bilosertschew launched in 1994 after a six-year break from competition at Reese's International Cup in Baltimore. In multiplayer battle, he took second place behind Andreas Wecker. In the following year he finished second in this competition and a year later he won the title.
Together with his second wife Olga, a former gymnast and choreographer of the Russian national team, he has worked since 1995 as a gymnastics coach in Oregon. Opened in 2001, the couple in the Beaverton United Sports Academy. 2003 Bilosertschew was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. From 2005 he worked as an assistant coach at Ohio State University and lived with his family in Columbus. Furthermore Bilosertschew trained there until 2009 his son Alexy, who could win the 2007 junior title in the all around at the U.S. Championships. His daughter Alisa is a talented gymnast.