Valeriy Podluzhniy
Valeri Vasilyevich Podluschni (Russian Валерий Васильевич Подлужный; born August 22, 1952 in Donetsk ) is a former Ukrainian track and field athlete, who competed for the Soviet Union. At a height of 1.75 m his competition weight was 68 kg.
After he had become in 1970 with 16.25 meters junior European champion in the triple jump, Podluschni was the best Soviet long jumper of the 1970s.
Even 18 -year-old he was at the European Indoor Championships 1971 in Sofia with 7.54 meters eleventh. Shortly before his 19th birthday, he jumped at the European Championships 1971 in Helsinki 7.68 and tenth. The following year, he won at the 1972 Olympics in Munich to 7.91 meters in qualifying with 7.72 meters ninth place. In 1973 he won with 8.15 meters at the Universiade in Moscow.
At the European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg in 1974, he finished with 7.97 meters in fourth place. In the summer at the European Championships 1974 in Rome, he won the European title with a wind- aided 8.12 meters. But even with his second best regular jump of 8.10 m, he would have the Yugoslavs Nenad Stekić exceeded, which received 8.05 meters for silver.
The European Indoor Championships in the Olympic year 1976 took place in Munich, the venue of the last Olympic Games. Podluschni finished with 7.79 meters second behind the Frenchman Jacques Rousseau 7.90 meters. At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal Podluschni jumped 7.88 meters, which was seventh.
After a sixth place with 7.89 meters at the European Championships 1978 in Prague, he won at the European Indoor Championships in Vienna in 1979 with 7.86 meters silver behind teammate Vladimir Tsepelew with 7.88 meters. In the Universiade 1979 in Mexico City, he won with 8.16 meters.
His personal best jump of 8.18 meters in the long jump Podluschni reached the final at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. He thus won bronze behind the two DDR jumpers Lutz Dombrowski 8.54 meters and 8.21 meters with Frank Paschek.
Valeri Podluschni was in the years 1973 to 1977 and 1979 Soviet champion in the long jump. 1973 and 1974 was the world's annual Best Podluschni.