Name Yury Tyukalov | Role Olympic athlete | |
Olympic medals Rowing at the 1952 Summer Olympics - Men's Single Sculls | ||
Yury Sergeyevich Tyukalov (Russian: Юрий Серге́евич Тюкалов, born 4 July 1930) is a retired Russian rower. He started mostly as a single sculler, and won an Olympic gold medal in 1952 and a silver medal at the 1955 European Championships. His Olympic medal was the first Soviet gold medal in rowing. Later in 1955, facing strong competition from the rising star Vyacheslav Ivanov, he teamed with Aleksandr Berkutov. Together they won five consecutive European titles in 1956–61, the Henley Royal Regatta in 1957 and 1958, the Soviet title in 1957 and 1961, an Olympic gold medal in 1956, and an Olympic silver in 1960.
After retiring from competitions Tyukalov worked as a rowing coach, and headed the Soviet rowing team between 1968 and 1972. He also became a renown sculptor in metal. He graduated with honors from the Saint Petersburg Art and Industry Academy and later designed a coat of arms of Saint Petersburg. Tyukalov spent his entire life in the city. He survived the Siege of Leningrad (1941–44), helped extinguish fires brought by German air raids, and was awarded the Medal "For the Defence of Leningrad". He is a honored citizen of Saint Petersburg, which hosts an annual rowing competition named after Tyukalov.