Viktor Kosichkin

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Competitor for Soviet Union
Olympic medal record
Men's speed skating
Gold	1960 Squaw Valley	5,000 m
Silver	1960 Squaw Valley	10,000 m

Viktor Ivanovich Kosichkin (Russian: Виктор Иванович Косичкин) (born 25 February 1938 in Moshky, Russia) is a former speed skater who competed for the Soviet Union.

Viktor Kosichkin trained at Dynamo. He participated in the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. On the 5,000 m, held on his 22nd birthday, he gave himself a great birthday gift by winning gold, while the silver medal went to his major rival, Knut Johannesen. On the 10,000 m two days later, the roles were reversed, with Johannesen winning gold and Kosichkin silver.

The next year (1961), Kosichkin became Soviet and European Allround Champion, while winning silver at the World Allround Championships (behind van der Grift). In 1962, he was not selected to be on the Soviet team for the European Championships and he damaged his skates in anger. His friend Yevgeny Grishin gave him an old pair of skates and Kosichkin became World Champion on these.

1963 was not a good year for Kosichkin, winning no major medals and finishing only 15th at the Soviet Allround Championships. In 1964, he once more won silver behind Johannesen at the World Allround Championships. He also participated in the 5,000 m and the 10,000 m at the 1964 Winter Olympics of Innsbruck, but he did not win any medals.

He was Soviet Champion on the 5,000 m in 1958, 1960, 1961, and 1962, and on the 10,000 m in 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, and 1965. Kosichkin's highest ranking on the Adelskalender, the all-time allround speed skating ranking, was a third place.

[edit] Medals

An overview of medals won by Kosichkin at important championships, listing the years in which he won each:

Championships	Gold medal	Silver medal	Bronze medal
Winter Olympics	1960 (5,000 m)	1960 (10,000 m)	–
World Allround	1962	1961 1964	–
European Allround	1961	–	1965
Soviet Allround	1961	1962 1964	1965