Viktor Bolshov
Viktor Bolshov (Виктор Большов) (born May 23, 1939 in Izerbash, Respublika Dagestan, Russia, USSR} is a Soviet athlete, specializing in the high jump. He competed in the 1960 Olympics finishing fourth behind his teammates Robert Shavlakadze, world record holder Valery Brumel and American John Thomas. During the course of the competition all four equalled the Olympic record, Shavlakadze, the first jumper in the order set the record first. Based on current rules, Bolshov would have tied Thomas for the bronze medal, but at the time jumpers were penalized for the number of attempts and Bolshov took seven attempts during the competition to Thomas' five.[1]
In 1961, Bolshov jumped 2.16m in Grozny, at the time he was the number three high jumper in the world.[2]
Bolshov continued jumping, returning to the Olympics in 1968, not making the final.[3] In 1974, he equalled his 2.16 at the Soviet National Championships in Moscow, at age 35 setting the Masters M35 World Record. The record would stand for 17 years.[4]