Whatever they write about the exemption of the Soviet regime and the ideal image of the athletes of the Union, many violated the prohibitions-they brought from abroad the things for the resellers, looked into the bottle. In fact, alcohol not only broke the careers of a number of rising stars, but also destroyed the life of the consisted champions. Among them are famous football players and hockey players, winners of the Olympiads and world championship.

From the world star to the burial ground in the cemetery, one of the best hockey players of his time, Alexander Almetov was born in Kyiv on January 18, 1940 in a military family, but less than a year and a half before the Second World War, and soon the officer's family was in Moscow. There, a fan of hockey, Alexander went daily to training in Sokolniki, where CSKA was then based.

Almetov was so passionate about hockey that even having a silver medal after graduation, he abandoned his youthful dream of walking in his father's footsteps and entering the Academy of Armored Forces. The new goal of Alexander was the game for the hockey club CSKA. And the guy’s father admitted: "

And today it is not known exactly exactly how Almetov finally ended up in an army club. His future link partner Konstantin Loktev said that it was he who advised the legendary coach Anatoly Tarasov to take a talented guy into the team. But Tarasov claimed that he himself noticed a promising player at the age of 15.

“Even then, I was impressed by the masterful leading by Alexander the Wasy, a classic position - a high -raised head, a relaxed body, such a dance, without difficulty, maneuvering - bypassing, willingness to fulfill any technique both according to all the canons and depending on the game situation,” Tarasov said about Alexander.

Almetov quickly progressed and at the age of 19 replaced Alexander Cherepanov in Trinity with Konstantin Loktev and Veniamin Alexandrov, who played in the first link of the army club. From this day until the end of the gaming career, the three performed in this composition. And her brain center was the younger partners Alexander.

In the 1960s, the Loktev-Almetov-Aleksandrov link simply torn rivals at first in the internal championship, guaranteeing a native of Kyiv of the titles of the championship of the Union. And then she reached the international level, becoming the basis of the USSR national team. Their first breakthrough occurred at the 1960 Olympics, which was held in the American Blot-Well. Despite the "

" Sasha Almetov, who was cunning, always put the opponent at a dead end, did not overexpose the puck in the painful search for the best solution - he found it instantly. Extremely high technique allowed him to work miracles in the most difficult situations " Six washers and frightened all rivals for the whole season, ”recalled three -time Olympic champion Anatoly Firsov.

The Olympiad in Innsbruck-1964 and subsequent international tournaments became the star time of this three. Largely thanks to Loktev, Almetov and Aleksandrov, the USSR national team managed to take gold games. And also five titles are not world championships. At the 1965 tournament in Finland, Almetov and Loktev entered the symbolic team and fell into the top scorers. And a year later, Aleksandrov and Almetov headed the list of the most effective hockey players of the world championship.

" Almetov is not a soloist, but this is an extra-class player, a star in a good sense of the word, ”wrote about Alexander Tarasov.

No one expected, but Almetov will end his career prematurely at the age of 27. Indeed, in Soviet sports, the maximum age, which the athlete in a professional career could reach, was considered 33 years. This strictly adhered to Tarasov in the world of hockey. When Loktev turned 33 and he went to rest, Almetov also left, although he was 6 years younger.

Officially stated that Alexander left the ice, believing that without Loktev he could never find his game. However, witnesses of events said that the genius of ice loved to drink and left the team after the next ruin. " And what I drank, so they drank. Just Almetov was a star. And Tarasov put forward the requirements for him, ”recalled the honored coach of the USSR Nikolai Epstein.

Anatoly Tarasov did not forgive this guilt, and Almetov himself did not apologize, having finally abandoning the phrase: “I did not like your difficult training - they were always hard to give me. Others liked them, and I did not want to be in the team of a white sheep " And left.

After his career ended at 27, the striker tried to get a coach to his favorite club, but they quickly forgot about the devotion of Almetov, who had fought back from other proposals for many years. And CSKA simply spit on his pension star, for a long time invariably responding to him with a refusal. It turned out that for a player with such a mind there were no vacancies. Here is such gratitude in Russian.

In an attempt to find at least some work of Almeta, even became a burial ground in the Vagankovsky cemetery. " Most often, army hockey players left their club with the rank of major and could count on a decent pension. Almetov went to the captain, for very little help, ”said one of his fellow traders.

In the early 90s, Almetov tried to arrange life in America, but six months later he returned back, after which his wife left him. This was the last straw for the Olympic champion, which flooded his grief and despondency of alcohol, and on September 21, 1992, at the age of 52, he died after prolonged pneumonia.

Vladimir Kutz - Legend from the warship of a two -time Olympic champion from Ukraine Volodymyr Kut still remains one of the most outstanding rungun runners in the history of athletics. The career of a native of the village of Aleksino in Sumy turned out to be swift and very bright. However, the body, which worked on the verge and merciless Soviet system, led to death at 48.

The best styer of the world in the mid-50s began to run at the finish of the Second World War, in 1945, when he served as a sailor in the Baltic Fleet. At the same time, in 1943, the 16-year-old guy attributed to himself two years to go to the front, and rose to the title of foreman of the first rank, he was trusted to command artillery calculation.

But as the close friend of the athlete Vladimir Kazantsev later said, the horrors of the war affected the psyche of the Ukrainian, who actually tormented the nightmares until the end of his life: “Once we returned on a ship from Sweden after a victorious performance, and Volodya told me an unexpected thing. He served as a ministry of mines. For pieces. Honestly, I was amazed.

" Stood on the deck, and Volodya told me an unexpected thing. He served in the Baltic fleet by a minesweeper min. Since then, almost every night he dreamed of nightmares in which mines surfaced from the bottom and torn people into pieces.

The professional career of the athlete of the Kutz started already in 1951. When the young man was 24 years old, he began to prepare and show the first results led by coach Leonid Khomenkov. In 1953, Kuts first became the champion of the USSR, after which he began to stamp victories at international starts. And confirmed his status of the favorite at the 1956 Olympics, winning a distance of 5000 and 10,000 meters.

True, before the Olympics, the foreign press made bets on the Australians Lawrence and Stevens and the British Piri and Chatauay. For the straightforward style of Kutz run, sports observers called the " One of the Melbourne newspapers asked: \? "

These statements upset Vladimir, and he went to the games with one desire - to speak successfully and prove that all these specialists were mistaken. The first time the runner struck the world on November 23, 1956. during a race at 10,000 meters.

Volodymyr Savponuvavov Superniks " And at Tsey, I was giving up to the Ostannoy, Virishal Rivka, Yaki, on my dumka, Mowing on the 20th Koli "

Kutz even allowed the Englishman to go forward, and when he saw his drooping figure, and on his face - marginal fatigue, he made a decisive acceleration: “The last drop, perhaps, overwhelmed the bowl of Piri's fatigue. And here is the 25th, last circle. He was passed in 66.6 seconds.

The first Olympic victory of the representative of the USSR on November 28 was followed by a gold medal of 5000 meters. Having captured leadership at the start, Vladimir finished with the new Olympic record. They said that after 10,000 meters, Kutz could hardly stand on his feet, not only run, but instead of nails there was a blue tumor. But he was persuaded to start the head of the Soviet delegation on the Five, promising even a general pension.

And Roger Bannister, who called the Ukrainian " His brain is just as well prepared, his thinking is just as completely as his body "

The main competitor of Kutz Briton Gordon Piri was simply crushed: " He is too good for me. I could never run so fast. I could never beat Vladimir Kutz! "

But in 1959, the career of Styer ended as quickly as it began. One of the weaknesses of the ingenious runner was alcohol. From Melbourne, the Soviet delegation was returned by the ship " The flight to Vladivostok lasted more than three weeks and, according to eyewitnesses, Kutz went into a heavy binge during the navigation.

However, the cross on the career of Vladimir did not put alcohol, but health. The runner suffered due to severe abdominal pain and legs, which was caused by frostbite while serving in the fleet. After the Olympiad in Melbourne, doctors discovered his increased permeability of the capillaries of the legs, but even with such a diagnosis he still competed until 1959 and set a world record of 5000 m, which lasted 8 years - 13. 35.0.

But after the end of his career, Kutz could not find himself in coaching, and without regular training and running, he got strongly and weighed more than 100 kg. His condition worsened alcohol, and in 1972 the champion suffered a stroke. In addition, he was extremely painfully experiencing a divorce from his first wife.

The last straw for Vladimir was the story of the non-admission to the Olympics in Munich-1972, where Kutz received a personal invitation from the organizers. But, caring for their face, the Soviet authorities were not going to show the world champion, which after a stroke could only walk with a stick.

The life of the legend was horrified, and on August 16, 1975, 48-year-old Vladimir died of an overdose of the sleeping pills, which he probably washed down with vodka. This was announced by Styer Sergey Skrip, who at that time lived in the apartment of Kuts. According to him, the coach drank a large dose of medicine at once and washed it down with alcohol. Sergey did not have time to stop the teacher.

It is still unknown whether the act of the Olympic champion of suicides was, or he accidentally crossed the border, trying to drown out physical and mental pain. Although most of the acquaintances by that time was inclined to suicide.

Mastery from God, who could not drink into the bottle and famous football players in the past. Yes, everyone knew that the main ghoul of the Kyiv Dynamo of the 1950s was Vitaly Golubev-a brilliant defender who captivated the hearts of Kyiv fans and struck stars from Brazil.

Vitaliy went through the Second World War, and in 1945 he began to participate in football fights as part of the team of the group of Soviet troops in Bulgaria. After that, for some time he played for the Voroshilovograd " And in Dynamo Golubev got already at a fairly mature age.

Oleg Obshenkov was just looking for a strong athletic defender for the role of Vitaly perfectly. Therefore, having not played a single match for the double of Kiev, the defender became indispensable in the main team. Golubev was a real innovator for his time, acted non -standard and incredibly diverse technical arsenal and congenital composure. They said that it was he who dictated the conditions of the forwarding teams. And journalists called such a manner of the Golubevskaya game.

In 1957, as part of a world tour, Kyiv visited the famous Brazilian club Vasco da Gama, in which Bellini, Pinga and others sparkled. And after the victory over the Madrid “Real” and the Lisbon “Benfica”, the Brazilians lost to Dynamo with a score of 1: 3. And after the match, the Brazilian coach separately noted Golubev, who deprived him of the attackers of free space.

In 1952, Vitaly helped Dynamo become silver winners of the USSR championship. And already in 1954, the Kyivians won the first union Cup in their history. By that time, Golubev was already the captain of the team and confidently led his partners to this success. For the national team, he played only one friendly match. According to the official version, it was not caused due to dislike for flights, but, according to rumors, and because of violation of the regime and weakness to drink.

" Sometimes - according to the stories of old fans, allowed himself to " Once he was found on Khreshchatyk in such a state that he could no longer go: how his wife hugged his own pillar. To me that the next day Vitya entered the field like a cucumber and tightly covered Nikita Simonyan - a very brisk and technical striker Spartak, which allowed the Kyivians to win, ”thought a football blogger.

According to football experts, if Golubev had not decided to relax with a bottle in the offseason in the summer of 1960, it was possible that Dynamo could stay in Dynamo and become the country's champion in 1961 for the first time. And so he played in a locomotive from Vinnitsa, then in Sumy Vanguard.

True, the Kyiv club did not leave its legendary defender. In 1962, after the completion of the performances, Vitaly began working at the training school of the team of the craftsmen Dynamo, where he worked for 15 years. However, he was forced to leave the work when he was first an amputated one leg first, and then the other. Injuries and endarteritis were given to signs - a disease of blood vessels, in which alcohol or smoking is categorically cannot be consumed.