Valeriy Brumel Athlete

Valeriy Nikolayevich Brumel (Russian: Валерий Николаевич Брумель), 14 April 1942 – 26 January 2003) was a Soviet Olympic athlete. The 1964 Olympic champion in the Men's High Jump, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes ever to compete in the High Jump, second only to current world record holder Javier Sotomayor of Cuba. Brumel set records in the early 1960s while falling over 7 feet into a sawdust pit, and often while jumping off hard dirt. If given a modern synthetic rubber jumping surface and an (elevated) foam rubber landing pad, Brumel could probably have jumped several inches higher. His jumping career was up-ended by a motorcycle accident in 1965.

Personal facts

Birth date	April 14, 1942
Birth place	Soviet Union , Amur Oblast , Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , Tyndinsky District
Date of death	January 26, 2003
Place of death	Moscow , Russia
Height (meters)	1.85