Oleg Georgievich Goncharenko

Goncharenko, Oleg Georgievich

 

Born Aug. 18, 1931, in Kharkov. Soviet athlete, coach, and Honored Master of Sport (1953). Member of the CPSU since 1953.

Goncharenko was the first Soviet athlete to win the title of world champion in speed skating (1953, Helsinki). He was champion of the USSR (1956, 1958), of Europe (1957–58), and of the world (1953, 1956, and 1958). He was awarded the Order of Lenin.