Sergey Nazarovich Bubka (genus. Champion of the 1988 Olympic Games, President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.
The only athlete to win 6 world championships (1983, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997). He held the world record in indoor pole vault (6.15 m) in the period 1993-2014. Holds the world pole vault record in open arenas (6.14 m) since 1994.
There are many interesting facts in Bubka's biography, which we will talk about in this article.
So, before you is a short biography of Sergei Bubka.
Biography of Bubka
Sergei Bubka was born on December 4, 1963 in Lugansk. He grew up and was brought up in a simple family that has nothing to do with big sports.
The jumper's father, Nazar Vasilyevich, was a warrant officer, and his mother, Valentina Mikhailovna, worked as a hostess sister in a local hospital. In addition to Sergei, another boy Vasily was born to his parents, who will also reach great heights in pole vaulting.
Childhood and youth
Sergei began to get involved in sports as a child. In addition to his studies at school, he trained at the Lugansk Sports School "Dynamo". At that time he was 11 years old.
Bubka trained under the leadership of the famous coach Vitaly Petrov. The young man showed excellent results, thanks to which Petrov took him with him to Donetsk, where there were much better conditions for jumping.
At the age of 15, Sergei began living in a hostel. He had to cook his own food, wash things and do a lot of other household chores.
After receiving the certificate, Bubka went to Kiev to enter the Institute of Physical Culture.
Pole vaulting
When Sergei was 19 years old, the first significant event took place in his biography. He was invited to participate in the first world championship in the history of athletics, held in Helsinki.
To the surprise of everyone, the athlete managed to win a gold medal. In the next 1984 he set 4 records.
An interesting fact is that in the future, in the period 1984-1994. Bubka will set 35 records.
In 1985 Sergey took part in competitions in Paris. It was then that he became the first person in the world who managed to overcome a height of 6 meters!
The glory of the Ukrainian athlete has spread all over the world. However, Bubka himself was always quite calm about his achievements. For a long time he opposed the erection of a monument to him, but then he yielded to the decision of the city authorities.
At the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, Bubka won with a rather modest result for himself - 5 m 95 cm. However, computers determined that in one of the jumps he managed to fly over the bar at a height of 6 m 37 cm!
At the age of 37, Sergey participated in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. The head of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch, called him the most outstanding athlete of our time.
The following year, Bubka announced his retirement from his professional career. Over the years of his sports biography, he has received many prestigious awards both at home and abroad.
For his phenomenal achievements, the Ukrainian was given the nicknames "Bird Man" and "Mister Record".
Politics and social activities
Shortly before leaving athletics, Serhiy Bubka became a member of the NOC of Ukraine and a member of the IOC Executive Committee.
Later, the athlete was elected vice-president of the International Association of Athletics Federations at the IAAF congress.
During the biography of 2002-2006. Bubka was elected People's Deputy of Ukraine from the For United Ukraine! Faction, but after a couple of months he joined the Party of Regions.
In addition, Sergei Nazarovich dealt with issues of youth policy, physical education, sports and tourism.
Personal life
Bubka is married to Lilia Fedorovna, a rhythmic gymnastics coach. In this marriage, the couple had 2 boys - Vitaly and Sergey.
In 2019, the couple celebrated the 35th anniversary of their marriage.
Both sons, like Sergei himself, are fond of tennis. In addition, the head of the family is interested in music, swimming, cycling, skiing and football. He often attends the matches of Shakhtar Donetsk.
Sergey Bubka today
Bubka still devotes a lot of time to training to keep himself in good shape.
The man adheres to a healthy lifestyle, paying great attention to nutrition and diet. In particular, he tries to eat cheesecakes, casseroles and yogurt in the morning.
In the winter of 2018, Sergei Bubka was among the honorary torchbearers of the Olympic flame.
Photo by Sergey Bubka
