Yuriy Sedykh

Youri Georgiyevich Sedykh ( _ru. Юрий Георгиевич Седых) (born May 11, 1955cite book|title=All about Olympic Games.|author=Boris Khavin|publisher=Fizkultura i sport|edition = 2nd ed.|pages=p. 578|year=1979|location=Moscow|language=Russian] ) is a retired Soviet/Ukrainian athlete who represented the USSR, specialising in the hammer throw.

Sedykh began athletics in 1967, his first trainer being Vladimir Ivanovich Volovik.cite book|title=Yuriy Sedykh|author=E. G. Bogatyrev|publisher=Fizkultura i sport|series=Heroes of the Olympic Games|year=1982|location=Moscow|language=Russian|url=http://www.sportlib.ru/books/la/sedih/] He trained at Burevestnik and later at the Armed Forces sports society in Kiev (Sedykh attained the rank of Major in the Soviet Army). In 1973 he became a member of the USSR National Junior Team. He set the current world record of 86.74 m. at the 1986 European championships in Stuttgart, Germany. Only two other throwers in the history of the sport have thrown over 86 meters; Ivan Tikhon (who threw 86.73 m, 1 cm short of the world record) and Sergei Litvinov.

Unlike many hammer throwers Sedykh threw off three turns rather than four. He felt as three turns were sufficient as he threw nearly the same distances with four turns in practice. His coach since 1972 Anatoly Bondarchuck is widely regarded as one of the best hammer coaches in the world. Sedykh often practiced with lighter and heavy hammers.He won Olympic gold medals at the 1976 and 1980 Summer Olympics as well as taking first at the 1986 Goodwill Games and the 1991 World Championships in Athletics.

Currently, Sedykh holds an annual hammer camp in the USA. He is currently coaching a Finnish Hammer thrower. His compatriot and rival, Sergey Litvinov, is currently coaching the Belarusians; Ivan Tikhon and Vadim Deviyatovskiy. Youri's technique centers on 'pushing' the ball left and letting the hammer turn you, where as Litvinov advocates uniformly accelerating the hammer. He is married to former Soviet thrower Natalya Lisovskaya, who won the shot put gold in the 1988 Olympics. They have one daughter, Alexia, born in 1992. Sedykh and his family live in Paris, France, where Youri teaches strength and conditioning at the university level.

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