Kuts, Vladimir Petrovich
Kuts, Vladimir Petrovich
Born Feb. 7, 1927, in the village of Aleksino, Sumy Oblast; died Aug. 16, 1975, in Moscow. Soviet athlete, Honored Master of Sports (1954), coach; officer in the Soviet Army. Became a member of the CPSU in 1955.
Kuts was the first Soviet male track-and-field athlete to become an Olympic champion (in 1956 at Melbourne, in the 5,000 m run and the 10,000 m run; his times were 13 min 39.6 sec and 28 min 45.6 sec, respectively). He was the European champion in 1954 in the 5,000 m run and the nine-time Soviet champion from 1953 to 1957 for 5,000 m and 10,000 m. From 1954 to 1965 Kuts held a world record. He was awarded the Order of Lenin and medals.