Znamenskii, Georgii Ivanovich, and Serafim Ivanovich Znamenskii

Soviet track-and-field athletes, became Honored Masters of Sport of the USSR in 1963.

The Znamenskii brothers were born in the village of Zelenaia Sloboda, in what is now Ramenskoe Raion, Moscow Oblast. In 1941 they graduated from the Second Moscow Medical Institute. They set 23 USSR records in the 1,500-m, 2,000-m, 3,000-m, 5,000-m, and 10,000-m runs. Georgii Ivanovich Znamenskii was born Nov. 13 (26), 1903; he died Dec. 28, 1946, in Moscow. He became a member of the CPSU in 1941. His best results were 3 min 57.9 sec in the 1,500-m run and 8 min 47.4 sec in the 3,000-m run. He was awarded two orders and a number of medals. Serafim Ivanovich Znamenskii was born Jan. 20 (Feb. 2), 1906; he died May 7, 1942, in Moscow. He won 11 USSR champion-ships (1934-40) in various running events. His best results were 3 min 59.9 sec in the 1,500-m run, 14 min 37.0 sec in the 5,000-m run, and 30 min 44.8 sec in the 10,000-m run. He was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor. The Znamenskii brothers were victorious at numerous important international competitions. In 1949 a prize named for them was established by the French newspaper I’Humanité. The first all-Union competitions in their memory were held in 1949, becoming an annual international event in 1958.