Vitaly Scherbo
Vitaly Venediktovich Scherbo (or Shcherbo; Russian: Виталий Венедиктович Щербо, or Shcherba; Belarusian: Віталь Венядзіктавіч Шчэрба, Vital' Venjadziktavich Shcherba, born 13 January 1972) is a Belarusian former artistic gymnast. One of the most successful gymnasts of all time, he is the only male gymnast ever to have won a world *le in all 8 events (individual all-Around in 1993, team in 1991, floor in 1994, 1995 and 1996, horizontal bar in 1994, parallel bars in 1993 and 1995, pommel horse in 1992, rings in 1992, vault in 1993 and 1994). He was the most successful athlete at the 1992 Summer Olympics, winning 6 of 8 events – team, all-around, and 4 of 6 event finals.
Contents
- 1 Career
- 2 Alleged rape
- 3 Eponymous skills
- 4 See also
- 5 References
- 6 External links
Career
His first international performances were in 1990–1991, when he competed for the USSR team at the World Championship and the World Cup. He was the 1991 World All-Around silver medalist behind teammate Grigori Misutin; scored a perfect 10.0 on the vault at the European Championships in 1990; and starred at the Goodwill Games in Seattle. He had occasional bouts of inconsistency and as the 1992 Barcelona Olympics approached, the Unified Team coaches regarded him as less of a medal prospect than his more experienced and reliable teammates. In one of the most dominant performances in history, Scherbo won six out of the possible eight awarded gold medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. His golds came in the team event, the all around, pommel horse (tie), rings, vault, and parallel bars.
Soon after the 1992 Olympics, Scherbo married his wife Irina. However, life in Scherbo's native Belarus became increasingly turbulent, and his family was frequently victimized. Their apartment was burgled, wherein money, valuables, and Olympic memorabilia was stolen. No one was home at the time, and his six gold medals from Barcelona were safely at his mother's house.
The family promptly relocated to the United States, settling in State College, Pennsylvania. The move enabled them to take advantage of Scherbo's Olympic success. He followed up on his Olympic triumph by winning the 1993 World All-Around *le, and the 1993 and 1994 American Cup.
On 13 December 1995, his wife Irina was involved in an horrific single car accident, in which she skidded off a road, and slammed into a tree. She suffered multiple fractures to her ribs and pelvis, lapsed into a coma, and her internal injuries were so severe that doctors told her husband that she only had a 1 in 100 chance of surviving. Scherbo stopped his training altogether. He gained 15 pounds, and began abusing alcohol. After a month, Irina finally woke up from her coma, and insisted that her husband resume his training for the upcoming Olympic season. As his wife made a miraculous recovery, Scherbo similarly began to regain tip top physical condition winning yet another World *le in 1996. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, his performances reflected his lack of preparation time, due both to his wife's accident and to a recent shoulder surgery. His performances were marred by uncharacteristic mistakes, and the gold medals that had made him so famous were not forthcoming. Though Scherbo was clearly disappointed and frustrated at his inability to win gold, he was a decided crowd favorite, and they clearly viewed his four bronze medals as an impressive triumph after a tumultuous year.
Scherbo had planned to compete in the 1997 World Championships but broke his hand in a motorcycle accident before then and retired soon after.
Alleged rape
In October 2017, former Soviet Olympic champion gymnast Tatiana Gutsu accused Scherbo of raping her when she was 15, in 1991.
Eponymous skills
Scherbo (vault) – a Yurchenko-style vault defined by its unique entry, specifically a full twist within the back-handspring between the springboard and the vaulting table.
See also
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
- List of Olympic medal leaders in men's gymnastics
- List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists
References
External links
- Vitaly Scherbo at the International Gymnastics Federation
- Vitaly Scherbo School of Gymnastics
- List of compe*ion results at Gymn Forum
- Profile (Belarus Olympic Committee)
- Vitaly Scherbo at the International Olympic Committee
- 1955: :Vladimír Prorok:(TCH)
- 1957: :William T*sson:(SWE)
- 1959: :Ernst Fivian:(SUI)
- 1961: :Franco Menichelli:(ITA)
- 1963: :Franco Menichelli:(ITA)
- 1965: :Franco Menichelli:(ITA)
- 1967: :Olli Laiho:(FIN)
- 1969: :Raycho Khristov:(BUL)
- 1971: :Raycho Khristov:(BUL)
- 1973: :Nikolai Andrianov:(URS)
- 1975: :Nikolai Andrianov:(URS)
1975 ::Andrzej Szajna:(POL) - 1977: :Aleksandr Tkachyov:(URS)
- 1979: :Stoyan Deltchev:(BUL)
- 1981: :Yuri Korolyov:(URS)
1981 ::Roland Brückner:(GDR) - 1983: :Plamen Petkov:(BUL)
1983 ::Yuri Korolyov:(URS) - 1985: :Dmitry Bilozerchev:(URS)
- 1987: :Valeri Liukin:(URS)
- 1989: :Ihor Korobchynskyi:(URS)
- 1990: :Vitaly Scherbo:(URS)
- 1992: :Ihor Korobchynskyi:(UKR)
- 1994: :Ivan Ivanov:(BUL)
- 1996: :Vitaly Scherbo:(BLR)
- 1998: :Alexei Nemov:(RUS)
- 2000: :Marian Drăgulescu:(ROU)
- 2002: :Alexei Nemov:(RUS)
- 2004: :Marian Drăgulescu:(ROU)
- 2005: :Marian Drăgulescu:(ROU)
- 2006: :Anton Golotsutskov:(RUS)
- 2007: :Rafael Martínez:(ESP)
- 2008: :Anton Golotsutskov:(RUS)
- 2009: :Fabian Hambüchen:(GER)
- 2010: :Matthias Fahrig:(GER)
- 2011: :Flavius Koczi:(ROM)
- 2012: :Eleftherios Kosmidis:(GRE)
- 2013: :Max Whitlock:(GBR)
2013 ::Alexander Shatilov:(ISR) - 2014: :Denis Ablyazin:(RUS)
- 2015: :Kristian Thomas:(GBR)
- 2016: :Nikita Nagornyy:(RUS)
- 2017: :Marian Drăgulescu:(ROU)
- 2018: :Dominick Cunningham:(GBR)
- 2019: :Artur Dalaloyan:(RUS)
- 2020: :Artem Dolgopyat:(ISR)
- 2021: :Nikita Nagornyy:(RUS)
- 1955: :Boris Shakhlin:(URS)
- 1957: :Joaquín Blume:(ESP)
- 1959: :Yuri *ov:(URS)
- 1961: :Miroslav Cerar:(YUG)
- 1963: :Miroslav Cerar:(YUG)
- 1965: :Viktor Lisitsky:(URS)
- 1967: :Mikhail Voronin:(URS)
- 1969: :Miroslav Cerar:(YUG)
1969 ::Wilhelm Kubica:(POL) - 1971: :Nikolai Andrianov:(URS)
- 1973: :Zoltán Magyar:(HUN)
- 1975: :Zoltán Magyar:(HUN)
- 1977: :Zoltán Magyar:(HUN)
- 1979: :Alexander Dityatin:(URS)
1979 ::György Guczoghy:(HUN) - 1981: :György Guczoghy:(HUN)
- 1983: :György Guczoghy:(HUN)
- 1985: :Dmitry Bilozerchev:(URS)
- 1987: :Valeri Liukin:(URS)
- 1989: :Valentin Mogilny:(URS)
- 1990: :Valentin Mogilny:(URS)
- 1992: :Vitaly Scherbo:(BLR)
- 1994: :Marius Urzică:(ROM)
- 1996: :Li Donghua:(SUI)
- 1998: :Éric Poujade:(FRA)
- 2000: :Marius Urzică:(ROU)
- 2002: :Marius Urzică:(ROU)
- 2004: :Ioan Silviu Suciu:(ROU)
- 2005: :Krisztián Berki:(HUN)
- 2006: :Flavius Koczi:(ROU)
- 2007: :Krisztián Berki:(HUN)
- 2008: :Krisztián Berki:(HUN)
- 2009: :Krisztián Berki:(HUN)
- 2010: :Dan Keatings:(GBR)
- 2011: :Krisztián Berki:(HUN)
- 2012: :Krisztián Berki:(HUN)
- 2013: :Dan Keatings:(GBR)
- 2014: :Max Whitlock:(GBR)
- 2015: :Louis Smith:(GBR)
- 2016: :Harutyun Merdinyan:(ARM)
- 2017: :David Belyavskiy:(RUS)
- 2018: :Rhys McClenaghan:(IRL)
- 2019: :Max Whitlock:(GBR)
- 2020: :Matvei Petrov:(ALB)
- 2021: :Artur Davtyan:(ARM)
- 1955: :Adalbert Dickhut:(GER)
- 1957: :Yuri *ov:(URS)
- 1959: :Yuri *ov:(URS)
1959 ::William T*sson:(SWE) - 1961: :Giovanni Carminucci:(ITA)
- 1963: :Přemysl Krbec:(TCH)
- 1965: :Viktor Lisitsky:(URS)
- 1967: :Viktor Lisitsky:(URS)
- 1969: :Viktor Klimenko:(URS)
- 1971: :Nikolai Andrianov:(URS)
- 1973: :Nikolai Andrianov:(URS)
- 1975: :Nikolai Andrianov:(URS)
- 1977: :Jiří Tabák:(TCH)
1977 ::Ralph Bärthel:(GDR) - 1979: :Bohdan Makuts:(URS)
- 1981: :Bohdan Makuts:(URS)
- 1983: :Dmitry Bilozerchev:(URS)
- 1985: :Sylvio Kroll:(GDR)
- 1987: :Yuri Korolyov:(URS)
- 1989: :Valentin Mogilny:(URS)
- 1990: :Vitaly Scherbo:(URS)
- 1992: :Vitaly Scherbo:(BLR)
- 1994: :Vitaly Scherbo:(BLR)
- 1996: :Vitaly Scherbo:(BLR)
- 1998: :Ioannis Melissanidis:(GRE)
- 2000: :Ioan Silviu Suciu:(ROU)
- 2002: :Dmitry Kasperovich:(BLR)
2002 ::Marian Drăgulescu:(ROU) - 2004: :Marian Drăgulescu:(ROU)
- 2005: :Jevgēņijs Saproņenko:(LAT)
- 2006: :Marian Drăgulescu:(ROU)
- 2007: :Anton Golotsutskov:(RUS)
- 2008: :Leszek Blanik:(POL)
- 2009: :Thomas Bouhail:(FRA)
- 2010: :Tomi Tuuha:(FIN)
- 2011: :Thomas Bouhail:(FRA)
- 2012: :Flavius Koczi:(ROU)
- 2013: :Denis Ablyazin:(RUS)
- 2014: :Denis Ablyazin:(RUS)
- 2015: :Nikita Nagornyy:(RUS)
- 2016: :Oleg Vernyayev:(UKR)
- 2017: :Artur Dalaloyan:(RUS)
- 2018: :Artur Dalaloyan:(RUS)
- 2019: :Denis Ablyazin:(RUS)
- 2020: :Igor Radivilov:(UKR)
- 2021: :Igor Radivilov:(UKR)
- 1955: :Helmut Bantz:(GER)
1955 ::Boris Shakhlin:(URS)
1955 ::Albert Azaryan:(URS) - 1957: :Jack Günthard:(SUI)
1957 ::Joaquín Blume:(ESP) - 1959: :Yuri *ov:(URS)
- 1961: :Miroslav Cerar:(YUG)
- 1963: :Giovanni Carminucci:(ITA)
- 1965: :Miroslav Cerar:(YUG)
- 1967: :Mikhail Voronin:(URS)
- 1969: :Mikhail Voronin:(URS)
- 1971: :Giovanni Carminucci:(ITA)
- 1973: :Viktor Klimenko:(URS)
- 1975: :Nikolai Andrianov:(URS)
- 1977: :Vladimir Tikhonov:(URS)
- 1979: :Bohdan Makuts:(URS)
- 1981: :Bohdan Makuts:(URS)
- 1983: :Yuri Korolyov:(URS)
- 1985: :Dmitry Bilozerchev:(URS)
- 1987: :Valeri Liukin:(URS)
- 1989: :Kalofer Khristozov:(BUL)
- 1990: :Daniel Giubellini:(SUI)
1990 ::Valentin Mogilny:(URS) - 1992: :Zoltan Supola:(HUN)
- 1994: :Alexei Nemov:(RUS)
1994 ::Rustam Sharipov:(UKR) - 1996: :Rustam Sharipov:(UKR)
1996 ::Vitaly Scherbo:(BLR) - 1998: :Alexei Bondarenko:(RUS)
- 2000: :Mitja Petkovšek:(SLO)
- 2002: :Vasileios Tsolakidis:(GRE)
- 2004: :Roman Zozulya:(UKR)
- 2005: :Manuel Carballo:(ESP)
- 2006: :Mitja Petkovšek:(SLO)
- 2007: :Mitja Petkovšek:(SLO)
- 2008: :Mitja Petkovšek:(SLO)
- 2009: :Yann Cucherat:(FRA)
- 2010: :Yann Cucherat:(FRA)
- 2011: :Marcel Nguyen:(GER)
- 2012: :Marcel Nguyen:(GER)
- 2013: :Oleg Stepko:(UKR)
- 2014: :Oleg Vernyayev:(UKR)
- 2015: :Oleg Vernyayev:(UKR)
- 2016: :David Belyavskiy:(RUS)
- 2017: :Oleg Vernyayev:(UKR)
- 2018: :Artur Dalaloyan:(RUS)
- 2019: :Nikita Nagornyy:(RUS)
- 2020: :Ferhat Arıcan:(TUR)
- 2021: :Ferhat Arıcan:(TUR)