Gennady Agapov
Gennady Agapov (Геннадий Михайлович Агапов; 5 December 1933 – 22 July 1999) was a Soviet Russian race walker who specialized in the 20 km and 50 km race walk, set a 50 km world record of 3:55:36 in 1965, and competed for the Soviet Union at the 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympics.1 • 2
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Gennady Mikhaylovich Agapov (Геннадий Михайлович Агапов)1 |
| Born / died | 5 December 1933 in Kaliningrad (German name Königsberg); 22 July 1999 in Yekaterinburg, aged 651 |
| Club | SKA Sverdlovsk, Yekaterinburg; competed for the Armed Forces (Sverdlovsk)1 • 2 |
| Olympic results | 1964 Tokyo, 50 km walk: 12th in 4:24:34.0; 1968 Mexico City, 50 km walk: did not finish3 • 1 |
| European medal | Silver, 50 km walk, 1966 European Athletics Championships, Budapest, behind the defending champion Abdon Pamich of Italy1 |
| Soviet titles | Champion of the USSR in the 50 km walk in 1965, 1966, and 1967, and in the 20 km walk in 19692 |
Life and career
Agapov was born on 5 December 1933 in Kaliningrad, the city known in German as Königsberg.1 • 4 The Russian sports reference Sport-strana gives his birthplace as Kalinin instead, a discrepancy between the two records.2 He was 181 cm tall and competed at 76 kg.1
Soviet career. He competed for the Armed Forces team in Sverdlovsk, training under S.A. Lobastov and A.L. Fruktov, and was named Master of Sport of the USSR of international class in 1964.2 His Soviet championship record spanned both walk distances: he was national champion at 50 km in 1965, 1966, and 1967 and at 20 km in 1969, runner-up at 20 km in 1964, 1965, and 1968, and third at 50 km in 1962.2
Olympic Games. At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics he finished 12th in the 50 km walk in 4:24:34.0, in a race in which the first twelve finishers all broke the Olympic record and Italy's Abdon Pamich won in 4:11:12.4.3 At the 1968 Mexico City Olympics he started the 50 km walk but did not finish.1 He also competed at the 1969 European Championships.2
Other marks and later life. His personal best at 50 km is recorded as 3:55:36 (1965).1 World Athletics' all-time junior list credits him with a 20 km walk of 1:26:45.8 in Simferopol on 6 April 1969.5 A 1970 race walking reference lists him as a Soviet participant in the 1970 IAAF World Race Walking Cup.6 After his competitive career he worked as a lecturer in the physical education department of the Sverdlovsk Higher Military-Political Tank and Artillery School.2 He died on 22 July 1999 in Yekaterinburg and was buried at the city's Northern Cemetery.2
References
- Gennady Agapov, Olympedia
- Агапов Геннадий Михайлович, Sport-strana.ru
- Heel & Toe newsletter No. 42, VRWC (1964 Olympic 50 km walk results)
- Olympedia – Kaliningrad, Kaliningrad (RUS)
- World Athletics all-time top lists, 20,000 m race walk men U18
- Agapov surname listing, findwords.info
Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Athletics, gymnastics, and strength sports › Athletes of track and field and road running › Road, marathon, and ultramarathon runners › Men race walkers › Soviet and Russian race walkers
Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026
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