Dmitry Bilozerchev

Aged 16, Dmitry Bilozerchev became the youngest world champion gymnast when he won four titles at the 1983 World Championships (all-around, pommel horse, rings and bars). A year later he won the Friendship Games, held for the countries that boycotted the Los Angeles Olympics. In 1985, after winning the European Championships, he drank too much champagne and left the training camp without permission, and just ten days after losing his licence, he crashed his father’s car. He broke his left leg in 42 places, and amputation was considered, but Bilozerchev recovered. After also undergoing ankle surgery in 1986, the gymnast returned to win the all-around, team and parallel bars events at the 1987 World Championships.

At the Seoul Olympics Bilozerchev won three gold medals, but not the all-around title due to a fall from the bars, which cost him 0.5 point, and his team mate Vladimir Artyomov (gold) finished just 0.150 points ahead. In 1989, Bilozerchev was expelled from the national team “for his corrupting influence on other team members”, after spending two days drunk with his team-mate Lado Gogoladze.