Viktor Lisitsky

Viktor Lisitsky, one of the top male gymnasts of the mid-60s, was always under the shadow of the great Japanese gymnasts, mostly Yukio Endo and Akinori Nakayama, so he was only able to win at the Europeans. In 1965, Lisitsky won three European titles (rings, vault and pommelled horse), repeating that in 1967 (rings, vault and horizontal bar), and in 1969 he won the horizontal bar European title. He also won five silvers at the Europeans (in 1965 in individual all-around, on floor exercise and horizontal bar, in 1967 in individual all-around and in 1969 on floor exercise).

Lisitsky’s Olympic record was five silvers, of which he won four in 1964 (individual all-around, vault, floor exercise and the team event) and one in 1968 (team event). At the World Championships, Lisitsky was less successful, winning only two silvers, both in the team event, in 1962 and 1970. Domestically, Lisitsky won 15 Soviet titles (1964 and 1966 in individual all-around; 1964-65, 1967, 1969-70 in floor exercise, 1965 and 1968 on rings, 1964-66 on vault and 1966-67, 1969 on horizontal bar).

After retiring from sports, Lisitsky worked as a gymnastics coach with CSKA Moskva for a short while, before working as a professor and head of the physical education department of Mendeleyev Russian University of Chemistry and Technology. One of Lisitsky’s hobbies was painting and he was a member of the Union of Russian Artists.