Boris Shakhlin

Boris Shakhlin of the Soviet Union won six gold medals in individual gymnastic events, which remains an Olympic best for men, bettered only by Věra Čáslavská among women. Between 1956 and 1964, he won a total of 13 Olympic medals (seven gold, four silver, two bronze) with his strongest individual event being the pommelled horse in which he won gold in 1960 and 1964. His 13 Olympic medals was a record for men until it was bettered by fellow Soviet gymnast Nikolay Andrianov. Shakhlin also won a total of 14 medals at the World Championships. He won four individual titles at the 1958 World Championships: all-around, horizontal bar, parallel bars, and pommelled horse. He was all-around champion at the 1955 European Championships, the 1958 World Championships, and the 1960 Olympics. Unusually tall for a gymnast, his height and reach were a distinct advantage on the horizontal bar but caused him difficulty on the floor exercise. He later served as a gymnastics official and was a member of the FIG Technical Committee from 1968-1992. Shakhlin was a senior lecturer on gymnastics at Kyiv’s National University of Physical Training and Sports. He was awarded the Red Banner of Labor in 1956, the Order of Lenin in 1960, and the mark of Honor in 1964. He was named an Honorary Citizen of both his birthplace, Ishim, and his adopted hometown of Kyiv.