Roman Zakharov

Roman Zakharov was just a boy at the outbreak of World War II in the Soviet Union and was mobilized for agricultural work during the conflict. He took up rowing after the war and, between 1949 and 1956, won six national titles. During that time he also represented his country at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, where he was eliminated in the semi-finals repechage of the coxless fours event, alongside Yury Rogozov, Ivan Makarov, and Vladimir Kirsanov. He also took part in the 1954 Henley Royal Regatta. Following his retirement from active competition, he worked as a coach for his club Krasnoye Znamya Leningrad, until the end of the 1980s.