Vyacheslav Lykho

Vyacheslav Lykho took up athletics in 1979 and was initially a decathlete, but later moved to the shot put and discus and later solely the shot. After winning a silver at the 1986 World Junior Championships, Lykho débuted at the senior ranks at the 1987 World Championships, placing ninth. In 1990, Lykho won a bronze medal at the Goodwill Games and then initially placed third at the 1990 European Championships, but failed a drug test, for which he was stripped of his medal and received a three-month ban from competition. The apex of Lykho’s career was the 1992 Olympics, where he won a surprising bronze medal. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Lykho continued to compete, but without much success, and was eliminated in the qualifying rounds at the 1996 European Indoor Championships and 1997 World Championships. Lykho was the Soviet Champion in 1990, CIS champion in 1992 and Russian champion in 1997.

Personal Best: SP – 21.20 (1987).