Valeriy Skvortsov

Who is Valeriy Skvortsov?

Valeriy Sergeyevich Skvortsov is a former high jumper who represented the USSR in the 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympics.

Skvortsov was first noticed by Soviet high jump coach Viktor Lonsky, who offered him training in a converted sports gym located within the walls of an old Catholic cathedral. His sports career began to accelerate as he won various local high jump competitions and later was invited to Moscow to train for the Soviet Olympic team.

Skvortsov had subsequently participated in the Tokyo Olympic Games of 1964, where he took the 14th place in the high-jump final with a jump height of 2.06 meters. Valeriy Brumel from the Soviet Union, and John Thomas from the United States won the gold and silver medals, respectively.

At the 1966 European Indoor Games championship in Dortmund, West Germany, Skvortsov won first place with a career best jump of 2.17 meters. At the 1968 European Indoor Games he successfully defended his title as the European high jump champion winning first place again with 2.17 meters.

Skvortsov participated in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico city, where he competed with Dick Fosbury and Valentin Gavrilov. His 2.16 meter jump secured him a fourth place finish.