Vyacheslav Zaytsev

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Vyacheslav Zaytsev
Zaytsev in 2019
Personal information
Full nameVyacheslav Alekseyevich Zaytsev
NationalityRussian
Born(1952-11-12)12 November 1952
Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died12 June 2023(2023-06-12) (aged 70)
Height1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Volleyball information
PositionSetter
Number2 (1976–1980)
3 (1988)
National team
1971–1988 Soviet Union
Honours
Men's volleyball
Representing  Soviet Union
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1980 Moscow Team
Silver medal – second place 1976 Montreal Team
Silver medal – second place 1988 Seoul Team
World Championship
Gold medal – first place 1978 Italy
Gold medal – first place 1982 Argentina
Silver medal – second place 1974 Mexico
Silver medal – second place 1986 France Team
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 1977 Japan
Gold medal – first place 1981 Japan
Silver medal – second place 1985 Japan
Goodwill Games
Gold medal – first place 1986 Moscow
Friendship Games
Gold medal – first place 1984 Havana
European Championship
Gold medal – first place 1975 Yugoslavia
Gold medal – first place 1977 Finland
Gold medal – first place 1979 France
Gold medal – first place 1981 Bulgaria
Gold medal – first place 1983 East Germany
Gold medal – first place 1985 Netherlands
Universiade
Gold medal – first place 1973 Moscow
European Junior Championship
Gold medal – first place 1971 Spain Under-20

Vyacheslav Alekseyevich Zaytsev (Russian: Вячеслав Алексеевич Зайцев, 12 November 1952 – 12 June 2023) was a Russian volleyball player who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1976 Summer Olympics, the 1980 Summer Olympics, and the 1988 Summer Olympics.[1] He was a setter.[2]

In 1976, Zaytsev was part of the Soviet team that won the silver medal in the Olympic tournament. He played all five matches.[1] Four years later, Zaytsev won a gold medal with the Soviet team in the 1980 Olympic tournament. He played five matches.[1]

Zaytsev played a major role in helping the Soviet Union become a dominant team in the late 1970s to early 1980s by winning the 1977 FIVB World Cup, 1978 FIVB World Championship, 1980 Summer Olympics, 1981 FIVB World Cup, and 1982 FIVB World Championship. At the 1988 Summer Olympics, he was a member of the Soviet team that won the silver medal. He played five matches.[1]

Among his achievements, Zaytsev also led the Soviet Union to six European Championship gold medals.[3]

In 2013, Zaytsev was inducted into the

International Volleyball Hall of Fame.[2]

Club volleyball

Zaytsev played for

CEV Cup Winners' Cups in 1982–1983.[3] He finished his career in Italy, playing in Spoleto, Agrigento, and Città di Castello.[2]

Personal life and death

Zaytsev was born in

Leningrad.[1] He was married to Irina Pozdnyakova, a former competitive swimmer. They had a daughter, Anna (born 1975), and a son, Ivan, who is an Olympic volleyball player. Both children hold Italian citizenship: Ivan was born on 2 October 1988 in Italy, where his father played for several years, whereas Anna married an Italian in 1993.[4][5]

Zaytsev died on 12 June 2023, at the age of 70.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Vyacheslav Zaytsev. Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020.
  2. ^
    International Volleyball Hall of Fame. Archived
    from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Vyacheslav Zaytsev". Olympedia. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Позднякова Ирина" [Pozdnyakova Irina]. USSR-Swimming.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  5. ^ ИГРА БЕЗ ЗАЙЦЕВА Archived 22 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine. spbvolley.ru
  6. ^ Sbardella, Massimo (12 June 2023). "E' morto Slava Zaytsev, con lui Spoleto anticipò la fine della Guerra fredda". Tuttoggi (in Italian). Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.

External links