Valentin Mankin
Valentin Mankin
Born in 1938 in the Ukraine, Valentin Mankin raced full-time for the Soviet Union from 1955 until 1988. During
that time, Mankin came as close as anyone ever has to equaling Paul
Elvstrom's record of four sailing gold medals. Mankin won a gold medal
in the Finn class in 1968 and a gold in the Tempest in 1972; he also
won a silver in 1976, despite losing his regular crew to injury shortly
before the regatta.In that event, he topped bronze medalist Dennis
Conner.
Mankin came back to Olympic competition in the Star class and won his
third gold medal in 1980. His record could've been even finer; he
qualified for the Olympics in the Finn class in 1960 and 1964, but
under the Soviet system he was passed over for sailors with more
seniority. Mankin emigrated to Italy in 1988, where he remains active
in the sport as an Olympic-class coach.
