Anatoly Bondarchuk

Anatoly Bondarchuk took up athletics and hammer throwing quite late, in 1964, when he was already 24-years-old. But he soon rose to be one of the world’s top hammer throwers. Bondarchuk came to prominence in 1969, winning his first Soviet title, followed by the European title. His winning mark of 74.68 at the European Championships was also a world record, which he bettered a month later with 75.48 in his hometown of Rivne. At the 1971 European Championships Bondarchuk finished only third, but was still considered as the favorite for the 1972 Olympic gold. In the Olympic final, Bondarchuk showed top form by throwing the gold medal mark of 75.50 in the first round. After the 1972 Olympics, Bondarchuk competed at the 1974 European Championships, but was eliminated in qualifying.

After the 1974 Europeans Bondarchuk decided to quit athletics and started to guide young Soviet hammer throwers Yuriy Siedykh and Jüri Tamm, but made a brief comeback in 1976 to compete at the Olympics, where he won a bronze medal. He was Soviet Champion in 1969-70 and 1972-73 and won silver in 1976.

Bondarchuk later became one of the world’s most renowned hammer throwing coaches. Following his retirement after the 1976 Olympics, Bondarchuk devoted himself fully to coaching and emerged as one of the most renowned hammer throw coaches in the world. He coached the 1980 and 1988 Soviet Olympic teams and from 1991-2004 was head coach of the Qatar national team. He earned his Doctorate in Pedagogical Sciences from Kyiv University. Over his coaching career, more than 31 high-performance athletes reached Olympic and World Championship podiums under his guidance. His most famous protégé was Yuri Sedykh, the hammer world record holder and two-time Olympic champion (1976, 1980) and silver medalist (1988).

In 2004, Bondarchuk moved to Kamloops, British Columbia, where he coached North American hammer throwers, including three-time World and Olympic shot put medallist Dylan Armstrong (CAN) and two-time Commonwealth Games champion Sultana Frizell (CAN). Even in retirement, he continued to advise elite athletes, including Olympic and World hammer champion Ethan Katzberg (CAN). Dr. Bondarchuk authored 27 books and nearly 200 research papers. His two-volume work Transfer of Training in Sports is considered the classic text on that subject, and his scientific “Bondarchuk Method,” a breakthrough in training periodization based on individual athlete response, has been widely adopted and credited by coaches and athletes worldwide. His teachings continue to influence and shape future generations of athletes and coaches.

For his Olympic achievements, Bondarchuk was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honour in 1972 and the Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1976. He was married to his wife, Galyna, for 61 years, and together they had a daughter, Tatiana, and a son, Igor.

Personal Best: HT – 77.42 (1976).