12 Facts About Igor Ter-Ovanesyan

Igor Aramovich Ter-Ovanesyan is a Soviet and Ukrainian former long jumper and coach, of Armenian descent.

Igor Ter-Ovanesyan's parents met at the Kyiv State Institute of Physical Education, where they both taught sports-related topics.

Igor Ter-Ovanesyan took up athletics when he was 15, and within two years was included to the Soviet national team.

Igor Ter-Ovanesyan trained at Burevestnik, first in Kiev, later in Lviv, and then in Moscow.

Igor Ter-Ovanesyan holds a PhD and a title of Professor at the Department of Athletics, Moscow State Academy of Physical Culture.

Igor Ter-Ovanesyan competed at the 1956,1968 and 1972 Olympics and finished fourth in 1968.

Igor Ter-Ovanesyan became the first European long jumper to break the 8 meter barrier.

Igor Ter-Ovanesyan broke the European long jump record eight times and the world long jump record twice.

Igor Ter-Ovanesyan had the annual world's best long jumps in 1962,1966,1967 and 1969.

Igor Ter-Ovanesyan's pupils included Ineta Radevica, Valery Podluzhny, Vilma Bardauskiene and Tatyana Kolpakova.

In February 2017, Igor Ter-Ovanesyan held a press conference in Moscow, during which he said that East German successes due to state-sponsored doping are legitimate results of "good pharmacology" and should not be condemned.

Sime approached Igor Ter-Ovanesyan and introduced him to a CIA agent in Rome, but that agent's manner frightened Igor Ter-Ovanesyan off and he did not defect.