Sergey Litvinov (athlete, born 1958)
A hammer throw titan whose fierce rivalry with a compatriot defined an era of Soviet athletic dominance.
1958–2018 (age 60)·Russian hammer thrower and coach·Birthday: January 23·Baby Boomers
Biography
In the shadow of the Cold War, Sergey Litvinov forged his legacy with iron and sheer force. The Russian thrower emerged as one half of a historic duel with fellow Soviet athlete Yuriy Sedykh, a competition that pushed the world record to staggering distances. Litvinov, known for his explosive power and technical precision, claimed his first world title in 1983. Denied a chance at the 1984 Olympics by the Soviet boycott, he channeled his focus to Seoul in 1988, where he finally seized Olympic gold, defeating Sedykh in a monumental clash. After retiring, his keen eye for technique made him a master coach, guiding a new generation, including his own son, to carry the hammer forward.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Sergey was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Sergey Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Sergey's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
Key Achievements
- Won the gold medal in the hammer throw at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, setting an Olympic record.
- Secured the silver medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, behind his rival Yuriy Sedykh.
- Became World Champion in 1983 and 1987, cementing his status as a dominant force in the event.
- Set three official world records in the hammer throw during his competitive career.
- Coached elite athletes including world champion Ivan Tsikhan and his son, Sergey Litvinov Jr., who also became a world-class hammer thrower.
Did You Know?
His son, Sergey Litvinov Jr., also competed in the hammer throw at the Olympic Games (2012 and 2016).
He and Yuriy Sedykh traded the world record back and forth multiple times in the 1980s.
He served in the Soviet Army during his athletic career.
His 1988 Olympic gold medal-winning throw of 84.80 meters remained the Olympic record for 20 years.
He was known for a very fast spinning technique in the hammer throw circle.
“The hammer is an extension of my own coiled strength.”
