Prepared by Olga Vedenina

Zhukovsky is a small town known as a town of science and aircraft industry. But without any doubt it can be called the town of sports as well.

Many successful sportsmen were born and live in Zhukovsky. «Meteor» sport complex reconstructed a few years ago is a modern place for training. Such famous athletes as Borzakovsky, Lysenko, Firova glorify our town. Nikolai Matyukhin is one of the famous sportsmen of Zhukovsky.

Nikolai Matyukhin was born in Zhukovsky on December 13th, 1968. He began going in for athletics at the age of ten. Nikolai tried different events of track-and-field and at last his coach Gavrilitsa V.I. advised him to choose race walk.

Nikolai Matyukhin: got his first gold medal at the Russian

Championship in 1993. It was his first great victory.

was a participant of the Olympic games in 1996 (Atlanta) and in 2000 (Sydney).

took silver at the World Cup in 1997 (Podebrady, Czech Republic)

became the bronze medalist of the World Cup in 1999 (Mezdon, France)

The main sport achievement for Nicolai is the silver medal at the World Championship in 1997 in 50 km race walk (Seville)

Nikolai Matyukhin considers Jesus Angel Garcia as one of the outstanding sportsmen he had to compete with. Jesus Angel is already 43, but he is still taking part in sport competitions. By the way he isn’t going to finish his career as a sportsman.

Nikolai Matyukhin became a coach after the Olympic games in Sydney. He went to Guatemala and had been working there for a year. But he had a strong desire to «feel the spirit» of competition and became a member of the Russian team in athletics again. Now Nicolai is a coach in «Meteor» sport complex and shares his experience with younger generation.