The Fifth of Nations

05.09.1971 (Zvaigzne)

Latvian athlete Jānis Lanka. To win the long-cherished gold medal in the decathlon, he had to run 1500 meters a few seconds faster. But his legs went numb. The silver medal is also a considerable success for our all-around veteran. But the gold was so close!

Vladimir Anikin can be called the vice-champion of the USSR in weightlifting.

RPI instructor Artūrs Sliede achieved the absolute Latvian record in weightlifting at the Spartakiad — 545 kg.  Seeing Artūrs' smile, one might think that lifting weights is a trivial matter. Before smiling, he desperately shouted to himself and the bar: «Hold!». When a stable position is reached, one can smile for the joy of oneself and the photographers.

Waiting for the wild boar. Three-time world champion Andris Bucis is in the firing line. He "shot" a silver medal at the Spartakiad.

After catching his breath a little, the USSR international-class master of sports in boxing, Andrei Dolgov, persistently advanced through all three rounds. However, this time his opponents did not let him go further than the bronze medal.

What a can one do to a tall person! But the desire was quite great.

The Spartakiad basketball cup is back in the hands of Riga's women. It is received by the captain of the Latvian national team, Dzintra Grundmane.

In the women's 1500 m final, Aija Veisa fought brilliantly, improving her personal and Latvian record by eight seconds. Aija came in third place, but the first two runners were also only slightly ahead.

After a period of injuries and lack of athletic performance, Imants Klintsons fought like a lion again. At the Spartakiad tournament, he was unable to defeat only world champion Viktor Igumnov - for which he received a silver medal.

But next to him on the other mat, Imants won the USSR champion title. Our classical-style wrestlers had dreamed of such a success for more than twenty years.

Latvia's best gymnast, Valerijs Komisarovs, took seventh place in the all-around.

It was also hot in the stands. Especially when Māra Saulīte and Ingrīda Barkāne played the roles of fans and Juris Grustins ran on the field.

Sambo wrestlers had their say at the Spartakiad for the first time. Muscovites congratulate our Sergey Velikotny on his silver medal.