Mikhail VORONIN

Mikhail Voronin was the top Soviet gymnast at the end of the 1960s. The best tournament for Voronin was the 1968 Olympics, where he medaled in every event, except floor exercise, winning two gold medals (horizontal bar and vault), four silvers (individual all-around, parallel bars, rings and team event) and a pommelled horse bronze. At the 1972 Olympics, Voronin won two more silvers (rings, team event), bringing his total count of Olympic medals to nine. At the World Championships, Voronin won eight medals, including two World titles, both in 1966, in individual all-around and rings. He also won four silvers (1966/1970 team, 1966 pommelled horse and parallel bars) and two bronzes (1970 parallel bars and 1970 rings). Voronin also won eight European titles (1967/1969 individual all-around and parallel bars, 1967/1969/1971 rings and 1967 pommelled horse) and 15 medals in total at the European Championships. Domestically, Voronin was a 16-time Soviet champion (1967-68/70-71 individual all-around, 1966-67/69-72 rings, 1967/69 parallel bars, 1967/70 in pommelled horse, 1966 floor exercise, 1971 horizontal bar). Voronin finished his sporting career after the 1972 Olympics and from 1973-94 was the head coach of Dynamo Moskva gymnastics team. From 1978-88, Voronin also worked as the president of Russian SFSR Gymnastics federation. From 1994 until his death in 2004, Voronin was the president of the Dynamo Moskva gymnastics club. His first wife Zinaida Voronina was also a gymnast and 1968 Olympic champion and their son Dmitry also became an international level gymnast. Zinaida and Mikhail Voronin divorced in 1980.