Valter KULVET

Valter Külvet was a brilliant athlete as a youth, but unfortunately he was very often hampered with injuries in senior class. Already in 1978 he won the Soviet youth championships in octathlon. In 1981 he won his first Estonian championships in the decathlon with a result of 8104 points, which still stands (as of 2008) as a world record of under 18 year olds. In 1983 he won the European Junior championships, but also got his first serious injury – a severe leg and knee trauma. In 1985 he won a silver in Universade but did not finish at the 1986 European championships due to injury. Külvet also did not finish in the next two major championships due to injury – at the 1987 World championships and at 1988 Seoul Olympics, the Olympics were his last major championships. Külvet won the Soviet championships in decathlon in 1987 and was third in 1985 and 1986. He was Estonian champion in the decathlon in 1981, 1994 and 1995, in the discus throw in 1986 and 1991 and in 4×100 m relay four times from 1985 to 1988. In the 1990s, Külvet was also a successful businessman, who exported wood from Russia. Valter Külvet was reported missing on the evening of July 1, 1998. His severely beaten body was found in the morning of July 3 in a ditch near Mäksa. A police investigation found that he had been dead at least 24 hours and that he was killed during a carjacking.

Personal Best: Dec – 8506 (1988).