Viktor Kapitonov

Soviet cyclist

Viktor Kapitonov

Kapitonov at the 1960 Olympics

Personal information

Born

(1933-10-25)25 October 1933
Kalinin, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union

Died

5 March 2005(2005-03-05) (aged 71)
Moscow, Russia

Height

1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)

Weight

73 kg (161 lb)

Sport

Event

Road race

Club

Soviet Army Moscow

Medal record

Representing URS

Men's cycling
Olympic Games
	1960 Rome	Individual road race
	1960 Rome	Team time trial

Viktor Arsenevich Kapitonov (Russian: Виктор Арсеньевич Капитонов, 25 October 1933 – 5 March 2005) was a Soviet road cyclist who competed at the 1956 and 1960 Summer Olympics. In 1956 he finished 32nd individually and 6th with the Soviet team. In 1960 he won the individual road race and finished third in the 100 km team time trial. His gold medal was the first for Soviet cyclists. At the end of the race Kapitonov mistakenly sprinted for the finish with one lap to go, surprising his main rival Livio Trapè. In the last lap Trapè sprinted first, but Kapitonov caught him up in the last few meters.^[1]^[2]

Kapitonov was part of the Soviet teams that won the Peace Race in 1958, 1959, 1961 and 1962. He retired in 1965 and until 1985 coached the Soviet road racing team. In 1983 he defended a PhD in pedagogy.^[1]