Medal Maker - Victor Kovalenko

by Lara Watts on 4 Oct 2007 This week marks 10 years since Australian Sailing Team (AST) Head Coach, Victor Kovalenko, arrived in Australia and subsequently labelled ‘Medal Maker’. In total, he has led crews to twelve 470 world titles and six Olympic Games medals.

Victor Kovalenko arrived in Australia from the Ukraine in October 1997, after becoming both a 470 and Flying Dutchman national champion in his home country.

He retired from competition in 1983 because of the boycott of the Los Angeles Olympic Games and turned his attention to coaching.

Today he is one of the most respected and successful sailing coaches, having coached Australia to six 470 world titles and six 470 world titles for the USSR/Ukraine.

He has been part of six Olympic Games medals across five Olympic Games, three of these medals being Gold. He has also led crews to 14 Grade 1 ISAF European Championships and had four teams ranked number one in the world. These are impressive results for Kovalenko who has been the AST Head Coach for seven years as well the 470 coach.

Kovalenko explained 'My biggest achievement since arriving in Australia has been imparting my knowledge to other sailors and watching them race with passion.

'In 2003 I became an Australian citizen and everywhere I go I am so happy to represent Australia. I was attracted to the people, culture, the strong sense of community but most of all the spirit of the country. This is what inspires me to be a good coach.

'I am happy with the current Australian Sailing Team’s performance over the last year and am confident the power, the right combination and potential of the Team will reap the right results in 2008 and beyond' he added.

Malcolm Page is the current 470 world champion with Nathan Wilmot and has been coached by Victor for the last 10 years. Page reflected 'I still remember his first training session, when he was just an onlooker and the local coach was putting us through our paces.

'Our performances must have been bad as the next moment I looked over and he was falling asleep in the boat. But the next day he was in full force with that whistle and it did not take long for us to realise that things were going to be hard... but rewarding'.

Kovalenko was honoured at a function at Middle Harbour Yacht Club last night.

The attendees a mixture of his life in Australia – his family, athletes, fellow coaches & support staff, Middle Harbour members, Ukrainian community members and some of sailing’s biggest names.

Middle Harbour Commodore, Martin Hill, presented Kovalenko and his wife Tatiana with honorary membership of Middle Harbour Yacht Club.

A presentation was made by AST Co-captain Malcolm Page, on behalf of Yachting Australia – a framed photo of the 'Medal Maker' and his 2000 Olympic Games gold medallists – Jenny Armstrong, Belinda Stowell, Mark Turnbull and Tom King.

The photo will grace the walls of Middle Harbour Yacht Club.

Victor will once again lead the Australian Sailing Team into yet another Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. The sailing section of the Australian Olympic Team will be announced to the public on Thursday 18th October.

The Australian Sailing Team - www.australiansailingteam.com.au

The Australian Sailing Team is the official national representative sailing team and is comprised of the best sailors in their class in Australia. Selected annually, athletes qualify for inclusion in the team by finishing in the top ten at a World Championship in their class, or are identified as having the potential to do so within a two year period.

The Team is generously supported by the Federal Government through the Australian Sports Commission, the Australian Olympic Committee and is a Tier 1 Australian Institute of Sport program. The Team is managed by Yachting Australia, a member of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), the Australian national authority for sailing. The Team’s goal is to develop talent and win Gold Medals for Australia in 2008 and beyond.

The Australian Sailing Team is generously supported by:
Major co-sponsors; Audi Australia and Hamilton Island
Exclusive Clothing Supplier; Gill Australia
Exclusive Deck Hardware Supplier; Ronstan
Official Supplier; FSE Robline