Viatcheslav Ekimov
 Ekimov in the prologue of the 2006 Tour of California. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Viatcheslav Vladimirovich Ekimov | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Eki | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
4 February 1966 Vyborg, Soviet Union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current team | Team Katusha | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Road | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role |
Rider (retired) Team manager | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rider type | Time-trialist | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Professional team(s) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1992 | Panasonic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993 | Novemail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994 | WordPerfect | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995 | Novell | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | Rabobank | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | U.S. Postal Service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | Amica Chip | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2006 | U.S. Postal Service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial team(s) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Team RadioShack | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012– | Team Katusha | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Major wins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Infobox last updated on 2 January 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Viatcheslav Vladimirovich Ekimov (Russian Вячеслав Владимирович Екимов; born 4 February 1966 in Vyborg near Leningrad), nicknamed Eki, is a Russian former professional racing cyclist. A triple Olympic gold medalist, he was awarded the title of Russian Cyclist of the Century in 2001. In October 2012, he was announced as the general manager of the Russian Team Katusha.[3] The UCI, in a letter written to Katusha Team, denied them entrance into the 2013 World Tour. Among the many ethical violations the UCI cited, the appointment of Ekimov was among them for reasons unspecified.[4]
Biography
Ekimov started training as a cyclist at age 12 with a bicycle school affiliated with the famous centre of Aleksandr Kuznetsov. He trained in Leningrad at Lokomotiv and later Armed Forces sports society during the Soviet era. He first competed professionally in 1990.
Ekimov won three Olympic gold medals: in the track team pursuit in Seoul (1988) for the USSR, and in an upset, in the road time trial in Sydney (2000) for Russia. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Ekimov won the silver medal for Russia in the men's road individual time trial, losing to American Tyler Hamilton. Hamilton's initial blood sample tested positive for blood doping, but the lab mistakenly froze the backup sample, rendering it unsuitable for the required second test. Though the Russian Olympic committee appealed the final standings on Ekimov's behalf, the lab's error made it impossible to definitively establish Hamilton's culpability and the American retained the gold medal. (Hamilton again tested positive a few weeks later and received a two-year competition ban.) In August 2012, Hamilton was stripped of his medal and Ekimov was promoted to gold.[5]
Ekimov joined the USPS team in 1997 as its first key international signing, briefly retiring in 2001 before rejoining the team the following year. In the 2003 Tour de France Ekimov placed 10th in the prologue. He was a key force in the winning team time trial effort in stage four and was important to Lance Armstrong's fifth Tour victory both on the flats and in the mountains. He missed the 2005 Tour de France due to injuries received in a training ride with Armstrong in Texas.[6] During the final stage of the 2006 Tour de France, now racing for the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, he announced that the 2006 Tour would be his last. He was honored by the peloton on the final stage, who allowed him to lead them over the line on the first of the eight laps of the Champs-Élysées. Ekimov started and finished 15 Tours de France, tying him with Lucien Van Impe for the third most Tour finishes, behind Joop Zoetemelk and George Hincapie.
In September 2006 he finished riding for Discovery, but stayed with the team as Assistant Directeur Sportif to Johan Bruyneel.[7] He helped guide the Discovery riders during the U.S. Pro Cycling Championships in 2006 as well as the Tour of California and the Tour de Georgia.
On 9 September 2009, it was announced he would join Team RadioShack as Directeur Sportif.[8]
In August 2012, Tyler Hamilton was officially stripped of the gold medal of the 2004 Olympic time trial following doping admission. As second placed cyclist in that race Ekimov has been upgraded to first place and will receive the gold medal according to an IOC official.[9]
Career highlights
- 1988
- 1st
Team Pursuit Cycling at the 1988 Summer Olympics - 1st Overall Regio-Tour
- 1st Vuelta al Táchira
- 1st Tour de Normandie
- 1989
- 1st Circuit Franco-Belge
- 1990
- 1st
World Individual Pursuit Championships - 1991
- 1st World Points Race Championships
- 1st Stage 20 Tour de France
- 1st Stage 3 Critérium International
- 1992
- 1st Züri-Metzgete
- 3rd Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
- 1st Stage 5
- 1993
- 1st Clásica de Almería
- 1st Stage 5 Tour de Suisse
- 1994
- 1st Overall Vuelta Ciclista a la Communidad Valenciana
- 1st Stage 2
- 1st Overall Tour DuPont
- 1st Veenendaal–Veenendaal
- 1995
- 1st Stage 5 Tour de Suisse
- 2nd Overall Tour DuPont
- 4th Paris–Roubaix
- 1996
- 1st Overall Three Days of De Panne
- 1997
- 1st
National Road Race Championships - 1st Stage 8 Paris–Nice
- Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- 1st Stages 2 & 4
- 1st Stage 5 Vuelta a Castilla y León
- 1998
- 1st Stage 6 Prudential Tour
- 2nd Overall Ronde van Nederland
- 1999
- 1st Stage 15 Vuelta a España
- 1st Stage 5 Tour de Suisse
- 2000
- 1st Sydney Summer Olympics
- 1st Grand Prix Eddy Merckx
- 1st Overall Three Days of De Panne
- 2001
- 1st Stage 5 Vuelta Ciclista a la Communidad Valenciana
- 2003
- 1st Stage 4 (TTT) Tour de France
- 1st Overall Ronde van Nederland
- 1st Stage 4 (ITT)
- 3rd Paris–Roubaix
- 2004
- 1st Stage 4 (TTT) Tour de France
- 2nd Overall Ronde van Nederland
- 1st Stage 4
- 2nd Overall Tour de Languedoc-Roussillon
- 1st Athens Summer Olympics Men's Time Trial[2]
- 5th Overall Tour de Georgia
- 5th Grand Prix Eddy Merckx
- 2005
- 1st Stage 4 (ITT) Three Days of De Panne
References
- ↑ Cycling - Road Time Trial results, Athens 2004 - Olympics.org
- 1 2 Hamilton, the winner of the golden medal at the time trial at the 2004 Summer Olympics, confessed doping use and was stripped of his gold medal, Ekimov who finished in second position, has been awarded the gold.
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑ "Tyler Hamilton stripped of Athens Olympics gold after doping admission". The Guardian (Guardian Media Group). 10 August 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
- ↑ Ekimov blow hits Armstrong's team
- ↑ Discovery Channel axe 11 riders
- ↑ "Ekimov to direct Armstrong's RadioShack in 2010". Cyclingnews. 9 September 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
- ↑ "Cyclist Tyler Hamilton who accused Lance Armstrong of doping is stripped of 2004 gold medal after admitting he used drugs". Daily Mail (Associated Newspapers Ltd). Associated Press. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
External links
Media related to Viatcheslav Ekimov at Wikimedia Commons
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