Olympic record holder Melentiev dies

[shaky hands]

On February 16 the reigning free pistol Olympic record holder Melentiev died at the age of 60.

RIP

[northpaw]

Well, he was the former record holder. Melentiev held the record from 1980 to 2014.

Current record holder is a korean named Jongoh Jin.
His score achieved at 09.09. 2014 was 583 pts.

[David Levene]

Well, he was the former record holder. Melentiev held the record from 1980 to 2014.

Current record holder is a korean named Jongoh Jin.
His score achieved at 09.09. 2014 was 583 pts.

No, as stated in the OP the Olympic Record is still down to Melentiev with a 581 in Moscow. Jongoh Jin has not broken that record.

[shaky hands]

Right, 581 is no longer the world record, but the Olympic record it still is.

[spektr]

Did Melentiev benefit from decimal scoring?

[David Levene]

Did Melentiev benefit from decimal scoring?

No. Decimal scoring isn't used in the 60 shot qualifying stage even today.

[deadeyedick]

Does anyone know the cause of death ?

[renzo]

It's sad news for certain.

I clearly remember when the news broke about the "581", it made the front pages in the shooting circles.

I myself started (a few years later) shooting FP with the same caption the OP uploaded, which itself appeared in the UIT-Journal, in my mind, and still have it framed in my reloading workshop.

I didn't ever got close to it, but always amazed me. Even last year, when comparing that target with Jin's, I noticed that in spite of the two point difference favouring the Korean shooter, Melentiev's is better grouped.

As weird as it may seem - having never met him - I'll miss him. Always wondered how it must have felt to shoot THAT score in an OG in your HOME country.....................

[antispar]

I will kind of miss him too. He did an extraordinary thing 35 years ago setting a benchmark that every slow-fire pistol shooter dreamed to reach.

[David Levene]

We should also remember that he was a member of the team that still holds the World Standard Pistol Team Record of 1725, average of 575/man, set in Osijek in 1985.

[shaky hands]

A few details about the shooter and his record.

Melentiev lived most of his life in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, though he coached around the world in the post-Soviet period. In '79 some of his supporters attempted to move him to Kiev, but he performed dismally at the military championship in Lvov, where he shot despite the pain and vertigo soon after a middle ear surgery, and the military brass refused to accept him. Next year he started the season very well, firing his first 581 at a major Soviet tournament in Sukhumi, Georgia. That score was 4 points above the world record at the time and it sealed his place on the team.

Free pistol was shot on the very first day of the Moscow Olympics; in fact it was the very first set of medals to be decided, so the coverage by the media was intense. Melentiev completed the course of fire in 1 hour and 41 minutes, he never took his hand out of his pistol's (MTs-55-2) grip; most of his shots came after the first attempt, and he was using his favorite Tenex ammo. He was very calm throughout; he attributed his calmness to the risks of mountaineering he practiced in his spare time. The second Soviet shooter, very talented and young Sergei Pyzhianov, a future air pistol record holder (593), could not control his nerves and was devastated after firing 564 for the 6th place, an unheard of score for the Soviet team members (he still beat Skanaker by one point).

Having earned the first gold medal for the Soviets Melentiev was showered with praise at a number of meetings and celebrations with artists and state officials. A man who met him on the street the next day told Melentiev that he named his newborn son Alexander in his honor.

[Tycho]

As weird as it may seem - having never met him - I'll miss him. Always wondered how it must have felt to shoot THAT score in an OG in your HOME country

Well said.

[j-team]

Does anyone know the cause of death ?

Perhaps the long term side effects from the "training regime" of the 1980s...

I await the inevitable response for daring to suggest such a thing!

[jliston48]

So sad!

We lose a little of our world when our heroes leave us and Alexandr was a hero to anyone who attempted to perform with a free/50m pistol in the last 35 years.

Very few people in any sport are good enough to achieve a world record and to set a record that endures for 34 years is just incredible.

Pistol shooting has indeed lost a great benchmark setter. 60 years is way too early to go. My sympathies are with his family, friends and fans the world over.

[renzo]

More than a month ago I asked (via PM) a forum member which I knew was amongst the editors of Wikipedia to rectify Alexander's page, in the sense that his OLYMPIC record hasn't been beaten yet, only his WR, as I saw it fitting to the meaning those "581" had for a lot of us.

Evidently he hasn't got the time or the will to do it, so hereby I'm asking to any other forum member - if he's able and willing - to do this little homage to a great departed.

Thanks a lot

[shaky hands]

Check it out now. This is my first experience with editing a Wikipedia entry, so be gentle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Melentyev

[renzo]

Thank you very very much.

It means a lot to me (and - I suppose - to others like you) that he got his due merit, as I think his OR will never be surpassed.

My hat is off to you, sir.

[shaky hands]

Well, my edit of Melentiev's Wikipedia page did not survive four weeks and was vandalized (from an address in South Korea). Whoever did that obviously 1) has no clue that Jong-Oh does not hold the Olympic record in free pistol, so the new edit is simply a misrepresentation, 2) seemingly cannot comprehend a concept that Melentiev's page should list records held by Melentiev, not by somebody else; and that if his record is beaten (and it is not), it should be removed from his page, rather than replaced with the new record holder's name.

Given that Wikipedia is an open resourse, how do you deal with such Jong-Oh's overzealous compatriot ignoramuses?

[renzo]

Well, my edit of Melentiev's Wikipedia page did not survive four weeks and was vandalized (from an address in South Korea). Whoever did that obviously 1) has no clue that Jong-Oh does not hold the Olympic record in free pistol, so the new edit is simply a misrepresentation, 2) seemingly cannot comprehend a concept that Melentiev's page should list records held by Melentiev, not by somebody else; and that if his record is beaten (and it is not), it should be removed from his page, rather than replaced with the new record holder's name.

Given that Wikipedia is an open resourse, how do you deal with such Jong-Oh's overzealous compatriot ignoramuses?

Aren't there moderators in Wikipedia to whom refer the matter, so your clarification is restored and the page blocked from future vandalizing? I ask because I don't know. but if in a forum like this it can be done, I'd suppose they could.