The Medal Maker: A Biography of Victor Kovalenko

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt
Victor Kovalenko has been called the Medal Maker as his teams have won more Olympic medals in sailing than those of any other sailing coach in history. And now with the release of ‘The Medal Maker: A Biography of Victor Kovalenko’, we know the manner in which Kovalenko has enjoyed such historic success.

What noted author Roger Vaughan has unearthed in this biography of Kovalenko is now a valued textbook for competitors and coaches to study. The success that Kovalenko has achieved is not by accident, with his work ethic rooted in the challenges he overcame growing up in the Soviet Union. If you think you have a good understanding of our sport, think again.

Vaughan highlighted the uniqueness of Olympic sailing and how these elements must be mastered and managed. The lessons offered by Kovalenko to propel his athletes toward their goals is mind opening, and of value to anyone in the position of parenting or mentoring.

I cannot conceive of anyone committing years of their life to achieve Olympic glory without fully appreciating the details to which Kovalenko shared. But even for those whose goals aren’t as lofty, how Kovalenko breaks down the sport into bits can simplify the road toward improvement for anyone.

Kovalenko, notorious for protecting his processes, opened a rare window to his world. Props to Vaughan for giving us this view in a very readable and interesting tale of success. Now available from Amazon… click here.