Vitaly Scherbo
Belarusian gymnast (born 1972)
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Vitaly Venediktovich Scherbo[a] (born 13 January 1972) is a Belarusian former artistic gymnast. One of the most successful gymnasts of all time, as of at least as recently as after the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, he is the only male gymnast in the 100+ year history of the World Championships to have won a world title in all 8 events[1] (individual all-around in 1993, team in 1991, floor in 1994, 1995 and 1996, horizontal bar in 1994, parallel bars in 1993 and 1995, pommel horse in 1992, rings in 1992, vault in 1993 and 1994). He was the most successful athlete at the 1992 Summer Olympics, winning 6 of 8 events – team, all-around, and 4 of the 6 event finals.[1]
Gymnastics career
His first international performances were in 1990–1991, when he competed for the USSR team at the World Championship and the World Cup. He was the 1991 World All-Around silver medalist behind teammate Grigori Misutin; scored a perfect 10.0 on the vault at the European Championships in 1990; and starred at the Goodwill Games in Seattle. He had occasional bouts of inconsistency, and as the 1992 Barcelona Olympics approached, the Unified Team coaches regarded him as less of a medal prospect than his more experienced and reliable teammates. In one of the most dominant performances in history, Scherbo won six out of the possible eight awarded gold medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. His golds came in the team event, the all-around, pommel horse (tie), rings, vault, and parallel bars.[2]
Scherbo and his wife Irina relocated to the United States, settling in State College, Pennsylvania. The move enabled them to take advantage of Scherbo's Olympic success. He followed up on his Olympic accomplishments, placing first in the 1993 World All-Around title, third place in 1994, and second place in 1995's World All-Around title.[3]
On 13 December 1995, Scherbo's wife Irina was involved in a single-car accident, in which she skidded off a road and slammed into a tree. She suffered multiple fractures to her ribs and pelvis, lapsed into a coma, and her internal injuries were so severe that doctors told her husband that she only had a 1 in 100 chance of surviving. Scherbo stopped his training altogether. He gained 15 pounds and began abusing alcohol. After a month, Irina finally woke up from her coma, and insisted that her husband resume his training for the upcoming Olympic season.[3] As his wife made a recovery, Scherbo similarly began to regain peak physical condition, winning yet another World title in 1996. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, his performances reflected his lack of preparation time, both due to his wife's accident and a recent shoulder surgery.[citation needed]
Scherbo had planned to compete in the 1997 World Championships but broke his hand in a motorcycle accident before then and retired soon after.
Sexual assault allegations
In October 2017, former Ukrainian Olympic champion gymnast Tatiana Gutsu accused Scherbo of violently raping her when she was 15, when they were at the USSR national team training camp in 1991.[4]
Eponymous skills
Scherbo (vault) – a Yurchenko-style vault defined by its unique entry, specifically a full twist within the back-handspring between the springboard and the vaulting table.
See also
Notes
- Russian: Виталий Венедиктович Щербо, romanized: Vitaly Venediktovich Shcherbo; Belarusian: Віталь Венядзіктавіч Шчэрба, romanized: Vital’ Vyenyadziktavich Shcherba
