Vladimir Tkachenko is a legendary basketball player. He was considered one of the strongest centers of the Soviet era, stood out for his high growth.
Early years
Vladimir was born in the fall of 1957 in the resort city of Sochi. Since childhood, he was an active child, and sometimes his parents could not keep track of him. He dreamed of becoming a football player, he was pretty good at the gate, but he was destined to become famous in a completely different sport. It will happen that one of the basketball coaches will notice him and invite the guy to go to a sports school. The young man will agree and after a while will show that he is one of the most promising athletes of his generation.
At the age of fifteen, Tkachenko will take part in the school tournament, where he will be noticed by the selectors of the leading teams of the Soviet Union. The young man receives offers from CSKA Moscow, Stroitel Kyiv and Spartak Leningrad. Parents will have a direct influence on the choice, and a talented teenager will go to the capital of the Ukrainian SSR. As it will become clear very soon, this will be the right choice. This is how the professional career of such an athlete as Vladimir Tkachenko began. To this day, he reviews photos from those times with special warmth.
Adult career
Already at the age of sixteen, Vladimir made his debut in the top league of the Soviet Union. He was one of the youngest players in history. For eight years he defended the colors of Kiev. During this time, he turned from a budding player into one of the strongest basketball players in the local championship. In the first season, together with the team, he will win a bronze award. But in 1975, the "Builder" will not be able to win in any of the tournaments where Vladimir will take part. Tkachenko will also be left without trophies next year. But starting from 1977, five years in a row, the basketball player will win the silver medals of the national championship.
All the time that Vladimir Tkachenko was in the Kyiv club, he was actively interested in CSKA. As you know, it was not customary to refuse Moscow teams, in 1982 he joins the “army team”, where he will spend the most successful years in his professional career. He will always play in the starting lineup and win a lot of different trophies. Among the main awards, it is customary to single out four titles of the champion of the Soviet Union, in 1983, 1984, 1988 and 1990. He becomes one of the best players on the continent. Information appears in the press that Vladimir Tkachenko aroused interest among foreign clubs. The basketball player was not averse to trying himself abroad, but this was impossible at that time. The fact is that Soviet athletes could only play for local clubs. This was due to the policy of the state, as well as the fact that the USSR at that time was in strained relations with countries from the blocNATO.
The basketball player will still leave the Union, but will do so at the end of his career. He will leave for the Spanish "Guadelajara" in 1989 and spend only one season there, after which he will finally leave the sport.
Performance for the national team
For the first time, Vladimir got into the application of the national team in 1976 and immediately went to the Olympic Games in Canada. He will return home with a bronze medal, and in 1978 he will help the team become second at the world forum. After two playing seasons, he again becomes a participant in the Olympics, which took place in Moscow. The Russians were expected to win, but they again became only the third.
In 1982, Vladimir Tkachenko finally becomes the world champion. In four years, the USSR will not be able to defend the title and will stop a step away from victory, losing in the final match.
Five times the athlete went to the continental championships. He brought silver medals from Belgium and Greece. In Italy, Czechoslovakia and Germany, the Union team became the best.
Private life
Vladimir Tkachenko was an excellent athlete. The basketball player is also known as an exemplary family man. The wife's name is Nele. A native of Sochi met her during his stay in the CSKA hospital. They have two sons. The older one's name is Oleg, and the younger one is Igor. The youngest son played professionally for BC Dynamo.
The "Soviet giant" is very good friends with Arvydas Sabonis. On the topic of their friendship, there are even jokes that are directly related totall athletes.
Awards and achievements
In fact, Vladimir Tkachenko is a unique personality. His biography can be considered complete only after the awards received at the state level are listed in it. In 1985, after winning the European Championship for the third time in a row, the basketball player was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor, he is also a Honored Master of Sports.
It is worth noting that in 1979 Tkachenko was recognized as the best player on the continent, and in 2015 he was included in the Hall of Fame of the International Basketball Federation.
Playful manner
Vladimir Tkachenko always acted as a center. Despite his unusually tall stature, he was distinguished by decent speed, had a good jump and a well-placed throw. The only drawback is soft play under the shield. If not for this disadvantage, he could become the best player in history.
Here he is, Vladimir Tkachenko. Basketball has given him everything he has today. He is already 58 years old, but he continues to regularly participate in tournaments among veterans, and still demonstrates his highest level. The former athlete promotes a he althy lifestyle and is confident that being strong mentally and physically, a person can succeed in everything.
