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Walentin Mankin

Soviet and Ukrainian sailor who won three Olympic gold medals in three different sailing classes and one Olympic silver medal.

Ukraine / Italy

Walentin Mankin with the Soviet Olympic sailing team in Riga in 1976.

AntipovSergej / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY-SA 4.0

Biography

Valentin Mankin was a Soviet and Ukrainian sailor who became one of the most accomplished Olympic competitors in the history of sailing. Born on 19 August 1938 in what is now Ukraine, he represented the Soviet Union across several Olympic cycles. At the 1968 Games he won the Finn class, beginning a remarkable sequence in which he later captured Olympic gold in the Tempest class and the Star class as well. He also won an Olympic silver medal, giving him medals across three different boat classes and demonstrating unusual versatility at the highest level of the sport. Jewish sports sources identify Mankin as a Jewish Olympic champion. For JWR, his first Olympic title is the key achievement: the Finn competition concluded on 21 October 1968, making that victory the earliest verified Olympic sailing gold by a Jewish athlete.

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Records held by Walentin Mankin

Walentin Mankin with the Soviet Olympic sailing team in Riga in 1976.
JWR Verified
Sports · Olympic GamesFirst

First Jewish Olympic Champion in Sailing

Record holder

Walentin Mankin

Record value

Gold — 21 October 1968

Walentin Mankin of the Soviet Union is the First Jewish Olympic Champion in Sailing, an achievement secured on 21 October 1968. Representing his country, he won the Finn class at the Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games. The sailing events were held in Acapulco, where the seven-race competition concluded on this date, with Mankin confirmed as champion by official Olympic results.

Country represented
Soviet Union
Achievement location
Acapulco, Mexico
Achievement date
21 October 1968
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