Vladimir Akimov devoted to the strongest sports club 11 years of his life, played in the team CSK Navy military from 1972 to 1983. As a member of that team Dad won all imaginable and unimaginable awards, all existing medals, trophies and titles, traveled all over the world.
THE TWICE CHAMPION OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES A.S. KABANOV REMEMBERS
Alexander Sergeyevich Kabanov, the Honoured Master of Sports, the captain of CSK Navy military, the captain of the USSR national team of water polo, the twice Olympic champion (1972, 1980) tells:
«Vladimir Akimov had his own features in game. Softness in defence, understanding of a game. Modern defenders have no such qualities. Vladimir was the strongest defender. He was the creative and thinking player. He wanted to play in the full sence of the word, not to suppress strikers of other team. Watching the game today you do not understand what it is, whether power fight, whether catch, whether free-style wrestling. So, Vladimir Akimov’s game was — Water Polo. He was always ready to help everybody. To everybody, despite everything …»
Two photos of the TCK Navy military water polo team, the Republic of Cuba:
Very interesting full story of the twice Olympic champion in water polo of Alexander Sergeyevich Kabanov in which he remembers how the brothers Akimov have come to the CSK Navy military, about the time, players and competitions and how Vladimir Akimov has got to an Olympic team. Interview is illustrated by a photo and video records.
Pay attention to the latest episode – a fragment of the game at the Olympic Games in 1980 the USSR national team against Hungary – when Vladimir Akimov throws a ball through the pool from the gate to the opponent’s gate in the last second of the period. The skilled goalkeeper returns a ball which departs meters on 10-15 aside from the strongest blow, but the fact of such powerful throw can’t but admire.
My mother told me how at once (not at the Olympics) she saw at the game as the father has made the same throw through the pool and has scored a goal, and the fans stood up and gave him a standing ovation in the stands.
SPORTS LIFE AND VICTORIES OF CSC NAVY MILITARY
Sport life of CSC Navy military was intense and bright – continuous trainings, games and of course – sport meetings of athlets. There are several photos from the CSC Navy military water polo team’s meeting of those years, and also a unique selection of the mass media of that time about victories of the CSC Navy military water polo team:
THE TWICE OLYMPIC CHAMPION SOBCHENKO V. G. REMEMBERS
Two more rare photos from the archives of the twice Olympic champion, Vyacheslav Sobchenko. In the first photo – CSC Navy military team in 1975 in the Championship in Germany (Vladimir Akimov standing fourth from left), at the second photo – CSC Navy military, too, in 1975 at a reception at the Admiral of the Fleet, the commander-in-chief Gorshkov S.G., after whom the CSC Navy military was named (Vladimir Akimov the third on the right, the elder brother – Anatoly Akimov – the eighth on the right).
Vladimir Akimov, a man with whom I have spent in the sport side by side for 10 years. He has begun to play very early and his life in sport has flown by very quickly. As the comet burns down… Very kind, very reliable, at the same time the person who was ready to offer everything to protect his team mate … He had never receded. He was the fighter. Without fear in any game he gave all the best always for 100%! He has entered himself in tables of history of the Soviet sport and the world sport too