Olympic basketball champion Sergei Tarakanov told that he remembered the winner of the 1972 Games, Alzhan Zharmukhamedov, as a modest and decent person.
On Saturday it became known that Zharmukhamedov died at the age of 79 after a long illness. Zharmukhamedov is the winner of the Munich Olympics, the bronze medalist of the 1976 Games in Montreal, the silver and bronze medalist of the World Championships and the three-time European champion. As part of CSKA, he became 10 times champion of the USSR and owner of the European Champions Cup.
– I treated Zharmukhamedov with great respect from the first days of our acquaintance. Even before joining CSKA, he crossed paths with him in the national team. I was still very young and he is already a veteran. To some extent, we were even competitors in terms of position. But we never had any problems in our relationship.
He was always very hardworking, correct, honest and modest. In basketball as in life. He was a man with his own principles, which he faithfully followed. Everything Zharmukhamedov aroused great respect. No one would say that Zhar was mean somewhere or did anything wrong. He was not very talkative and never complained about anything. Even last year, when he was seriously ill and we were trying to be close to him, I would say he distanced himself, because he didn’t want to weigh on anyone, disturb anyone. Recently, the connection with him was made through his son.
For me, he has always been an example in basketball. He never pulled the blanket over himself. Zharmukhamedov always plowed, was an indispensable person in the national team and CSKA.
In 1980 he graduated from the national team, and before that I ran into him. Competed for a place in the composition. It was the 78th year. The national team went to the World Cup, and I was the last “decoupled”. I never had a grudge against it. I think we have to encourage and recruit veterans, because the experience of veterans is essential. If you ask Zharmukhamedov about something, he was always ready to say a few words, he was always correct and friendly. Therefore, it is a great sorrow, a loss, Tarakanov told .
– What is known about the farewell to Zharmukhamedov?
– Now CSKA does this, including me. It will become clear in a day or two. Although there is no information, everything is in progress. But, most likely, he will be buried in the Troekurovsky cemetery. A place to say goodbye? Maybe at CSKA.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
