Water sports are particularly attractive. Sergei Makarenko, when the question arose in which section he wanted to practice, the young man chose rowing and canoeing. And he became the Olympic champion.
Starting conditions
For the generation of people born before the Great Patriotic War, difficult trials fell. However, they, for the most part, possessed psychological stability and optimism. And these character traits helped them achieve success in life. Sergei Lavrentievich Makarenko was born on September 19, 1937 in an ordinary Soviet family. Parents lived at that time in the city of Krivoy Rog. My father worked as a builder. Mother was engaged in housekeeping. In the following years, Sergei had two younger brothers.
Before the war, in 1940, the family moved to the famous city of Brest. When hostilities began, my father died in the very first days. The mother and eldest son had to shoulder the care of the house on their own shoulders. In the summer, Sergei worked in the garden. I tried by any means to find additional work and bring a pretty penny into the house. In 1954, Makarenko graduated from high school, received a secondary education and was immediately drafted into the army. He got stronger in the service. Joined sports. I ran well and threw a disc. Returning to civilian life, he got a job on a self-propelled barge that cruised along the Mukhavets River.
Works and achievements
Once, on a regular voyage, Sergei saw a canoe. He liked these "boats" so much that he decided to try his hand at racing. After a short period of time, Makarenko showed a very good result. At the championship of the Republic of Belarus among single boats, he showed the second result at a distance of five kilometers. The next year the coaches considered it necessary to form a two-seater canoe crew consisting of Sergey Makarenko and Leonid Geishtor. The tandem was strong. At the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, they won gold medals in the 1,000 meters.
Sergey's sports career was developing quite successfully. For three years, the famous duo from Belarus had no equal on the European continent. Their "crown" distances were 1000 and 10000 meters. A few years later, the crew disintegrated for objective reasons. In 1966, Sergei Makarenko ended his sports career and moved to a coaching position. Many champions and record holders in canoe racing have grown under his leadership.
Awards and personal life
The current generation of water sportsmen remember and appreciate the contribution of the legendary rower to the development of sports on the Belarusian land. For several years he trained rowers in India, Iran and China. Letters of thanks and cups occupy several cupboards in the veteran's apartment. For many years Makarenko worked at the Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus.
The personal life of an honored athlete and coach has developed traditionally. He married immediately after the army. The husband and wife raised and raised two daughters. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren do not forget about their ancestors and visit them regularly.
