A Nizhny Novgorod sports school was named after the legendary skier Gariy Napalkov.

      September 29, 2025 18:13 Sport The Nizhny Novgorod Regional Olympic Reserve Sports School, specializing in ski jumping and Nordic combined, has been officially named after the outstanding Soviet athlete Gariy Napalkov. This was reported by the regional Ministry of Sport.

      The educational institution, located at 2 Sennaya Square, will bear the name of the two-time world champion, Honored Master of Sport of the USSR, who left a significant mark on the history of Russian sport.

      Gariy Yuryevich Napalkov was born on June 27, 1948, in the city of Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod). His sporting career began rapidly: already in 1967 he made a name for himself at the prestigious Four Hills Tournament, held in Germany and Austria.

      Just a year later Napalkov joined the USSR Olympic team and took part in the Winter Games in Grenoble. In 1970, at the World Championships in the High Tatras, he won two gold medals — on the K-70 and K-90 hills — demonstrating outstanding skill and strength of spirit.

      At the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Gariy Yuryevich competed with an injury but nevertheless continued to fight for medals and was among the tournament’s top athletes. His perseverance, dedication to sport and will to win inspired more than one generation of young athletes.

      As noted by the regional Ministry of Sport, it is precisely thanks to outstanding figures like Gariy Napalkov that the Nizhny Novgorod school of ski jumping is rightfully considered one of the best in the country.

      Earlier it was reported that the medical institute in Nizhny Novgorod would be named after Academician Nikolai Blokhin.

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