Passages: Viktor Ageev, Triple Olympic Medalist in Water Polo, 86
Viktor Ageev, a three-time Olympic water polo medalist for the Soviet Union, died on Jan. 30. He was 86 years old.
Born in Moscow in 1936, Viktor Ivanovich Ageev rose through the Soviet sporting ranks. He made his Olympic debut with the Soviet team that won bronze at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. He’d add a silver medal in Rome in 1960 and bronze in Tokyo in 1964. His most intensive participation was at the latter Games, playing in all six matches and scoring two goals.
After his playing days, Ageev was also a successful coach in the Soviet Union. The Russian Water Polo federation released a statement to, “express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Viktor Ivanovitch, his bright memory will forever remain in our hearts.”
Ageev was part of the Soviet team that took part in the infamous “Blood in the Water” game in 1956. That semifinal between the Soviet Union and Hungary was played against the backdrop of the Soviet army’s bloody suppression of the Hungarian Revolution that year and its subsequent occupation of the country.
Hungary won that game, 4-0. It produced the iconic image of Ervin Zador of Hungary emerging from the water bloodied from a punch from Soviet player Valentin Prokopov. Hungary went on to beat Yugoslavia in the final, 2-1. The Soviet Union defeated Germany, 6-4, for bronze.