A prominent representative of the Russian community in Georgia, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, Olympic bronze medalist, world and European champion Nikolai DERYUGIN celebrated his 65th birthday this year. The champion himself celebrated the anniversary modestly. In an interview with AiF-Tbilisi, Deryugin noted that he was born to be an athlete. Deryugin played for the national team under the guidance of the legendary coach Alexander GOMELSKIY. At the age of 17, the young man was included in the main squad of Tbilisi Dynamo. It so happened that during my first game (with CSKA) they started serving me all the balls, they decided to test me in battle. All my throws hit the target, and during the game I scored 59 points, setting a record for the USSR championships, which was never broken. At the age of 26, at the peak of his career, he suffered a severe knee injury and left big-time sports. In 2012, Deryugin was awarded the highest sports title in Georgia – “Knight of Sports”. 

Photo: “AiF-Tbilisi” https://t.me/aiftbilisi/230?single