Aleksandr Grigoryev

URSMen

Aleksandr Grigoryev (Russian: Александр Николаевич Григорьев, Belarusian: Аляксандр Мікалаевіч Грыгор'еў, romanized: Aliaksandr Mikalajevič Hryhorjeŭ; born 7 October 1955) is a former Belarusian high jumper who competed for the Soviet Union. He represented his country at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and was a seven-time Soviet champion. He was a medallist at the European Athletics Championships, IAAF World Cup and multiple times at the European Cup. He held a personal best of 2.30 m (7 ft 6+1⁄2 in). Born in Saint Petersburg, he was a member of the SK VS Minsk sports club in Belarus during his career.

He had his breakthrough year in 1975, winning his first national title at the Soviet Spartakiad and breaking the championship record to win the 1975 European Cup with a leap of 2.24 m (7 ft 4 in). He was also fourth at the 1975 European Athletics Indoor Championships. Grigoryev missed the 1976 season but reappeared in 1977 to win the Soviet title indoor and outdoors, as well as taking bronze medals at that year's Universiade and European Cup. His lifetime best jump of 2.30 m (7 ft 6+1⁄2 in) in Riga that June ranked him third in the world. He won the Soviet indoor title with an indoor best of 2.28 m (7 ft 5+3⁄4 in), which was a championship record.

He retained that outdoor title a year later and also broke the Soviet Athletics Championships record with 2.26 m (7 ft 4+3⁄4 in) outdoors. In international competition he placed fourth at the 1978 European Athletics Indoor Championships, but won the highest honour of his career at the 1978 European Athletics Championships – a silver medal behind Soviet teammate and world record holder Vladimir Yashchenko. A third straight national title outdoors came at the 1979 Soviet Spartakiad, seeing off a challenge from American Benn Fields. He was a bronze medallist in the high jump at both the 1979 European Cup and the 1979 IAAF World Cup. He gained selection for the Soviet Union at the 1980 Summer Olympics and reached eighth in the final on home turf. He took his final national title at the 1981 Soviet Championships.