Editing Valeriy Brumel (section)

==Athletic career==
Brumel took up the high jump at age 12 in Lugansk, coached by P. S. Shtein. Aged 16 he cleared {{convert|2|m}} using the then dominant straight-leg [[straddle technique]]. He improved his skills under the coaching of V. M. Dyachkov in Moscow. In 1960 he broke the USSR record, {{convert|2.17|m}}, and was selected to the Olympic team. At the [[1960 Summer Olympics]], he cleared the same height as the winner [[Robert Shavlakadze]], but made more attempts and thus was awarded a silver medal.<ref name="GRE"/>

[[File:Valeriy Brumel plaque National stadium Sofia.jpg|left|thumb|A plaque in Bulgarian on [[Vasil Levski National Stadium]], Sofia, commemorating Brumel's world record of 2.25 m set on 31 August 1961]]
In 1961–1963 he broke his own [[Men's high jump world record progression|world record in the high jump]] six times, improving it from {{convert|2.23|m}} to {{convert|2.28|m}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Athletics – World Record progression|work=[[International Olympic Committee]]| url= http://www.olympic.org/common/asp/download_report.asp?file=en_report_88.pdf&id=88|access-date=8 January 2006}}</ref> He also won the high jump at the 1961 and 1963 Universiade, 1962 European Championships, the [[1964 Summer Olympics]] and the USSR Championships of 1961–1963.<ref name=sr/><ref name=bio/>

After going undefeated during the 1965 season, Brumel suffered a multiple fracture in his right foot in a motorcycle crash, and faced an amputation. He was operated on successfully by professor [[Gavriil Ilizarov]] with a new leg-lengthening procedure using his [[Ilizarov apparatus|external fixator]]. Yet even after 29 surgeries, he could not fully recover. He retired in 1970 after jumping {{convert|2.06|m}} at local competitions.<ref name=sr/><ref name=bio/>