Leonid Spirin

Leonid Spirin was introduced to race walking in the early 1950s, when he started to work as a laboratory assistant at the Moskva Metallurgical Plant Serp i Molot, and he was considered as one of the world’s best race walkers at shorter distances in the late 1950s. The apex of Spirin’s career was the 1956 Olympics, where he won the 20 km walk gold medal. He also won 20 km silvers at the 1958 European Championships and 1957 World Student Games and won his only Soviet title in 1958, also over 20 km. Spirin set the 20 km track walk world record of 1-28:45.2 in 1956, 15 km track walk world records of 1-05:45.8 and 1-05:18.0 in 1957, and a 20 km road walk world’s best of 1-27:29 in 1959. Spirin worked as a race walking coach in Moskva after finishing his sports career.

Personal Best\: 20kmW – 1-27:29 (1959).