Renowned athlete and three-time champion of the USSR Otto Eduardovich Barch passed away at the age of 83, reports Prosports.kz.
Barch was a representative of the Kyrgyz SSR on the international stage and became one of the most significant athletes in Soviet athletics. His achievements were the result of the coaching work of Nikolai Zhilov:
he became the champion of the USSR three times in the 50 km (1973, 1978) and 20 km (1975) distances;
he participated in three Olympic Games — in Mexico City (1968), Munich (1972), and Montreal (1976), finishing in the top ten;
he became the silver medalist of the 1973 World Cup and the 1974 European Championship in the 50 km distance.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Barch moved to Germany, but continued to maintain connections with Kyrgyz athletes. In 1974, a documentary film about his life was made under the direction of director Karel Abdykulov.
Otto Barch left a deep mark in the history of Kyrgyz athletics and the entire sports landscape of the country.
