No question that all information must be closely scrutinized; however, we must not forget that Bondarchuk has created more world champion and Olympic medalists than any coach, of any discipline, in the history of the Olympic games.- The Thinker
23 Medals is a lot of hardware. Too bad it’s half of what James Doc Counsilman did in the 60s and 70s for the sport of swimming. The above quote is another example of Vodka Kool-Aid drinking by those enamored by what the soviets were doing. Since Bondarchuk’s methods were so good, why could the soviets not use such great secrets to get their sprinters faster than Wariner, Pietro Mennea, Kenteris, or stop Alan Wells from winning at their own backyard? Simple. The Soviets were, and still are, overrated in their abilities to get all of their athletes faster in the sprint events. While Hammer is nice, Bondarchuk’s knowledge didn’t help the Javelin very much either. He is a great coach but let’s be honest here, an obscure event can’t be the backbone to sports performance.
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