Anatoly Gladyshev

Anatoly Gladyshev

Anatoly Gladyshev at the 1978 World Championships
Personal information
Born	1947 Rubtsovsk, Russia
Died	19 February 1984 (aged 37) Moscow, Russia
Sport
Sport	Ice speedway
Medal record Representing the Soviet Union World Ice Championships 1978 Assen Individual 1979 Inzell Team 1981 Assen Team 1981 Assen Individual

Anatoly Vasilievich (Russian: Анатолий Васильевич Гладышев, 1947 – 19 February 1984) was a Russian ice speedway rider who won two world titles in 1978–1981.

Career

Gladyshev won the bronze medal at the 1978 Individual Ice Speedway World Championship and two team golds at the 1979 Team Ice Racing World Championship and 1981 Team Ice Racing World Championship.

Gladyshev died at a race during the 23rd heat of the 1984 Individual Ice Speedway World Championship in Moscow on 19 February 1984. After colliding with Vitaly Russkikh he fell into the path of Walter Wartbichler who was unable to avoid colliding with him. He suffered an artery rupture caused by the front tyre of the bike and died later in hospital. Gladyshev was 37 and should have retired to assume a position of mechanic in the national team but continued competing mostly to replace injured teammates.

At the time of his death he was married to his wife Diana and had two sons, Stanislav and Dmitri. After Gladyshev's death, between 1985 and 1991 an annual race in his honor was held in Irkutsk, where he lived for many years.