Oleksandr Beresch

Oleksandr Beresch
Country represented	Ukraine
Born	(1977-10-12)October 12, 1977
Died	February 29, 2004(2004-02-29) (aged 26)
Discipline	Men's artistic gymnastics
Medal record Olympic Games 2000 Sydney Team competition 2000 Sydney All-around World Championships 2001 Ghent Horizontal Bar 1997 Lausanne Horizontal Bar 2001 Ghent Pommel Horse 2001 Ghent Team competition European Championships 2000 Bremen All-around 2000 Bremen Horizontal Bar 2000 Bremen Pommel Horse European Team Championships 2001 Riesa Team 2003 Moscow Team

Oleksandr Beresch (Ukrainian: Олександр Береш) (October 12, 1977, Pervomaisk – February 29, 2004, Kiev), was a gymnast from Ukraine and Olympic medallist at the 2000 Sydney Games.

Coached by former Soviet World Champion Igor Korobchinsky, Beresch began competing internationally for Ukraine in 1997, winning a bronze medal on the high bar at his first World Championships. Over the next several years he became the preeminent male gymnast on the Ukrainian team, medalling at the World Cup several times.

Beresch's breakout year was 2000; in this year he was the European all-around and high bar champion, as well as the bronze all-around medalist at the 2000 Olympics. His contributions to the Ukrainian team helped them win their first team medal, a silver, in Sydney. He continued to turn in strong performances after the Olympics, winning three medals at the 2001 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and winning the high bar gold at the 2000 World finals in Paris.

Accident

In February 2004, when Beresch was driving through Kiev, his Peugot was struck by a speeding car travelling at over 150 kilometres per hour. He was killed; his passenger, teammate Sergei Vyaltsev, survived with critical injuries.

Beresch's death was met with shock and sorrow by the international gymnastics community. Former Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation president Ludmilla Tourischeva issued a public statement, saying "there are no words to express our grief." Several memorials to Beresch were held, including an emotional video tribute at the 2004 European Championships.

Sources

• Profile at the FIG website
• Profile at International Gymnast
• "Oleksandr Beresch dies"
• "Romanian men Europe's best" Inside Gymnastics magazine, April 16, 2004
• "Beresch loses life" Inside Gymnastics magazine, March 1, 2004