Oleksandr Apaychev

Oleksandr Valentynovych Apaychev (; ; born 6 May 1961) is a former Soviet Ukrainian decathlete. His personal best score of 8709 points is the current Ukrainian record and ranks 16th on the world all-time list. He placed second at the 1986 Goodwill Games and competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics, but failed to finish due to a leg infection. In 2009 he was named as head coach of Ukraine's national athletics team.

Career

Apaychev scored his personal best, 8709 points, at the 1984 Soviet Union-East Germany dual meet in Neubrandenburg. Apaychev couldn't compete at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles due to the Soviet-led boycott; instead, he took part in the Friendship Games in Moscow.

Apaychev's Achilles tendon was operated at the end of 1984 and he took some time to regain top shape. and he gave up without finishing even the first event, 100 metres. The infection effectively ended his career, as he took more than a year to recover; he attempted a comeback in 1990, but injured himself and retired from competition. In 2009 he was named as head coach of Ukraine's national team.

Personal life

Apaychev is married to former athlete Tetyana Khamitova.