The wizard from the past

November 9 marks the 70th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Belov, who, turning "three seconds" into eternity, shocked the whole world, but never became a national hero

If in 2017 the film “upward movement” had not been released, which gathered 3 billion and rubles and as many negative responses at the box office, about the phenomenal basketball player, whose life lasted only 26 years, in our country only those who were fond of sports during the reign of Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev would have known today. And even if in the drama, telling about the wonderful victory of the USSR national team over the Americans at the Olympics in Munich, what a sin to hide, there are a lot of dog handle and other round “orange” nonsense, but at least the youth found out that there was such a brilliant team. And there was such a guy ...

A paradox, but even in specialized encyclopedias of articles about Alexander Belov, you can hardly find. A lot has been written about his namesake and comrade on that “gang” (great and terrible Sergey Belov). True, individual “reports” about the first non -American, which entered the Hall of Glory of basketball, is also not reliable. And this is still mildly. Here, for example, what phrase I stumbled upon in the bibliographic reference book “Athletes”, released in 2001 by the Ripol Classic publishing house: “It was these three seconds that became historical, ascending Belov to the top of the sports Olympus. Borzov, having run 30 m during this time, grazes Sergey, who jumps up, throws the ball into the basket, thereby bringing a victorious point to his team. ” What? Of course, without the score in that meeting, 20 points of the silent leader, no Soviet Victoria, probably did not happen. However, a person who materialized three seconds into gold medals after the pass through the entire site of Ivan Pivshko (and not at all the “fabulous” Borzov, who fled somewhere) and created the main sensation of the Olympics-72, called Alexander. And the Spartakovets from the shores of the Neva was much younger than the Moscow army man ...

Sergey Alexandrovich has no 8 years with us, and Alexander Alexandrovich is 43 years old. Over these four decades, we only once flew above the rainbow - at the Olympic Games in Seoul.

And it will not be an exaggeration to say that the whole era of basketball went with Alexander Belov. Absolutely not glossy, but so native and honest. Without legionnaires, without a chirler, without breathtaking salaries and advertising on the t-shirts and plywood sides in the slightly lit halls. Where in wooden, poorly polished parquet, two -meter uncle of Stepa in short shorts, high socks and rag sneakers did not have tattoos. That basketball fascinated. His angelic simplicity, in which rage, passion, and tears, and love were. Love of the whole country ...

About the "cosmic battle" in Munich, poems are composed of more than one generation of journalists. But here is what I wanted to mention. History does not tolerate subjunctive mood, but if Sasha would have slept in his namesake in the end of the battle, they would not have been needed for three seconds, and the commentator Nina Yeremina would have been reprimanded from the leadership for her excessive joy on the air. And the hero of the duel would be just Sergey Belov, who brought, as mentioned above, almost half of all points of the USSR national team. But Alexander made a monstrous oversight, making a gift to the arc Collins. And in the locker room, Sergei will say: "At that moment I just hated Sanya." However, the whole team was ready to tear apart the bustle. “I saw only the face of Paulausskas, but this was enough for me,” Alexander recalled.

And after the hot Sako (Zurab Sakandelidze) signs on the enemy, which has taken possession of the enemy, which then implements two penalties, and the numbers 50:49 in favor of the stammers will light up on the scoreboard, we will have the notorious three moments. By the standards of modern basketball, this is a lot. And then, on the night of September 9 to 10, no one believed in victory. In addition to the coach of Vladimir Kondrashin, who did not doubt his wards and knew that everything was fixable. And he corrected all his beloved student.

Here is what the current observer of Novaya Zhuri wrote, who personally observed the USSR match - the USA: “It seemed unreal - it became real. When Sasha Belov, having accepted a long pass through the entire site, with some incomprehensible ease, slipping away from the defenders, went under the shield, it still could not believe that it would happen, it was a well-deserved and natural miracle. And he, as if experiencing our nerves, stopped, settled down more and more and not so abandoned, but rather stuffed it, squeezed the ball into the basket of the American team. And, not believing what happened, he rushed to his shield. ”

... There is an opinion that champions, like wizards, are not born. But it happens differently: they are born, but do not immediately understand their calling.

A whirling boy from an ordinary Leningrad school, a little tapping a heavy ball on the floor and throwing it towards the ring, ran away from a boring lesson home. What works cost Kondrashin to convince the parents of the hooligan little boy to persuade his son to even go to training. And then everything spun and grew rapidly. In the first adult game, Sanka immediately declared himself, elegantly blocked the oxygen 218-centimeter Janis Krumins from the Riga VEF.

Alexander Gomelsky will invite Belov to the national squad, when he barely turns 17, and a year later in Naples Wunderkind will already wake up the European champion. At twenty -three Alexander - the best center planet. And in Moscow, and in Kyiv, and in Tbilisi, and in Kaunas, people go on him, gracefully tearing hard pressure and hanging a well -aimed gulliver in the air.

Of course, if Belov had in Spartak, in which he served 11 seasons in a row, the same bison as in the main team of the country, he would have gathered much more various titles. But Sasha did not seek to leave the city of childhood, where he was literally worn in his arms. And in 1975, the star CSKA was dashingly, having mined the only gold of the USSR championship for the red and white. Not without his participation, “Spartak” was also captured by the European trophy - the Cup Cup.

And no one knew that the forward, who had amazing intuition, a fantastic reaction, chic dribbling and a throw from any distance, is mortally ill. The sarcoma of the heart is an incurable rare disease that is also very difficult to diagnose. Therefore, despite regular malfunctions and periodic fatigue, Alexander did not know about the sore and Alexander, who boldly flew to the creaky flooring contrary to the laws of nature.

In addition, the 14th number, which after a gold throw appeared a fan club in America (the case is unprecedented), periodically plunged into wild runs, which also did not add the fortress to the motor. Other "adventures" beat his heart. Having once quarreled on the road with the driver of the bus and slightly beaten the front-line soldier, the champion almost went to bars, having received “only” a year conditionally through the efforts of Vladimir Kondrashin, who was who was who was who was who was who had been bothering for him. It is noteworthy that during the trials, Belov got to the Draw in the NBA, which Soviet basketball players had never been honored before. Agents offered fabulous 2 million dollars for the transition. Leaving, however, was unrealistic even for 10.

But I certainly wanted a beautiful life. In 1973, with partners in the USSR national team (Zharmukhamedov, Korkia and Dvornoy), he will receive a lifelong disqualification (later the punishment will be removed). And four years later, at the customs, before flying to Italy to a quarterfinal cup match with Chinzano, icons will be discovered in his bag and will be excommunicated from basketball for a long time, all the ranks will be removed, they will deprive the scholarships ... Many people are accused of the story of Vladimir Arzamaskov, another player of Spartak, which pulled Sasha into the dark fraud. However, even without Zyama, as his friends called in 1985 Arzamaskov, who died under mysterious circumstances in 1985, around the master was enough scammers. In an interview, Sergei Belov will say:

“If Alexander was considered a king at the site, then outside the arena turned out to be unprotected. And bad people often used it for their selfish purposes. ”

Return to Basketball to Alexander and will allow the second time. But at the Latvian gathering of the national team he will become bad. Belova will be urgently transported to Leningrad, where wanderings will begin to hospitals. The best doctors tried to save the charming genius, but his condition worsened every day. Grandmothers-digits, which his relatives from hopelessness, addressed. On October 3, 1978, Sasha Belov died.

In a farewell letter addressed to his friend Ivan Ruzhin, he will ask him to send his mother to rest, and give the golden Olympic medal to Vladimir Petrovich Kondrashin.