September 6, 1992: It was party time for Russian trampolinist Alexander Moskalenko. He had just taken two world titles in Auckland (NZL), the first in individual, the second in synchro.

Vodka all around!

No one would have guessed, least of all Alexander that the extraordinary gymnast would earn a total of 9 world champion titles over the course of his career, and that’s not all!

Alexander was a child of Krasnodar, a city in southern Russia where he was born on November 4th in 1969. Nicknamed “Sasha”, he spent his time in gymnastic halls, drawn by a love for trampoline. Together, Alexander and his beloved coach and friend Vitaly Dubko would build a legend.
With the dawn of 1992, the Gold medals began pouring in. In 1994, Alexander took two new titles in Porto (POR), and another in Sydney (AUS) in 1998. Honor abounded as Sasha became known as the Governor in trampoline circles!

As 1998 drew to a close, Alexander withdrew from competition, fully satisfied with the career he had led up to that point, and convinced that there was life after trampoline.

But then, a rumor made its way to his door: Trampoline was on its way to becoming an Olympic event! The rumor quickly became a reality. The FIT (International Trampoline Federation) and the FIG (Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique) began seriously considering a merger of their two entities, a project which would see the light of day in 1998 when trampoline would become an official FIG discipline. A few months later, the sport assumed its Olympic status and was entered on the programme for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney (AUS).

Back in Krasnodar, the hub of Russian trampoline, a telephone rang at the Moskalenko home. THE question of the century came across the wire, and the echo of Alexander’s voice, “Ok, I’ll be there. I want that first Gold!”

Sasha returned to the gym and resumed jogging. Still in good condition but sporting a few too many extra pounds, he worked hard and was relentless in his training programmes. But those who knew Alexander Moskalenko knew that the Gold was as good as his!

He did it, and beautifully. Alexander Moskalenko became the first ever Olympic trampoline champion, alongside his compatriot Irina Karavaeva.

This extraordinary athlete would take his leave from the world of trampoline on June 30, 2005, but not without first earning a Silver at the Athens Olympic Games.

He went down in history as an exceptional athlete and gentleman both; one whose legend will remain for decades to come, as the most titled athlete in Trampoline Gymnastics with 9 world titles.

This article is part of a weekly series in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games as the FIG remembers outstanding previous Olympians.

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