Russian gymnastics coach Vyacheslav Selifanov has died at the age of 73.

Honored Russian gymnastics coach Vyacheslav Selifanov has died at the age of 73. This was announced on June 7 by the press service of the Russian Gymnastics Federation.

The ministry noted that Selifanov was a gymnast of exceptional talent and was a member of the USSR national team during its heyday. After completing his sports career, he became a follower of the work of his mentor Dmitry Derzhavin. Since the late 1970s, he has worked at the Dynamo Moscow Gym in Petrovsky Park, linking his professional career with this club.

"By his example, Vyacheslav Sergeyevich refuted the myth of the need for a "hard hand" in gymnastics: for his students, he became a second father, a wise mentor with whom they could share any thoughts. For everyone who knew him, he will remain in memory as a devoted, reliable and infinitely kind friend," the federation's Telegram channel says.

Selifanov was a master of sports of international class and the winner of the USSR Cup in 1974. Over the years of coaching, he has trained outstanding athletes, including two-time Olympic champion Alexei Voropaev and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Lyudmila Yezhova.