Oleg Tyurin and Boris Dobrovsky, right, won European and Olympic gold in 1964 ©Dutch National Archives

In the early 1960s, Boris Dubrovsky formed a formidable sculling partnership with Oleg Tyurin which saw them bring great success to the Soviet Union at European and Olympic level.

Moscow born Dubrovsky, who has died at the age of 83, partnered Tyurin to three Soviet Championships from 1963 to 1965.

"Boris Yakovlevich Dubrovsky died in his 84th year. The Russian Rowing Federation expresses its sincere condolences to his family and friends," a statement by the Russian Rowing Federation said.

Dubrovsky rowed for the CSKA Club and teamed up with Tyurin from Saint Petersburg.

In 1962, at the inaugural World Rowing Championships held in Lucerne, the two took silver in the double sculls behind Frenchmen René Duhamel and Bernard Monnereau.

At the 1963 European Championships, Tyurin and Dubrovsky again won silver in Copenhagen.

Oleg Tyurin and Boris Dobrovsky in training before they won the 1964 European Championships double sculls and went on to take Olympic Gold ©Dutch National Archive
Oleg Tyurin and Boris Dobrovsky in training before they won the 1964 European Championships double sculls and went on to take Olympic Gold ©Dutch National Archive

The following year proved to be their finest on the world stage as they won European gold.

At the Tokyo 1964 Olympics, they won their heat in the slowest time.

Yet in the final, they came home to victory in 7:10.66 ahead of the United States pairing of Seymour Cromwell and Jim Storm.

Off the water, Dubrovsky held a doctorate in theoretical physics.

He taught calculus at university level for over 46 years. 

It was at the university that he met his wife, Evgeniya Aleksandrovna, a mathematician.