Nikolay Karpol


Nikolay Vasiliyevich Karpol is a Russian women's volleyball coach and a longstanding coach of the Soviet Union women's national [volleyball team|Soviet national team] and later the Russia women's national volleyball team. Known as The Howling Bear, Karpol was a regular at the Olympic Games, with his teams usually earning a last call on the Olympic podium, winning gold medals in Volleyball at the [1980 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|1980] and Volleyball at the [1988 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|1988] and taking the silver medals in Volleyball at the [1992 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|1992], Volleyball at the [2000 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|2000], and Volleyball at the [2004 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|2004], for a total of five Olympic medals. In 2020, he set a new world record by coaching Uralochka for 51 years.
Karpol coached the Soviet women to the gold medal at the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle and the Russian women to the gold medal at the 1994 Goodwill Games in Saint Petersburg.
In 2009, Karpol was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.

Coaching and Administrative Awards

[Summer Olympic Games]

  • 1980 [Summer Olympics">Volleyball at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament">1980 [Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|1980 Moscow] – Gold medal
  • 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|1988 Seoul] – Gold medal
  • 1992 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|1992 Barcelona] – Silver medal
  • 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|2000 Sydney] – Silver medal
  • 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|2004 Athens] – Silver medal

FIVB World Championships">FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship">FIVB World Championships

  • 1990 – Gold medal
  • 1994 –
  • 1998 –
  • 2002 –

European Championships">Women's European Volleyball Championship">European Championships

  • 1977 - Gold medal
  • 1979 - Gold medal
  • 1981 - Silver medal
  • 1983 - Silver medal
  • 1985 - Gold medal
  • 1987 - Silver medal
  • 1989 - Gold medal
  • 1991 - Gold medal
  • 1993 - Gold medal
  • 1995 - Bronze medal
  • 1997 - Gold medal
  • 1999 - Gold medal
  • 2001 - Gold medal
  • 2005 - Bronze medal
  • 2007 - Bronze medal

World Grand Champions Cup

  • 1993 – Third Place
  • 1997 – Champion
  • 2001 – Runner-Up

Grand-prix

  • 1993 - Bronze medal
  • 1996 - Bronze medal
  • 1997 - Gold medal
  • 1998 - Silver medal
  • 1999 - Gold medal
  • 2000 - Silver medal
  • 2002 - Gold medal
  • 2001 - Bronze medal
  • 2003 - Silver medal

CEV Champions League">CEV Women's Champions League">CEV Champions League

  • 1981 - Champion
  • 1982 - Champion
  • 1983 - Champion
  • 1987 - Champion
  • 1988 - Runner-Up
  • 1989 - Champion
  • 1990 - Champion
  • 1991 - Runner-Up
  • 1992 - Third Place
  • 1993 - Third Place
  • 1994 - Champion
  • 1995 - Champion
  • 1996 - Runner-Up
  • 1997 - Runner-Up
  • 2000 - Runner-Up
  • 2001 - Third Place
  • 2003 - Runner-Up
Croatian journalist and publicist Tomislav Birtic published a book "Karpol: Lunatics - That's What I Need".

Honours and awards