Nikolay Karpol

Nikolay Vasiliyevich Karpol(Russian: Николай Васильевич Карполь; 1 May 1938, Bereznitsa village, former Polesie Voivodeship Republic of Poland) is a women's volleyball coach. 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 1980 and 1988 and taking the silver medals in 1992, 2000 and 2004 for a total of five Olympic medals.

Olympics games (as coach): 1980 и 1988 – gold, 1992, 2000, 2004 – silver

World Championships: 1990 – gold, 1994, 1998 и 2002 – bronze

Championships of Europe: 1977 (coach), 1979, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2001 – gold

World Grand Champions Cup: 1997 – gold, 2001 – silver, 1993 – bronze

Grand-prix: 1997, 1999, 2002 – gold, 1998, 2000, 2003 – silver, 1993, 1996 и 2001 – bronze

Winner of the European Championese League (Champions Cup): 1981–1983,1987,1989,1990,1994, 1995

For lifetime dedication and great career, he was inducted in 2009 to the Volleyball Hall of Fame.

Croatian journalist and publicist Tomislav Birtic published a book Karpol: Lunatics - That's What I Need.

• Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 3rd class
• Honoured Worker of Physical Culture, Russia
• Order of Friendship
• Order of the Red Banner of Labour
• Order of Friendship of Peoples
• Honorary Citizen of the Sverdlovsk Oblast