If you are searching for The Flying Elephant: Memoirs of an Olympic Champion Kindle edition by Alexander Savin, you are looking for the English digital edition of a sports memoir connected to one of the notable careers in Soviet-era men’s volleyball. Alexander Savin competed for the Soviet Union at the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Games, winning silver in Montreal and gold in Moscow. The English Kindle edition brings his story to readers interested in volleyball, Olympic history, athlete memoirs, and Soviet sport.
This guide explains what the book is about, who Alexander Savin was, what his Olympic career looked like, what is known about the Kindle edition, and what readers should know before looking for the book.
The Flying Elephant: Kindle Edition at a Glance
| Book detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Title | The Flying Elephant: Memoirs of an Olympic Champion |
| Author | Alexander Savin |
| Subject | Volleyball, Olympic competition, and an athlete’s career |
| Format | Kindle edition |
| Language | English |
| Reported publication date | October 26, 2025 |
| Reported print length | 514 pages |
| Photographic material | More than 240 photographs reported |
| Olympic medals | Silver in 1976; gold in 1980 |
| Hall of Fame | International Volleyball Hall of Fame, inducted in 2010 |
The Kindle specifications above are reported by current online descriptions of the English edition. Kindle page counts, pricing, availability, and other digital features can change, so readers should check the current marketplace listing before purchasing.
What Is The Flying Elephant: Memoirs of an Olympic Champion About?
The Flying Elephant: Memoirs of an Olympic Champion is a sports memoir centered on Alexander Savin’s career in volleyball.
Savin competed during a particularly important period in international men’s volleyball. The Soviet Union was a major power in the sport, and Savin became part of a national team that competed successfully at the highest international level.
The memoir is therefore interesting on two levels.
First, it is the story of an individual athlete and his career.
Second, it provides a personal connection to a period of volleyball history that is often remembered through tournament results, medals, team rosters, and statistics rather than through the experiences of the athletes themselves.
That distinction is important when approaching a memoir. Official Olympic records can tell us when Savin competed and which medals he won. A memoir can provide the personal perspective surrounding an athletic career.
For readers who enjoy sports biographies, Olympic stories, volleyball history, or first-person accounts from elite athletes, that combination is likely to be the main attraction.
Who Was Alexander Savin?
Alexander Savin, also known as Aleksandr Savin, was born on July 1, 1957, in Taganrog, Russia. He became a leading Soviet volleyball player and was later inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2010.
His international career included two Olympic appearances.
At the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Savin played for the Soviet Union men’s volleyball team. The team reached the gold-medal match but finished with silver after losing to Poland in a five-set final. The International Volleyball Hall of Fame records Savin as having played all five matches during the tournament.
Four years later, Savin returned to the Olympic stage for the 1980 Moscow Games. This time, the Soviet team won the gold medal, defeating Bulgaria 3–1 in the final. Savin played in all six matches of the Olympic tournament, according to the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
Those two Olympic appearances give the memoir a natural narrative background: an athlete who experienced the disappointment of an Olympic silver medal and later became an Olympic champion.
Alexander Savin’s Olympic Career
Savin’s Olympic story is relatively easy to summarize, but the progression is important for understanding why his memoir attracts attention.
Montreal 1976: Olympic Silver
Savin made his Olympic debut at Montreal 1976 as part of the Soviet men’s volleyball team.
The Soviet team performed strongly through the tournament and reached the final. According to the International Volleyball Hall of Fame, Savin played in all five matches, including the semifinal victory over Cuba. The Soviet Union ultimately lost the final to Poland 3–2 and received the silver medal.
The result placed Savin among the Olympic medalists in one of the most important international volleyball competitions.
The 1976 result also became part of the story leading into the next Olympic cycle.
Moscow 1980: Olympic Gold
The next Olympic Games were held in Moscow in 1980.
The Soviet team entered the tournament with substantial international experience. Between the two Olympics, the team had won major international titles, including the 1977 European Championship, 1977 FIVB World Cup, and 1978 FIVB World Championship, according to the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
At Moscow 1980, Savin again played throughout the tournament.
The Soviet Union defeated Bulgaria 3–1 in the gold-medal match, giving Savin his first Olympic gold medal.
The contrast between Montreal and Moscow is one of the clearest pieces of historical context surrounding The Flying Elephant.
1976: silver.
1980: gold.
The memoir gives readers an opportunity to look beyond those two results and explore the athlete behind them.
Savin and Soviet Volleyball
Alexander Savin’s career cannot be separated completely from the history of Soviet volleyball.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Soviet men’s team was competing successfully across major international tournaments. The International Volleyball Hall of Fame describes Savin’s Olympic career alongside Soviet victories at European and world-level competitions.
For modern readers, this historical setting can make the memoir more interesting.
Today’s volleyball fans may know the sport through professional leagues, international competitions, the modern FIVB system, and contemporary Olympic teams. Savin’s career comes from a different sporting environment.
His experiences belong to a generation in which the Soviet national team was a central force in international volleyball.
That makes the book relevant not only to people searching for an Alexander Savin biography but also to readers researching:
- Soviet volleyball history
- Olympic volleyball
- men’s volleyball history
- Soviet national teams
- Olympic athlete memoirs
- volleyball legends
- international volleyball competitions
- sports history
What Makes a Sports Memoir Different From a Biography?
A biography and a memoir can cover many of the same events, but they approach them differently.
A conventional biography is usually written by someone researching another person’s life. A memoir is built around the subject’s own memories and perspective.
That difference matters when reading a book about an Olympic athlete.
An Olympic results database can establish that Savin won silver in 1976 and gold in 1980. The International Volleyball Hall of Fame can document his matches and career achievements.
A memoir serves a different purpose.
It can preserve the perspective of the person who was actually part of those events.
That makes The Flying Elephant potentially useful for readers who are interested in more than medals and statistics.
Rather than viewing the book only as an Olympic biography, readers can approach it as a personal sports-history document connected to Savin’s career.
What Can Readers Expect From the Book?
The available descriptions of the English edition present it as a substantial sports memoir with extensive photographic material. Current reports describe more than 240 photographs and a reported 514-page Kindle print length.
The photographic element is particularly relevant to a historical sports book.
Images can help place the reader in the period being discussed and provide additional context around athletes, competitions, teams, and the sporting environment.
For readers interested in the visual history of volleyball, the photographs may therefore be an important part of the edition rather than simply an extra feature.
At the same time, it is useful to keep expectations realistic. This is a specialized sports memoir, not a general introduction to volleyball.
Someone who has never watched volleyball may find the historical and sporting context unfamiliar. A reader already interested in Olympic history or volleyball is likely to have more context for the people, teams, competitions, and events discussed.
Why the 1976 and 1980 Olympics Matter to the Book
The two Olympic Games provide a useful framework for understanding Savin’s career.
In Montreal, he experienced an Olympic silver medal.
In Moscow, he became an Olympic champion.
That difference makes his Olympic career more than a simple medal list.
The 1976 team had reached the final but lost to Poland. Four years later, the Soviet team completed the tournament by defeating Bulgaria for gold. Savin participated in both Olympic campaigns.
For someone researching The Flying Elephant, this background helps explain the significance of the memoir’s subtitle: Memoirs of an Olympic Champion.
The phrase is directly connected to Savin’s documented Olympic career.
The International Volleyball Hall of Fame Connection
Savin’s legacy extends beyond his Olympic medals.
The International Volleyball Hall of Fame inducted Aleksandr Savin in 2010. Its official biography describes his Olympic career and his role in the Soviet team’s return to the top of the Olympic podium at Moscow 1980.
That recognition is useful context for readers who discover the memoir without knowing much about Savin.
He was not simply an athlete who appeared at one Olympic Games.
He competed at two Olympics, won two Olympic medals, and became part of the Soviet men’s volleyball teams that achieved major international success.
His Hall of Fame status also explains why his memoir has relevance beyond a single tournament.
The Kindle Edition
The English Kindle edition is especially relevant for readers who cannot easily access a physical edition or who prefer reading historical sports books digitally.
Current online descriptions report:
- English-language Kindle format
- approximately 514 pages
- more than 240 photographs
- publication in October 2025
These details come from current online descriptions of the edition rather than from the Olympic record itself.
Because digital book information can change, it is better to treat marketplace information as edition-specific rather than permanent.
For example, a Kindle listing can change its price, availability, supported features, or regional access.
Readers should therefore confirm the current listing in their own Amazon marketplace before purchasing.
How to Find the Correct Alexander Savin Book
This is worth mentioning because The Flying Elephant is not a unique title on the internet.
Search results can contain unrelated books or pages using the phrase “The Flying Elephant.”
If you are specifically looking for Alexander Savin’s memoir, check that the listing identifies:
- Alexander Savin as the author
- The Flying Elephant: Memoirs of an Olympic Champion as the full title
- Volleyball and Olympic competition as the subject
- English if you want the English edition
- Kindle as the digital format
One current secondary listing identifies the reported Amazon product identifier for the Kindle edition as B0FXVDWW16. Because marketplace records can change, readers should use the live listing and author/title information as the primary confirmation before purchasing.
Who Might Enjoy The Flying Elephant?
This memoir is particularly relevant to several types of readers.
Volleyball Fans
If you follow volleyball history, Savin’s career provides a direct connection to one of the important Soviet teams of the late twentieth century.
Olympic History Readers
Readers interested in the Olympic Games can use the memoir as a personal perspective on the 1976 and 1980 men’s volleyball tournaments.
Sports Biography Readers
Anyone who enjoys athlete memoirs may appreciate a first-person account from someone who competed at the highest international level.
Sports Historians
The book also has potential value as a source connected to Soviet volleyball and international sporting history.
Coaches and Players
Volleyball coaches and players may be interested in the experiences of an elite competitor, particularly because Savin’s career spans multiple major international competitions.
Is The Flying Elephant Only About Olympic Volleyball?
No. The Olympic Games are an important part of Alexander Savin’s career, but his sporting history extends beyond the Olympics.
The International Volleyball Hall of Fame’s biography places his Olympic appearances within a wider period of Soviet success, including European, World Cup, and World Championship competitions.
That broader context matters.
An athlete’s Olympic performance does not happen in isolation. It is built on years of domestic and international competition, preparation, coaching, teammates, and experience.
For that reason, readers approaching the memoir as a complete career story should think beyond the two Olympic medals.
The Historical Value of Alexander Savin’s Story
Historical sports records tend to preserve measurable achievements.
They tell us:
- who competed
- which team won
- who received medals
- where an event took place
- how a tournament ended
A memoir can preserve a different type of information: personal memory.
That is one reason athlete memoirs can complement official sports archives.
In Savin’s case, the historical record establishes his Olympic medals and Hall of Fame recognition.
The memoir provides the opportunity to approach those achievements from the perspective of the athlete associated with them.
For readers researching Soviet volleyball, that combination of documented results and personal recollection can make the book more interesting than a simple medal summary.
Is The Flying Elephant a Good Choice for You?
That depends on what you want from the book.
If your goal is to learn the basic facts about Alexander Savin, a short Olympic or Hall of Fame profile may be enough.
If you are interested in Soviet volleyball, Olympic history, athlete memoirs, international volleyball, or historical sports photography, the longer memoir is more directly relevant.
The reported length of the Kindle edition also indicates that this is a substantial book rather than a brief athlete profile.
Before buying, check the current Kindle listing for the edition available in your region. Pay particular attention to the language, format, current price, and available sample.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote The Flying Elephant: Memoirs of an Olympic Champion?
The book is attributed to Alexander Savin, the Soviet volleyball player who won Olympic silver in 1976 and Olympic gold in 1980.
What sport did Alexander Savin play?
Alexander Savin was a men’s volleyball player who represented the Soviet Union in international competition. The International Volleyball Hall of Fame identifies him as a male indoor player.
Did Alexander Savin win an Olympic gold medal?
Yes. Savin won Olympic gold with the Soviet men’s volleyball team at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He had previously won silver at Montreal 1976.
Did Alexander Savin compete at the 1976 Olympics?
Yes. Savin competed at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games and played all five matches for the Soviet men’s volleyball team, which won the silver medal.
Is The Flying Elephant available as a Kindle edition?
Yes. Current online descriptions identify an English Kindle edition of The Flying Elephant: Memoirs of an Olympic Champion. Reported edition information should be checked against the current marketplace listing because digital availability can change.
How long is the Kindle edition?
Current descriptions report a 514-page print length for the Kindle edition. Because Kindle pagination can vary with formatting and reading settings, it is better to treat this as the listing’s reported print length rather than an exact physical page count.
Does the book include photographs?
Current descriptions report more than 240 photographs in the English edition. Readers should confirm the current edition details before purchasing because digital book specifications can change.
Is Alexander Savin in the International Volleyball Hall of Fame?
Yes. The International Volleyball Hall of Fame lists Aleksandr Savin as a 2010 inductee.
What Olympics did Alexander Savin compete in?
Savin competed at Montreal 1976 and Moscow 1980. He won silver in Montreal and gold in Moscow.
Who should read The Flying Elephant?
The memoir is particularly relevant to readers interested in Alexander Savin, Olympic volleyball, Soviet sports history, athlete biographies, sports memoirs, and the history of international men’s volleyball.
Final Thoughts
The Flying Elephant: Memoirs of an Olympic Champion offers readers a way to explore Alexander Savin’s career beyond a simple list of Olympic results.
Savin competed for the Soviet Union at two Olympic Games, winning silver at Montreal 1976 and gold at Moscow 1980. He later became a member of the International Volleyball Hall of Fame, adding to the historical significance of his career.
For readers searching specifically for the The Flying Elephant memoirs of an Olympic champion Kindle edition by Alexander Savin, the most important things to understand are that this is a volleyball memoir, its story is rooted in Soviet-era international competition, and the English Kindle edition is reported to include substantial photographic material.
If you are considering the book, verify the current Kindle listing for the exact edition, language, availability, price, and digital features in your region. That is the safest way to make sure you are looking at Alexander Savin’s memoir rather than another book using the Flying Elephant title.
For volleyball enthusiasts and readers interested in Olympic sports history, the book provides a direct connection to the career of an athlete who experienced both Olympic defeat and Olympic victory.
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