Vasily Alekseyev - Biography

Biography

At the age of 18, Alekseyev began practicing weightlifting at Trud Voluntary Sports Society, trained by his coach Rudolf Plyukfelder until 1968, when he began to train solo. He wasn't a naturally large man like other super heavyweights but was encouraged to gain strength by adding weight. In January 1970 Alekseyev set his first world record, and during the World Weightlifting Championship in Columbus, Ohio 1970 he was the very first man in competition to clean and jerk 500 pounds. During one of his early world records Oscar State OBE one of the finest administrators and supporters of the sport remarked that the weight of over 460 pounds in the Olympic press looked so easy it could have been a broomstick. This was the beginning a series of 80 world records the weightlifter set between 1970 and 1977. He received bonus funds every time he set a world record by the Russian Federation so he made it a point to gradually increase his world records by 1.1 pounds or 1/2 kilo. He was unbeaten and held the World Championship and European Championship titles for those eight years. He was the first man to total over 600 kg in the triple event.

However, Alekseyev's performance in the Moscow Olympics of 1980 was a disappointment. He had by then become more of a recluse training by himself without a coach. In the snatch he set his opening weight too high and was unable to lift it, scoring zero kilograms as the result. He retired from weightlifting after the Moscow Olympics.

In 1987, Alekseyev was elected to represent the Ryazan District for the Soviet Union's Congress of People's Deputies. Alekseyev worked as a coach between 1990 and 1992. Under his leadership the Unified Team earned ten medals in weightlifting at the 1992 Summer Olympics, including five golds.

In 1999, in Greece, Alekseyev was acknowledged as the best sportsman of the 20th century. He was also awarded Order of Lenin (1972), Order of Friendship of Peoples, Order of the Badge of Honour (1970), Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1972). In 1993 he was elected member of the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame.

Since 1966 he has lived in Shakhty. In 1971 Alekseyev graduated from the branch of the Novocherkassk Polytechnical Institute in Shakhty.

Alekseyev featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated on April 14, 1975, titled "World's Strongest Man".

Alekseyev died on 25 November 2011 in Germany in a clinic where he had been sent due to serious heart problems. He was 69. The Russian Weightlifting Federation reported his death and called him a "Soviet sports legend" and "one of the strongest people in the world".

Profile

• Bodyweight: 161.75 kg (357 lb) (1980 Summer Olympics);
• Height: 6 foot 1 inch (1.86 metres).