Vasily Alekseyev

Vasily Alekseyev
Vasily Ivanovich Alekseyev (7 January 1942 – 25 November 2011) was a Soviet weightlifter. He set 80 world-records and 81 Soviet records in weightlifting and won Olympic gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 games.
Biography
At the age of 18, Alekseyev began practicing weightlifting at Trud VSS, trained by his coach Rudolf Plyukfelder until 1968, when he began to train solo. He was not 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, US. In 1970 he was the first man to clean and jerk 500 pounds (227 kg) in competition. During one of his early world records, Oscar State OBE remarked that the weight of over 460 pounds (209 kg) in the Olympic press looked so easy it could have been a broomstick. This was the beginning of a series of 80 world records Alekseyev set between 1970 and 1977. He received bonus funds by the Soviet government every time he set a world record (Soviet athletics were funded by the state); so he made it a point to gradually increase his world records by 1.1 pounds or 0.5 kg. 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.
Many thought he would be the first to clean and jerk the mythical 600 pounds but it was never to be as his habit of increasing world records by only 1/2 kilo took so long that age caught up to him.
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.
From 1966 Alekseyev lived in Shakhty, where in 1971 he graduated from the branch of the Novocherkassk Polytechnical Institute. He died on 25 November 2011 in Germany in a clinic where he had been sent for 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". He was survived by wife Olimpiada and sons Sergey and Dmitry. Dmitry competed nationally in weightlifting, placing fourth at the 1988 Soviet weightlifting championships.
Legacy and awards
Vladimir Vysotsky devoted his "Song about weightlifter" (1971) to Alekseyev.
Alekseyev was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated 14 April 1975, titled "World's Strongest Man." 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), and Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1972). In 1993, he was elected a member of the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame.
In Shakhty, where he lived much of his life, there is a street and park named after him, as well as his monument installed in 2014.
Career-bests
Snatch: 190.0 kg (419 lbs) on 1 September 1977 in Podolsk;
Clean and press: 236.5 kg (521 lbs) on 15 April 1972 in Tallinn;
Clean and jerk: 256.0 kg (564 lbs) on 1 November 1977 in Moscow;
Total: 645.0 kg (clean and press+snatch+clean and jerk), on 15 April 1972 in Tallinn, the official world record total in 1972;
Total: 445.0 kg (snatch + clean and jerk) in Podolsk.
24 January 1970 Clean & Press 210.5 kg (464lb) Super Heavyweight Velikie Luki
24 January 1970 Clean & Jerk 221.5 kg Super Heavyweight Velikie Luki
24 January 1970 Total (3) 592.5 kg Super Heavyweight Velikie Luki
24 January 1970 Total (3) 595 kg Super Heavyweight Velikie Luki
18 March 1970 Clean & Press 213 kg (469.5lb) Super Heavyweight Minsk
18 March 1970 Total (3) 600 kg Super Heavyweight Minsk
26 April 1970 Clean & Press 216 kg (476lb) Super Heavyweight Vilnius
26 April 1970 Clean & Jerk 223.5 kg Super Heavyweight Vilnius
26 April 1970 Total (3) 602.5 kg Super Heavyweight Vilnius
26 April 1970 Total (3) 607.5 kg Super Heavyweight Vilnius
28 June 1970 Clean & Press 219.5 kg (483.9lb) Super Heavyweight Szombathely
28 June 1970 Clean & Jerk 225.5 kg Super Heavyweight Szombathely
28 June 1970 Total (3) 610 kg Super Heavyweight Szombathely
28 June 1970 Total (3) 612.5 kg Super Heavyweight Szombathely
20 September 1970 Clean & Jerk 227.5 kg Super Heavyweight Columbus
17 November 1970 Clean & Press 220.5 kg (486lb) Super Heavyweight Volgograd
17 November 1970 Clean & Jerk 228 kg Super Heavyweight Volgograd
12/4/1970 Snatch 177 kg Super Heavyweight Shakhty
12/4/1970 Clean & Press 221 kg (487.2lb) Super Heavyweight Shakhty
12/4/1970 Clean & Jerk 228.5 kg Super Heavyweight Shakhty
12/4/1970 Total (3) 615 kg Super Heavyweight Shakhty
12/4/1970 Total (3) 620 kg Super Heavyweight Shakhty
26 December 1970 Clean & Press 222 kg (489.4lb) Super Heavyweight Dnipropetrovsk
26 December 1970 Clean & Jerk 229.5 kg Super Heavyweight Dnipropetrovsk
26 December 1970 Total (3) 622.5 kg Super Heavyweight Dnipropetrovsk
26 December 1970 Total (3) 625 kg Super Heavyweight Dnipropetrovsk
14 February 1971 Snatch 177.5 kg Super Heavyweight Paris
14 February 1971 Clean & Press 222.5 kg (490.5lb) Super Heavyweight Paris
14 February 1971 Clean & Jerk 230 kg Super Heavyweight Paris
26 March 1971 Clean & Press 223 kg (491.6lb) Super Heavyweight Wienn
4/7/1971 Clean & Press 223.5 kg (492.7lb) Super Heavyweight Moscow
18 April 1971 Clean & Jerk 230.5 kg Super Heavyweight Taganrog
27 June 1971 Clean & Press 225 kg (496lb) Super Heavyweight Sofia
27 June 1971 Clean & Jerk 231 kg Super Heavyweight Sofia
27 June 1971 Clean & Jerk 232.5 kg Super Heavyweight Sofia
27 June 1971 Total (3) 627.5 kg Super Heavyweight Sofia
27 June 1971 Total (3) 630 kg Super Heavyweight Sofia
24 July 1971 Snatch 180 kg Super Heavyweight Moscow
24 July 1971 Clean & Press 225.5 kg (497.1lb) Super Heavyweight Moscow
24 July 1971 Clean & Jerk 233 kg Super Heavyweight Moscow
24 July 1971 Clean & Jerk 235 kg Super Heavyweight Moscow
24 July 1971 Total (3) 632.5 kg Super Heavyweight Moscow
24 July 1971 Total (3) 637.5 kg Super Heavyweight Moscow
24 July 1971 Total (3) 640 kg Super Heavyweight Moscow
26 September 1971 Clean & Press 227 kg (500lb) Super Heavyweight Lima
26 September 1971 Clean & Press 230 kg (507lb) Super Heavyweight Lima
26 September 1971 Clean & Jerk 235.5 kg Super Heavyweight Lima
19 March 1972 Clean & Press 231.5 kg (510.3lb) Super Heavyweight Bollnas
19 March 1972 Clean & Press 235.5 kg (519.1lb) Super Heavyweight Bollnas
15 April 1972 Clean & Jerk 236 kg Super Heavyweight Tallinn
15 April 1972 Clean & Press 236.5 kg (521.3lb) Super Heavyweight Tallinn
15 April 1972 Clean & Jerk 237.5 kg Super Heavyweight Tallinn
15 April 1972 Total (3) 642.5 kg Super Heavyweight Tallinn
15 April 1972 Total (3) 645 kg Super Heavyweight Tallinn
29 April 1972 Clean & Jerk 238 kg Super Heavyweight Donetsk
18 June 1973 Clean & Jerk 240 kg Super Heavyweight Madrid
18 June 1973 Total 417.5 kg Super Heavyweight Madrid
1/3/1974 Clean & Jerk 242 kg Super Heavyweight Glazov
20 March 1974 Clean & Jerk 240.5 kg Super Heavyweight Erevan
28 April 1974 Clean & Jerk 241 kg Super Heavyweight Tbilisi
28 April 1974 Total 420 kg Super Heavyweight Tbilisi
6 June 1974 Snatch 187.5 kg Super Heavyweight Verona
6 June 1974 Total 422.5 kg Super Heavyweight Verona
23 September 1974 Clean & Jerk 245.5 kg Super Heavyweight Moscow
29 September 1974 Clean & Jerk 241.5 kg Super Heavyweight Manila
29 September 1974 Total 425 kg Super Heavyweight Manila
27 November 1974 Clean & Jerk 242.5 kg Super Heavyweight London
14 December 1974 Clean & Jerk 243 kg Super Heavyweight Zaporizhia
29 December 1974 Clean & Jerk 243.5 kg Super Heavyweight Lipetsk
7/11/1975 Clean & Jerk 245 kg Super Heavyweight Vilnius
23 September 1975 Total 427.5 kg Super Heavyweight Moscow
11 November 1975 Clean and Jerk 246 kg Super Heavyweight Arkhangelsk
11 November 1975 Total 430 kg Super Heavyweight Arkhangelsk
12/7/1975 Clean & Jerk 247.5 kg Super Heavyweight Montreal
15 May 1976 Total 435 kg Super Heavyweight Karaganda
27 July 1976 Clean & Jerk 255 kg Super Heavyweight Montreal
9/1/1977 Clean & Jerk 255.5 kg Super Heavyweight Podolsk
9/1/1977 Total 445 kg Super Heavyweight Podolsk
11/1/1977 Clean & Jerk 256 kg Super Heavyweight Moscow
References
External links
Vasily Alexeev at the Lift Up Hall of Fame
1942 births
2011 deaths
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
Olympic weightlifters for the Soviet Union
Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union
Russian male weightlifters
Soviet male weightlifters
Weightlifting coaches
Weightlifters at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Weightlifters at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Weightlifters at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Olympic medalists in weightlifting
Olympic coaches
Russian strength athletes
Soviet strength athletes
Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples
Recipients of the Order of Lenin
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Members of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union
Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Sportspeople from Ryazan Oblast
European Weightlifting Championships medalists
World Weightlifting Championships medalists