Vasily Alekseyev

Vasily Ivanovich Alekseyev (Василий Иванович Алексеев; 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" (Песня о штангисте, 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