Olympic Games Gold Medalist Athlete. A super heavyweight wrestler, he achieved ominance of his sport during the 1970s. Born and raised in the village of Pokrovo-Shishkino, he was to credit his early work as a lumberjack with developing his immense strength. Alekseyev lived in Shakhty from the mid 1960s on and began competitive weightlifting in 1968. Essentially self trained, he reached a 'fighting weight' of about 350# and in 1970 set the first of what would eventually be 80 world records. Under the Soviet system of the time he held a nominal job as a mining engineer, for which he did have the education, which paid him well while allowing whatever training time he needed. In 1972 he set a mark of 645 kg in the then used three lifts, a feat that can not be equalled as matches now only involve two different lifts. Alekseyev captured his first Olympic Gold Medal at Munich in 1972 and repeated at Montreal four years later; over the decade he won eight European Championships and six World Championships and was unbeatable until a hip injury at the 1978 World Championship meet ended his record-breaking days. Unable to complete his required lifts at the 1980 Moscow Olympiad, Alekseyev retired then was a coach for several years. He successfully led the 1992 Russian Olympic team but later quit coaching after a doping scandal. His honors were many including the Order of Lenin in 1972 and election to the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame in 1993. Long afflicted with heart disease, he died in a German clinic where he had spent his final months.
Olympic Games Gold Medalist Athlete. A super heavyweight wrestler, he achieved ominance of his sport during the 1970s. Born and raised in the village of Pokrovo-Shishkino, he was to credit his early work as a lumberjack with developing his immense strength. Alekseyev lived in Shakhty from the mid 1960s on and began competitive weightlifting in 1968. Essentially self trained, he reached a 'fighting weight' of about 350# and in 1970 set the first of what would eventually be 80 world records. Under the Soviet system of the time he held a nominal job as a mining engineer, for which he did have the education, which paid him well while allowing whatever training time he needed. In 1972 he set a mark of 645 kg in the then used three lifts, a feat that can not be equalled as matches now only involve two different lifts. Alekseyev captured his first Olympic Gold Medal at Munich in 1972 and repeated at Montreal four years later; over the decade he won eight European Championships and six World Championships and was unbeatable until a hip injury at the 1978 World Championship meet ended his record-breaking days. Unable to complete his required lifts at the 1980 Moscow Olympiad, Alekseyev retired then was a coach for several years. He successfully led the 1992 Russian Olympic team but later quit coaching after a doping scandal. His honors were many including the Order of Lenin in 1972 and election to the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame in 1993. Long afflicted with heart disease, he died in a German clinic where he had spent his final months.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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