50 Years Ago in Alma Ata: Alexander Dzhedzhelava (USSR)
50 years ago, on December 19-22, 1968, the 1968 USSR Team Championships tournament was held in Alma Ata, Kazakhstan. The winners were:
- 1st place – Soviet Army Team,
- 2nd place – Dynamo Team,
- 3rd place – Burevestnik Team (colleges and universities)
The 1968 USSR Team Championships was one of the first tournaments covered by a young photographer Gogi Gurgenyan of Fergana, Uzbekistan. With his permission, we publish our color version of his black-and-white photos in our History in Color series.
History in Color:
December 22, 1968, Alma Ata, Kazakhstan – World record holder and outstanding heavyweight contender, Alexander Dzhedzhelava of Tbilisi, Georgia, competes in the 110kg class at the 1968 USSR Team Championships in Alma Ata.
Alexander Dzhedzhelava (born in 1940) was one of the top stars of Georgian Olympic weightlifting of the 1960s. He competed in the heavyweight class for the Kolmeurne Club of Georgia.
Dzhedzhelava was a world record setter in the heavyweight class. He was a bronze medalist of the 1967 USSR Spartakiade and won numerous medals for Team Georgia at the USSR Championships including his vice championship title in 1966 and bronze medals in 1965 and 1967.
Alexander Dzhedzhelava was a member of the international Club 500 with his best total of 540kg (183+160+197.5) in 1970.