Yakov Kutsenko at the 1950 World Championships
October 15, 1950, Paris, France – 35-year old heavyweight, Yakov Kutsenko of Kiev, Ukraine competes for Team USSR at the 1950 World Championships in Paris.
It was the last tournament that Yakov Kutsenko competed in.
Yakov Kutsenko (1915-1988) was one of the key personalities in the history of the Soviet Olympic weightlifting. As an athlete, he won 14 USSR Championships from 1937 to 1952. Nobody else won more USSR titles. He was 2x vice champion of the World (1946, 1950) and 2x European champion (1946, 1950). He set 4 world records and 58 national records. As a distinguished coach, Yakov Kutsenko was the Head Coach of Team CCCP from 1954 to 1963.
On the international arena, Kutsenko won a silver medal at the 1950 World Championships (behind John Davis) and a gold medal at the 1950 European Championships.
