Alexander Kurynov: Olympic Gold Medal in Rome (1960)
History in Color:
September 8, 1960, Rome, Italy – Middleweight Alexander Kurynov of Team USSR performs a snatch lift on his way to his gold medal in the 75kg weight class at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
Kurynov won the Olympic gold medal with a 437.5kg (135+132.5+170) total and managed to set two world records on his starry night in Rome – 170kg cj and 437.5kg total. He managed to win over legendary Tommy Kono of Team USA.
Alexander Kurynov (1934-1973) was a true legend of Soviet and world Olympic weightlifting. He was an Olympic champion (1960), 3-time World champion (1961-1963), 4-time European champion (1960-1963), USSR champion (1960). Kurynov set 13 world records during his career as a competitive weightlifter.
He was a graduate of the lifting school in Kazan and competed in the middleweight class,
In the timeline of the Soviet middleweights, the era of Kurynov is set between the eras of Fedor Bogdanovsky and Victor Kurentsov. One of the most memorable moments in his career was his victory over unbeatable Tommy Kono of the U.S.A. at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.