Legend of the Middleweight
On the History in Color photo, Alexander Kurynov competes in the 75kg weight class at the Moscow Cup International in 1962. Alexander Kurynov (1934-1973) was a true legend of Soviet and world Olympic weightlifting....
Tagged: USSR
Pavel Kuznetsov
Pavel Kuznetsov of Vladimir, Russia completes the clean-and jerk lift on his way to his first Wold title. The action takes place at the 1983 World championship in Moscow, Russia. Pavel Kuznetsov won the...
Vladimir Kaplunov (USSR)
Vladimir Kaplunov (1933-2015) was one of the best lightweight Olympic lifters in the world in the first half of the 1960s. He won the World Championship in 1962, European Championship in 1964, USSR Championships...
Rookie Lifter To Remember (1959)
This is a rising Soviet light heavyweight (82.5kg) star Rudolph Plyukfelder competing at his first World championship in Warsaw in 1959. Plyukfelder totaled 457.5kg (145+140+172.5) and won the World title. More History in Color Series...
Valery Shary in 1973
Olympic champion (1976), Valery Shary performs a snatch lift at the 1973 national championship in Donetsk. It was a difficult period in his career. He just bombed out at the 1972 Summer Olympics and...
Kurynov
History in Color @LiftUp One of the strongest middleweight lifters of the 1960s, Alexander Kurynov performs clean-and-jerk lift in training. Kurynov won the Olympic gold medal when he managed to win over the legendary...
Alexander Kidyaev
The Lift Up project features Alexander Kidyaev of Avangard Lugansk performing the snatch lift at the 1968 USSR championship in Lugansk. By the end of the day, he finished second after Jaan Talts in...
Petr Korol
Petr Korol (1941-2015) of Lvov, Ukraine performs clean and jerk lift at the 1973 USSR National Championship in Donetsk. He won the silver medal with 317.5kg total (135+182.5) in the 75kg weight category. Three...
Coaches and Athletes: Itkin and Osmanaliev
Semyon Itkin and Kanybek Osmanaliev of Kyrgyzstan were one of the most inspiring coach-and-athlete teams of the 1970s and early 1980s. Kanybek Osnanaliev was a super reliable and clutch type of Olympic weightlifter with...
Mighty Voronin
History in Color: He was only 142 cm tall. 4′ 7″, if you are not comfortable with centimeters. But he was a little strongman with unmatched dedication and will to become a champion. Alexander Voronin (1951-1992) was...
