Vasily Alekseyev: The Russian Bear

One of the most dominant weight lifters of his generation, Vasily Alekseyev was one of the most revered sports heroes of the Soviet Union, as well as one of the most entertaining.

The son of a lumberjack, Alexseyev began competing in 1961. He came to international prominence in 1970 when he broke the weight-lifting world record for the press, snatch, and clean and jerk total. That same year he became the first person to lift a combined 1,322.8 pounds (600 kilograms) and the first to jerk more than 500 pounds (227 kilograms). Alekseyev checked in at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, West Germany, weighing 337 pounds (153 kilograms) and utterly destroyed the competition, setting Olympic records in the press, snatch, and jerk. He won the gold medal by 66 pounds (30 kilograms).

At age 34, Alekseyev arrived at the 1976 Games as an international star. With his immense round belly (which was said to be as hard as rock) and thick black hair, he was arguably the most recognizable athlete in Montreal. Affectionately known as “the Russian bear,” Alekseyev was also notorious for his enormous appetite—he had been spotted devouring a breakfast of 26 fried eggs and a steak during the Munich Games—and he arrived for the 1976 Games weighing 345 pounds (156 kilograms). Yet he remained unchallenged. He set an Olympic record in the snatch and a world record in the jerk, winning his division by a decisive 77 pounds (35 kilograms).

Despite his enormous popularity and warm demeanor, Alekseyev was a private person. He preferred to train alone and was known for developing unusual training techniques, including lifting weights in the Don River near his home. He preferred to be known for his intellect; he graduated from Novocherkassk Polytechnical Institute in 1971 and worked as a mining engineer.

Between 1970 and 1978, Alexseyev set 79 world records. He retired from competition soon after failing to qualify for the 1989 Olympic Games in Moscow.