Aleksandr Karelin
The Russian Bear: Undefeated at World Championships, dominant across three Olympic Games.
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He won Olympic gold medals in 1988, 1992, and 1996, and a silver medal in 2000.[1] Between 1986 and 2000, Karelin represented both the Soviet Union and Russia in Greco-Roman wrestling.[1] At the senior level, Karelin's competitive record shows 887 victories and only 2 defeats, each of those losses being by a single point.[2]
Key facts and history
At age 13 he stood 179 cm tall and weighed 79 kg when he first came to a wrestling gym.[3] After his wrestling career, Karelin entered politics, joining the United Russia party and serving in the State Duma from 1999.[4][5] At birth, Karelin weighed 5.5 kg; his training commenced in 1981 under the guidance of coach Viktor Kuznetsov.[6][3] In 1988, at 21 years and two days old, Karelin became the youngest Olympic champion in the super heavyweight division of Greco-Roman wrestling.[7]
During the 1992 Olympics, Karelin pinned Ioan Grigoraş in just 14 seconds, making it one of the quickest matches in Olympic wrestling history.[7] Karelin's sole international defeat occurred in the 2000 Olympic final against Rulon Gardner, an outcome frequently described as one of sports' greatest upsets.[8]
What the cited sources add
Karila noted that Karelin could do around 50 chin-ups and had a 220 cm arm span.[9] Rogan remarked that Karelin was called "the experiment" because his parents were of average height while he grew to be a giant.[10] The EssentiallySports account reports that Karelin's opponents feared his reverse body lift more than losing the bout.[10] Finnish wrestler Tuomo Karila described Karelin as "järkyttävän fyysinen" (shockingly physical) and "erittäin hyvä liikkumaan" (very good at moving).[9]
Karila further contended that the point awarded to Gardner in the 2000 final was questionable and that Karelin ought to have been declared the winner.[9]
References
- Wikipedia, "Aleksandr Karelin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Plaschke, "Forget the Russian Bear: Meet Russian King Kong", Los Angeles Times, 24 July 1996; "DOKUMENT: Så hamnade "Lyftkranen från Sibirien" i Göteborg • 130 kilo Karelin gjorde volter på uppvärmningen", www.expressen.se, 21 July 2020; "Aleksandr Karelin", Encyclopedia Britannica; Noyes, "Guts in the Clutch: 77 Legendary Triumphs, Heartbreaks, and Wild Finishes in 12 Sports", BookSurge Publishing, 2009, p. 287; Pushkarna, "Who is the Greatest Olympic Wrestler of All Time?", EssentiallySports, 29 June 2021; Андреев, "Михаин Лопес нич en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Aleksandr Karelin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Симић, "Руски медвед - Александар Карељин", www.rts.rs, 15 April 2014; ""У меня нет врагов, потому что, когда хожу, не наступаю людям на ноги". Александру Карелину — 53! — Олимпийский комитет России", olympic.ru, 19 September 2020; "13 години всички се чудеха как да победят Руската мечка. Но Карелин мачкаше наред, докато не дойде шокът", webcafe, 15 April 2023; "Aleksandr KARELIN", Olympic Channel; "Aleksandr KARELIN: Three-Time Olympic Champion, Nine-Time World Champion", United World Wrestling, 20 August 2020 (original not read by u en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Aleksandr Karelin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Хромцова, "«Мать сожгла мою форму»: борец Александр Карелин — о начале карьеры, скандалах и политике", Вечерняя Москва, 2022-09-20; Kareline, Alexandre (RUS) . iat.uni-leipzig.de; Карелин Александр Александрович . Russian Wrestling Federation; "Александр Карелин поделился секретами успеха с «Командой 2018»", pln-pskov.ru, 5 August 2018; "Александр Карелин: "Приемы на ковре превратились в приемы работы с избирателями"", worldclassmag.com, 15 December 2021; "Александр Карелин: мне стыдно перед моими соперниками", Коммерсантъ, 8 Septembe en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Aleksandr Karelin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Карелин Александр Александрович . Russian Wrestling Federation (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Aleksandr Karelin" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Aleksandr Karelin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Александр Карелин: Борьба – это условие жизни . karelin.ru. 25 October 2013. The 6.8 kg figure reported by the Time journal was an exaggeration КАРЕЛИН Александ; "Легендарный борец Александр Карелин пообщался с уфимскими школьниками", 9 September 2016 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Aleksandr Karelin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Карелин Александр Александрович . Russian Wrestling Federation; Higuchi, "The Youngest/Oldest GR Gold Medalists in Olympic History", United World Wrestling, 18 May 2020; "Карелин Александр Александрович", warheroes.ru; "Olympedia – Olympic Wrestling Fastest Matches", www.olympedia.org (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Aleksandr Karelin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: The Sporting News, Miracle on the mat – wrestler Rulon Gardner wins the gold medal in the Olympics, 9 October 2000; "Miracle on the Mat", CNN Sports Illustrated, 27 September 2000; Frank Lawlor, "Siberian Heavyweight Gives Other Wrestlers The Chills His Monster Image Also Interests Hollywood", Philadelphia Media Network, 2 August 1992; McCallum, "Bumper Crop: By Beating the Unbeatable Karelin, U.S. Farm Boy Rulon Gardner Reaped a Stunning Golden Harvest", 9 October 2000; Jussim, "The 15 Greatest Underdog Sports Stories of All Time", M en.wikipedia.org
- Husu, "Legendaarisen painijätin Aleksandr Karelinin leuanvetotulos hämmentää edelleen – "Järkyttäviä määriä isoille kavereille"", Ilta-Sanomat, 29 July 2016. facts only, no text reused. is.fi
- ""He's a Human Panther": Joe Rogan Was Left Stunned over Freaking Body Features of 6′3" Wrestling Giant Born to Normal 5′7" Parents", EssentiallySports, 6 September 2023. facts only, no text reused. essentiallysports.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Aleksandr Karelin (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
Career statistics and honours
Medals
- Gold Karelin Cup — Novosibirsk 1995 130 kg
- Gold Junior World Championships — Colorado Springs 1985 130 kg
- Gold Junior World Championships — Burnaby 1987 130 kg
- Gold Junior European Championships — Malmö 1986 130 kg
- Gold Friendship-84 Juniors — Budapest 1984 130 kg
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Aleksandr Karelin (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Aleksandr Karelin (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
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