- Born
- Birth nameAleksandr Aleksandrovich Karelin
- Height6′ 3¼″ (1.91 m)
- Aleksandr Karelin is a Soviet and Russian athlete, classical (Greco-Roman) wrestler, three-time Olympic champion (1988, 1992, 1996), statesman and political figure.
Aleksandr Karelin was born in Novosibirsk. At birth he weighed 5.5 kg. Father - Aleksandr Ivanovich Karelin, driver. Mother - Zinaida Ivanovna Karelina, civil servant. As a child, he dreamed of following in his father's footsteps and becoming a big truck driver. He learned to drive a car early from his father, he was well versed in technology, and already as a teenager he could assemble and disassemble a car with his own hands. Later he received the profession of a mechanical technician, and even received the right to drive road trains.
Since childhood, Karelin was fond of sports, starting with hockey and swimming. Once on the street of Novosibirsk, a young man who introduced himself as Viktor Kuznetsov approached the boys playing. This man, who later became Karelin's only coach, noticed a strong, tall guy - at the age of 13, Karelin was 178 cm tall and weighed 78 kg. Kuznetsov invited him to the gym. And in 1981, he enrolled in the classical wrestling section at the Electrotechnical Institute. The first success came in 1985 - Aleksandr Karelin became the world champion among youth.
In 1988, despite a concussion and high temperature, Karelin became the USSR champion for the first time, winning by pinfall against the leader of the USSR national team, two-time world champion Igor Rostorotskiy. In 1988, Karelin participated in his first Olympics, at that time he weighed 112 kg. In the finals of the Seoul 1988: Games of the XXIV Olympiad (1988), Karelin met with Bulgarian Rangel Gerovski. Aleksandr lost the first period 2:3, but in the end he won 15 seconds before the end of the fight with his favorite technique - the "reverse belt" throw - 4:3.
In the finals of the Barcelona 1992: Games of the XXV Olympiad (1992) Karelin clearly won against the world champion and twenty-time champion of Sweden, Thomas Johansson. The Swedish wrestler did not last than two minutes.
At the Atlanta 1996: Games of the XXVI Olympiad (1996), in the final, Karelin defeated Matt Ghaffari with a score of 1:0. After the end of the fight, Ghaffari began to cry.
In the final of Sydney 2000: Games of the XXVII Olympiad (2000) he met with American wrestler Rulon Gardner. After the first period the score was 0:0, according to the rules in force at that time, after the break the athletes were placed in a cross hold. Karelin was the first to unclench his hands, which was a violation of the rules; Gardner was awarded the winning point. As a result, the American wrestler won with a score of 1:0, and Karelin received a silver award for the first time in 13 years.
After the Games in Sydney, Aleksandr Karelin ended his sports career.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Bazza the Beast
- SpouseOlga Karelina(? - present) (3 children)
- ChildrenDenis KarelinIvan KarelinVasilisa Karelina
- ParentsAleksandr KarelinZinaida Karelina
- In 1988, he won the Grand Prix in Neuss, Germany, and the FILA Grand Prix Gala of the International Amateur Wrestling Federation in Budapest.
- Karelin was awarded by "Golden Bough" in 2002 by FILA.
- Served in the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
- At the age of 15, he broke his leg, after which his mother even burned his uniform and forbade him to engage in wrestling. But he did not give up his favorite pastime.
- The "reverse belt" was Aleksandr Karelin's signature throw - in the heavyweight division only he could perform such a throw.
- Of course, I know all the tricks, but I really know how to do only three. But for me it's enough.
- You need to win under any rules. We simply must not abandon the offensive doctrine. Dominate. Don't wait for proposals from the judges, don't rely on your opponent's illness or that someone will suddenly be late for the fight. Go out and win.
- I don't know of any activity that would give more intense sensations than sports. While I was wrestling, I had no right to say that I was tired: in my understanding, this is a betrayal towards the wrestling, towards the team.
- Life gives a chance to everyone. It is important that you yourself are prepared for this.
- Success is only 5% of talent, and the rest is sweat and hard work. Therefore, you need to want to become a champion and not be afraid to overcome difficulties. The most important thing is to take the first step, not to be afraid to step on laziness and cowardice.
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