Leonid Zhabotinsky
Encyclopedia
Leonid Ivanovych Zhabotynsky ' onMouseout='HidePop("82394")' href="/topics/Ukraine">Ukraine
) was a former Soviet Union
weightlifter who set 17 world records in the superheavyweight class, and won gold medal
s at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics
.
, Ukrainian SSR
into a Cossack family. Zhabotynsky, spent his childhood years in Kharkiv
. After graduating from the seven-year secondary school, Leonid worked at the Kharkiv Tractor Plant and was coached at the local weightlifting club of the Armed Forces sports society
.
Pedagogical Institute and studied there until 1964. At the 1961 USSR Championship in Dnipropetrovsk
Zhabotynsky earned silver with the result of 500 kg. Two years later he set his first world record, starting an outstanding series of international achievements. Zhabotynsky was the flag bearer for the Soviet Union during the opening ceremonies of the 1968 Summer Olympics
in Mexico City
and caused a stir by carrying the Soviet flag single-handed when the team marched in. Between 1963 and 1970 Zhabotynsky set 17 world records in the superheavyweight class and won gold medals at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics
. The famous rivalry between him and Yury Vlasov
at the 1964 Summer Olympics
was one of the most memorable moments of that Games. He was a member of CPSU between 1965 and 1991.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) was a former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
weightlifter who set 17 world records in the superheavyweight class, and won gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
s at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
.
Early Life
Leonid was born in a village in Uspenka, Sumy OblastSumy Oblast
Sumy Oblast is an oblast in the northeastern part of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Sumy.Other important cities within the oblast include Konotop, Okhtyrka, Romny, and Shostka....
, Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
into a Cossack family. Zhabotynsky, spent his childhood years in Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
. After graduating from the seven-year secondary school, Leonid worked at the Kharkiv Tractor Plant and was coached at the local weightlifting club of the Armed Forces sports society
Armed Forces (sports society)
Central Sports Klub of the Army or is the Russian sports society and the successor of the Soviet CSKA.-Overview:The society was one of the largest sports societies in the USSR. In the Soviet era all CSKA and SKA teams that resided in the Soviet Union belonged to the Armed Forces sports society...
.
Weighlifting Career
Zhabotynsky debuted at the Ukrainian SSR Championship in 1957, where he earned a bronze medal. Later that year, Zhabotynsky entered the KharkivKharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
Pedagogical Institute and studied there until 1964. At the 1961 USSR Championship in Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country...
Zhabotynsky earned silver with the result of 500 kg. Two years later he set his first world record, starting an outstanding series of international achievements. Zhabotynsky was the flag bearer for the Soviet Union during the opening ceremonies of the 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
and caused a stir by carrying the Soviet flag single-handed when the team marched in. Between 1963 and 1970 Zhabotynsky set 17 world records in the superheavyweight class and won gold medals at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. The famous rivalry between him and Yury Vlasov
Yury Vlasov
Yury Petrovich Vlasov is a former Olympic heavyweight weightlifter for the Soviet Union, a writer and a politician.- Biography :...
at the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
was one of the most memorable moments of that Games. He was a member of CPSU between 1965 and 1991.
External links
World Records
- 7/31/1963 Snatch - 165 kg Super Heavyweight Moscow
- 9/13/1963 Snatch - 167.5 kg Super Heavyweight Stockholm
- 3/22/1964 Snatch - 168.5 kg Super Heavyweight Moscow
- 3/22/1964 Clean & Jerk - 213 kg Super Heavyweight Moscow
- 3/22/1964 Total - 560 kg Super Heavyweight Moscow
- 10/18/1964 Clean & Jerk - 217.5 kg Super Heavyweight Tokyo
- 11/2/1965 Snatch - 173 kg Super Heavyweight Teheran
- 4/17/1966 Snatch - 173.5 kg Super Heavyweight Cairo
- 10/21/1966 Clean & Jerk - 218 kg Super Heavyweight Berlin
- 6/18/1967 Snatch - 174 kg Super Heavyweight Sofia
- 6/18/1967 Clean & Jerk - 218.5 kg Super Heavyweight Sofia
- 6/18/1967 Total - 590 kg Super Heavyweight Sofia
- 8/3/1967 Snatch - 175.5 kg Super Heavyweight Moscow
- 8/3/1967 Clean & Jerk - 219 kg Super Heavyweight Moscow
- 8/16/1967 Clean & Press - 201.5 kg Super Heavyweight Sofia
- 5/19/1968 Clean & Jerk - 220 kg Super Heavyweight Lugansk
- 6/25/1968 Snatch - 176 kg Super Heavyweight Leningrad
- 12/18/1973 Snatch - 183.5 kg Super Heavyweight Tuapse
- 2/21/1974 Snatch - 185.5 kg Super Heavyweight Moscow