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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.
