Alexander Karelin
Encyclopedia
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Karelin, or simply Alexander Karelin, ' onMouseout='HidePop("42863")' href="/topics/Novosibirsk">Novosibirsk
, Russian SFSR) is a Hero of the Russian Federation
and was a dominant Greco-Roman
wrestler
for the Soviet Union
and later, after its dissolution, for Russia
. He won gold medals at the 1988, 1992, and 1996 Olympic Games
. Nicknamed the "Russian Bear," "Alexander the Great" and "The Experiment" (see below), he went undefeated in international competition (spanning from 1987 to 2000) until an upset loss to American
Rulon Gardner
in the gold-medal match at the Sydney Olympics
. Karelin went the last six years of his unbeaten streak without giving up a point. He was revered for his extraordinary strength and unprecedented success in international competition. He is universally considered to be the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of all time. He also took part in professional wrestling, performing in a worked contest against Akira Maeda in the professional wrestling promotion, RINGS, in 1999.
He competed at the heaviest weight class of his day, 130 kg (286 lb). His conditioning and quickness combined with his dominance of the sport, led to him being known as "The Experiment" by much of the rest of the world.. When asked why he thought he was called that, Karelin noted that others don't understand because "I train every day of my life as they have never trained a day in theirs."
in Physical Education. He is also active in Russian politics.
Karelin's first loss in 13 years of international competition, and the first point lost in 6 years, occurred in the 2000 Summer Olympics
wrestling finals against Rulon Gardner
. Karelin had earlier beaten Gardner in 1997. Gardner took the gold medal.
party and was elected to the State Duma
as a representative of the Novosibirsk Oblast
in 1999 and 2003. In 2007 he was elected to the Duma as a representative of the Stavropol Krai
. He is a member of Duma's committee on international affairs.
in a professional wrestling contest that drew a gate of $2.5 million. The match gained widespread media coverage, including mentions in The New York Times
and Sports Illustrated
. The match took place in the Maeda owned Professional Wrestling organization, RINGS. Though widely considered to have been a shoot style pro-wrestling contest the match is counted as an official Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) match in Sherdog's record database.
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 . It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District...
, Russian SFSR) is a Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation is a Russian decoration and the highest honorary title that can be bestowed on a citizen by the Russian Federation. The President of the Russian Federation is the main conferring authority of the medal, which is bestowed on those committing actions or deeds that...
and was a dominant Greco-Roman
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...
wrestler
Amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...
for the 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....
and later, after its dissolution, for Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. He won gold medals at the 1988, 1992, and 1996 Olympic Games
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...
. Nicknamed the "Russian Bear," "Alexander the Great" and "The Experiment" (see below), he went undefeated in international competition (spanning from 1987 to 2000) until an upset loss to American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Rulon Gardner
Rulon Gardner
Rulon Gardner is an American Olympian who competed in the 2000 Olympic games, winning the gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling upon defeating Russian Aleksandr Karelin, who was previously undefeated in 13 years of international competition...
in the gold-medal match at the Sydney Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. Karelin went the last six years of his unbeaten streak without giving up a point. He was revered for his extraordinary strength and unprecedented success in international competition. He is universally considered to be the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of all time. He also took part in professional wrestling, performing in a worked contest against Akira Maeda in the professional wrestling promotion, RINGS, in 1999.
He competed at the heaviest weight class of his day, 130 kg (286 lb). His conditioning and quickness combined with his dominance of the sport, led to him being known as "The Experiment" by much of the rest of the world.. When asked why he thought he was called that, Karelin noted that others don't understand because "I train every day of my life as they have never trained a day in theirs."
Technique
Karelin was famous for his reverse body lift, the "Karelin Lift", where facing the opponent who was lying flat on the mat to keep from being thrown, Karelin hoisted his opponents into the air and slammed them violently to the mat. This devastatingly effective maneuver, when properly executed, awarded Karelin 5 points per throw, the maximum awarded in Greco-Roman wrestling. The throw had long been in use by lighter wrestlers but not by heavyweights since the technique required immense strength. Karelin's ability to perform this throw against elite opponents weighing as much as 130 kg was amazing to audiences as well as other participants and observers of the sport.Life and work
Karelin was born as a 5.5 kg (12 lb) baby. Karelin holds a Ph.D.Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Physical Education. He is also active in Russian politics.
Karelin's first loss in 13 years of international competition, and the first point lost in 6 years, occurred in the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
wrestling finals against Rulon Gardner
Rulon Gardner
Rulon Gardner is an American Olympian who competed in the 2000 Olympic games, winning the gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling upon defeating Russian Aleksandr Karelin, who was previously undefeated in 13 years of international competition...
. Karelin had earlier beaten Gardner in 1997. Gardner took the gold medal.
Politics
Karelin officially retired from competitive wrestling in 2000 and began his political career. He joined the United RussiaUnited Russia
United Russia is a centrist political party in Russia and the largest party in the country, currently holding 315 of the 450 seats in the State Duma. The party was founded in December 2001, through a merger of the Unity and Fatherland-All Russia parties...
party and was elected to the State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
as a representative of the Novosibirsk Oblast
Novosibirsk Oblast
Novosibirsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia located in southwestern Siberia. Its administrative and economic center is the city of Novosibirsk. Population: -Overview:...
in 1999 and 2003. In 2007 he was elected to the Duma as a representative of the Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Krai is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Stavropol. Population: -Geography:Stavropol Krai encompasses the central part of the Fore-Caucasus and most of the northern slopes of Caucasus Major...
. He is a member of Duma's committee on international affairs.
Professional wrestling
On February 21, 1999 Aleksandr Karelin defeated Akira MaedaAkira Maeda
is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, also known as Kwik-kik-Lee for his time on the British Wrestling show World of Sport. He helped develop the shoot-style of professional wrestling during the late 1980s....
in a professional wrestling contest that drew a gate of $2.5 million. The match gained widespread media coverage, including mentions in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
. The match took place in the Maeda owned Professional Wrestling organization, RINGS. Though widely considered to have been a shoot style pro-wrestling contest the match is counted as an official Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) match in Sherdog's record database.