Yury Vlasov
Encyclopedia
Yury Petrovich Vlasov is a former Olympic
heavyweight weightlifter for the Soviet Union
, a writer and a politician.
, Ukrainian SSR
to the family of a military journalist and Komintern
agent in China Pyotr Vlasov
. Later his father worked as the General Consul in Shanghai
, then the Ambassador to Burma.
Yury studied at the Saratov
Suvorov military school (1946–1953), then at the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy in Moscow
, from which he graduated with a Gold Medal in 1959. In Academy he became interested in weightlifting, joined Armed Forces sports society
and soon became Master of Sport of the USSR
(1957). Between 1959 and 1963 he won all the competitions he participated in, with a huge success at the Rome
1960 Summer Olympics
where he beat the world records three times, becoming the first man to clean and jerk more than 200 kg (202.5). He was proclaimed the best sportsmen of the 1960 Olympics and the "Strongest Man on the Planet",. He was considered a nerdish intellectual in rim glasses, going against the stereotype
s attached to weightlifting.
At the 1964 Summer Olympics
he finished second, after another Soviet weightlifter, Leonid Zhabotinsky
, and retired from the Olympic Team.
He is the author of several books Overcoming yourself, Salty Joys, The Special Region of China (about his father), Flaming Cross, Rus' without a leader, etc.
Between 1968 and 1976, he published his works in the Soviet Union. But after his work (Flaming Cross) was published in the West, he was consider a mild dissident and was not published in the Soviet Union.
In 1987, after Mikhail Gorbachev
became the leader of the Soviet Union, Vlasov became chairman of the Federation of Athletic Gymnastics of the USSR.
He was elected
to the Congress of People's Deputies for the Lyublyansky district of Moscow in 1989 and broke from the Communist Party
. In parliament he started as a member of the liberal Inter-regional Deputies Group, along with Andrei Sakharov
, Anatoly Sobchak
and Boris Yeltsin
, but later became close to nationalists and Christian Democrats.
In 1993, he was elected to the State Duma
of the Russian Federation. He was a candidate in the 1996 Russian presidential election
but only received 0.02% of the vote (the second-to-last result amongst the ten participants). Following this he apparently retired from politics.
In 2004, at age 69, he took part in veteran's competitions and was able to lift 185 kg.
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...
heavyweight weightlifter 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....
, a writer and a politician.
Biography
Yury was born in MakiivkaMakiivka
Makiivka, also spelled Makiyivka is an industrial city located in eastern Ukraine within the Donetsk Oblast , from the capital Donetsk. As of the 2001 Ukrainian Census, the city's population is 389,589 inhabitants, of these 178,475 are men and 211,114 are women. It is an important steel...
, 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...
to the family of a military journalist and Komintern
Komintern
Komintern may refer to:*Comintern, the Communist International*Komintern artillery tractor*Soviet_cruiser_Komintern - Soviet cruiser of the Black Sea Fleet*Malyshev Factory...
agent in China Pyotr Vlasov
Peter Vladimirov
Peter or Pyotr Parfenovich Vladimirov was a Soviet diplomat and journalist. He is best known for The Vladimirov Diaries, in which he recounted the events in Yan'an during the Second World War, particularly information on Mao Zedong....
. Later his father worked as the General Consul in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, then the Ambassador to Burma.
Yury studied at the Saratov
Saratov
-Modern Saratov:The Saratov region is highly industrialized, due in part to the rich in natural and industrial resources of the area. The region is also one of the more important and largest cultural and scientific centres in Russia...
Suvorov military school (1946–1953), then at the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, from which he graduated with a Gold Medal in 1959. In Academy he became interested in weightlifting, joined 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...
and soon became Master of Sport of the USSR
Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR
Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR is a document which provided general Soviet physical education system requirements for athletes. The classification was established in 1935 and was based on separate classifications, which existed for several sports disciplines before...
(1957). Between 1959 and 1963 he won all the competitions he participated in, with a huge success at the Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
where he beat the world records three times, becoming the first man to clean and jerk more than 200 kg (202.5). He was proclaimed the best sportsmen of the 1960 Olympics and the "Strongest Man on the Planet",. He was considered a nerdish intellectual in rim glasses, going against the stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s attached to weightlifting.
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...
he finished second, after another Soviet weightlifter, Leonid Zhabotinsky
Leonid Zhabotinsky
Leonid Ivanovych Zhabotynsky was a former Soviet Union weightlifter who set 17 world records in the superheavyweight class, and won gold medals at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics.-Early Life:...
, and retired from the Olympic Team.
Weightlifting achievements
- Olympic champion (1960);
- Silver medalist in Olympic Games (1964);
- Four-time senior world champion (1959, 1961–1963);
- Silver medalist in Senior World Championships (1964);
- Six-time consecutive senior European champion (1959–1964);
- Set thirty four world records during career.
Career after retiring from weightlifting
After retiring from weightlifting he became a writer and a politician. Due to his damaged spine, for a few years he could not walk and moved in a wheelchair.He is the author of several books Overcoming yourself, Salty Joys, The Special Region of China (about his father), Flaming Cross, Rus' without a leader, etc.
Between 1968 and 1976, he published his works in the Soviet Union. But after his work (Flaming Cross) was published in the West, he was consider a mild dissident and was not published in the Soviet Union.
In 1987, after Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
became the leader of the Soviet Union, Vlasov became chairman of the Federation of Athletic Gymnastics of the USSR.
He was elected
Soviet Union legislative election, 1989
In 1989, elections were held for the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union. The main elections were held on 26 March and a second round on 9 April...
to the Congress of People's Deputies for the Lyublyansky district of Moscow in 1989 and broke from the Communist Party
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
. In parliament he started as a member of the liberal Inter-regional Deputies Group, along with Andrei Sakharov
Andrei Sakharov
Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov was a Soviet nuclear physicist, dissident and human rights activist. He earned renown as the designer of the Soviet Union's Third Idea, a codename for Soviet development of thermonuclear weapons. Sakharov was an advocate of civil liberties and civil reforms in the...
, Anatoly Sobchak
Anatoly Sobchak
Anatoly Alexandrovich Sobchak was a Russian politician, a co-author of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the first democratically elected mayor of Saint Petersburg, and a mentor and teacher of both Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev....
and Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
, but later became close to nationalists and Christian Democrats.
In 1993, he 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...
of the Russian Federation. He was a candidate in the 1996 Russian presidential election
Russian presidential election, 1996
Presidential elections were held in Russia in 1996. Incumbent Russian President Boris Yeltsin was seeking a four-year term after officially winning the 1991 presidential election. The first round was held on 16 June 1996...
but only received 0.02% of the vote (the second-to-last result amongst the ten participants). Following this he apparently retired from politics.
In 2004, at age 69, he took part in veteran's competitions and was able to lift 185 kg.
External links
- Yury Vlasov - Hall of Fame at Weightlifting Exchange
- Biography
- Yury Vlasov The Fairness of the Strength - the book of memoirs
- Vlasov's biography and photos
- Is this possible? – article on post-Soviet antisemitism, including quotes by Vlasov