With a paunch much larger than a kangaroo’s pouch, Vasiliy Ivanovich Alekseyev was every bit a viewer’s delight. The Russian didn’t conform to a regular weightlifter’s physique — big arms, legs, chest and rippling muscles. In fact, Alekseyev defied a whole lot of rules and overturned predictions in a glittering career. Carrying Alekseyev, making one of his successful lifts, on its cover, the US-based weekly magazine, Sports Illustrated (issue dated April 14, 1975), called him “The World’s Strongest Man.” The magazine also described the Russian weightlifter as one whose kingly chest and belly were “broader than any barrel, bass drum or office safe in common use today.”
Weighing 160kg, Alekseyev ruled weightlifting as if it were his fiefdom. He was the first to total over 600kg in the three-lift event. He was also the first to log 400kg in the two-lift event.
Alekseyev won the super heavyweight gold in Munich (1972) and Montreal (1976). At these Games, he upstaged strong competitors such as Rudolf Mang (West Germany), Serge Reding (Belgium) and Ken Patera (USA) — all of whom did better than the Russian in the lower-rung competitions. Alekseyev reigned supreme at the World Championships from 1970-77, a feat unmatched even to this day. He had set 80 world records and 81 Soviet Union records.
What is unique about Alekseyev is his training regimen. He did not believe in what the coaches told him to do. Based on his own experiments, the Russian planned his exercises in such a way that they suited his style of lifting. Practising lifting in water was one of his many novel methods of training.
Having injured his back at the 1978 World Championship in the US and dropping out of the competition, Alekseyev made a comeback at the 1980 Moscow Olympics at the age of 38. He, however, failed miserably.
Alekseyev, nevertheless, came to symbolise power, strength and flawless technique.
K. Keerthivasan
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