The name of Alexander Karelin - an outstanding Russian athlete, three-time Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR - is well known to everyone. Pride of the nation, colorful personality, great sportsman, a well-known politician ... In a word, San Sanych is a real national hero, a fighter for the honor and glory of the Fatherland.

The greatest Greco-Roman wrestler Alexander Karelin was born on September 19, 1967 in Novosibirsk. Graduated from a motor transport college, institute physical education and sports, the higher military school of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia ...

This was followed by the defense of a Ph.D. thesis on the topic “Methodology for conducting counter-attacks from deflection throws” at the Academy. Lesgaft, which has become a textbook for many Russian wrestlers. Doctor of pedagogical sciences, academician ... In a word, the Russian hero is also exceptionally educated - as it should be worthy representative nation.

Greco-Roman wrestling has fascinated Alexander Karelin since 1981: at the origins of his career is the Burevestnik sports society. The future celebrity was coached by V. M. Kuznetsov.

In 1984 he became the Master of Sports of the USSR, and in 1985 - the Master of Sports of international class. A year later, Karelin was already a member of the USSR national team. At the age of 21 (in the same year, 1988) he received a prestigious state award - the Order of Friendship of Peoples.

Alexander Karelin is a wrestler with a height of 191 cm and a weight of 130 kg. It seems that this hero is invincible! Let's not sin too much against the truth, stating this: the name of Alexander Karelin is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as a wrestler who has not lost a single fight in 13 years.

There are so many outstanding sporting achievements in Karelin's track record that would be more than enough for several athletes - and they would become famous.

Alexander Karelin:

• three-time Olympic champion - in Seoul (1988), in Barcelona (1992), in Atlanta (1996).
• silver medalist at the Sydney Olympics (2000);
• 9 times world champion;
• 12 times European champion;
• 13-time champion of Russia;
• twice became the winner of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR;
• 4-time titled strongest wrestler of the planet (gold belt holder);
• winner of many major competitions and tournaments;
• was awarded the Fair Play Award by the Fair Play movement.

Karelin is one of the 25 best athletes in the world of the 20th century, along with the football king Pele, heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali, gymnast Larisa Latynina and other brightest sports stars.

Karelin is the author of the "Integral Training System for Highly Qualified Wrestlers". This work is the subject of his doctoral dissertation, defended in 2002. This unique study contains an analysis of the training of more than four hundred athletes, the study of tactics, the psychology of wrestlers.

The conclusion made by Karelin says: athletes who do not know how to "rule themselves", demonstrating emotional instability, show insufficiently good results in competitions. Experts believe that, having studied the work of Professor Karelin, it is possible to derive the "formula" of an ideal champion.

Since 1992, Alexander has been the head of the public organization Karelin Fund, which promotes healthy lifestyle life. In 1996, San Sanych (that's his name in the team) was awarded the Star of the Hero of Russia.

The famous wrestler lives in Moscow, and in Novosibirsk, he is an honorary resident of his city. The Karelin family - wife Olga, sons Denis and Ivan, daughter Vasilisa.

Since 1995 - chief specialist of the State Department of Physical Protection of the Federal Tax Police Service of the Russian Federation. Colonel of the tax police. Since 1999 - adviser to V.V. Putin on issues of physical culture and sports. Three times deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation - 1999, 2003, 2007. Member of the United Russia party.

Karelin-deputy "ambitiously" dreams ... of general prosperity. Yes, that's exactly how he once answered a journalist's question. Most importantly, the dreams of the Russian hero Karelin are by no means ethereal: work in the State Duma of the Russian Federation allows him to carry out his plans, changing the lives of his compatriots for the better.

Videos:

Alexander Karelin - Akira Maeda

Video tutorials with Alexander Karelin:

The real Russian hero Alexander Karelin was born in Novosibirsk in 1967. At birth, the boy weighed 5.5 kg, and at the age of 13 he was a head taller than his own father. Sasha's father, Alexander Ivanovich Karelin, an amateur boxer, worked as a driver all his life, and his mother Zinaida Ivanovna worked as a civil servant.

Since childhood, the guy was fond of sports (hockey, swimming), but it was not serious. A sharp turn in the biography future star national sport occurred when a young man approached the playing boys on the street of Novosibirsk, calling himself Viktor Mikhailovich Kuznetsov. This man, who later became Karelin's only coach, noticed a strong, tall guy (at 13, Sasha was 178 cm tall and weighing 78 kg) and invited him to the gym.

From that day on, Alexander's life changed. Not a day passed without training, not without injury. So, at the age of 15, he broke his leg. It happened on the eve of the March 8 holiday, and the frustrated mother of the athlete in her hearts burned Sasha's uniform and forbade him to wrestle. But Karelin could no longer abandon his fate.

At the age of 17, the athlete received the title of master of sports, and a year later - the title of world champion among youth. In the eighth grade, Karelin left school and entered a technical school. After the technical school, the young man became a cadet of the Ministry of Internal Affairs School, and then a student of the Omsk Institute of Physical Education.

Struggle

In 1986, the young hero-athlete was enrolled in the USSR national team. In this capacity, the athlete won the championship of the republic, Europe and the world. In 1987, at the USSR Championship, Karelin lost one point in the final to Igor Rastorotsky, and this defeat was the last in the fighter's entire career, until its completion.

After the USSR Championship in 1988, Karelin participated in Olympic Games ah as part of the national team and won another championship title. From that moment began a series of constant victories of the athlete.

In the final, Alexander had a chance to meet in a fight with the Bulgarian fighter Rangel Gerovski. Sasha lost the first round to the Bulgarian, but in the second round he managed to snatch victory by using the signature “reverse belt” technique. By this time, the athlete's weight was 112 kg, height - 191 cm. This technique brought Karelin victory at the World Championships in 1990, and then at the 1991 tournament.

Best of the day

In 1992, at the Olympic Games, Alexander Karelin defeated the Swedish twenty-time champion Thomas Johansson. A year later, in a fight with Matt Ghaffari, the athlete injured two ribs, but managed to survive in this and subsequent fights with Johansson and Bulgarian Sergey Mureiko, confirming the world title.

After these victories and championships, new ones followed. From 1989 to 1999, Karelin became the world champion 9 times. In 1999, a duel with Akira Maeda took place, and for the first time in his life, the Russian hero fought by the rules mixed martial arts. And again, the "reverse belt" decided the outcome of the fight in favor of Alexander.

The triumphant series of victories of Alexander Karelin continued until 2000, when the Olympic Games were held in Sydney. The athlete worked for wear, professional injuries, broken ribs in his career can not be counted. Once he managed to recover in a matter of weeks after the operation (Karelin's pectoral muscle came off) with the help of his constant coach, although doctors predicted that rehabilitation would take at least 9 months.

In 2000, at the Russian Championship, Alexander competed with a high temperature, and the victory was given to him with difficulty. Apparently, even with such a heroic physique and health (Alexander's height today is 191 cm, and his weight is 130 kg), incredible loads with age made themselves felt.

At the Sydney Olympics, Karelin suffered a second defeat - in a fight with Roll Gardner. No one succeeded in putting the “Russian terminator”, as Alexander Karelin was called in the foreign media, as evidenced not only by the fighter’s numerous titles and awards, but also by photo and video reports. For the first time, the athlete returned home not with a gold, but with a silver medal and immediately announced his retirement.

Personal life

It is known that Karelin has been happily married for a long time. Together with his wife Olga, Alexander is raising three children: Denis, Ivan and Vasilisa. Ivan got carried away Greco-Roman wrestling, and Vasilisa is professionally engaged in gymnastics.

The house of the honored athlete is located in his homeland, in Novosibirsk, but Alexander is often in Moscow and on business trips. He is actively involved in politics, being a deputy of the State Duma, and also constantly participates in competitions as a curator, including the Karelin Prize wrestling tournaments.

Contrary to the prevailing image of the "terminator" or "Russian hero", a stern fighter, Alexander Karelin is a vulnerable and sensitive person. The champion is still going through an unfortunate defeat in Sydney, for which he blames only himself. He believes that he can and should benefit people in the political arena, as well as contributing to the development Russian sports and helping young athletes.

Behind a somewhat gloomy and intimidating appearance is an intellectual who is seriously fascinated by Dostoevsky, American and English literature and the activities of Pyotr Stolypin.

From 1995 to 1999, Karelin worked in the tax police, then, setting out to get a law degree, he graduated from the University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In 1998, the athlete defended his candidate's work at the St. Petersburg Academy named after Lesgaft, and in 2002 - his doctoral dissertation. Scientific works intellectual athlete dedicated sports topics, in particular, the study of tactics, psychology, stress resistance of wrestlers. Experts believe that Karelin deduced the formula for an ideal athlete who controls himself and does not give vent to emotions.

Alexander Karelin now

Alexander Alexandrovich still devotes a lot of time to politics, believing that he can do a lot for Russia. Karelin is a member of the Duma, a member of the energy committee.

In 2014, Alexander Karelin participated in the opening of the Olympics in Sochi, and in 2015 - in the international forum "Olympics-80: 35 years later" in Novosibirsk.

In 2016, the film “Champions: Faster. Above. Stronger”, dedicated to the life and achievements of the leading Russian and Soviet champion athletes. The role of Karelin in this tape was played by Sergei Bondarchuk Jr.

Achievements

Master of Sports of the USSR (1984);

Master of Sports of the USSR of international class (1985);

Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1988);

Hero Russian Federation (1997);

Cavalier of the Order of Friendship of Peoples (1989);

holder of the "Golden Belt" best wrestler planets (1989, 1990, 1992, 1994) (FILA);

Alexander Karelin was named the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of the 20th century by the International Amateur Wrestling Federation;

Commander of the Order of Honor (2001);

Cavalier of the Olympic Order (2001) (IOC).

Awards

"Golden Branch" (2002) (FILA);

"For Services to the Fatherland" IV degree (2008);

Honorary Diploma of the President of the Russian Federation (2013);

Honorary resident of the city of Novosibirsk. Has a badge of distinction "For services to the Novosibirsk region"; quote
Arthur 14.06.2014 08:43:09

The quoted words of the sage about the vexation of the spirit do not belong to the Greeks. These words were said by Solomon in Ecclesiastes (Bible)

Three-time Olympic champion Alexander Karelin officially recognized by the International Federation fight the best wrestler Greco-Roman style of the 20th century.

For me, only one place matters - the first, - Karelin once said. - A second or tenth - it does not matter. This is defeat.

“The only thing I, I confess, regretted,” says the coach of the champion Kuznetsov, “is that Karelin never used all his power in fights in my memory. He used to ask him: "Sasha, make a "reverse belt" for me personally." This is his trademark and my favorite technique: when you throw an opponent over your back onto the carpet from the height of your own height. And he always felt sorry for those who fought him. After all, a throw is always a humiliation for a partner.

Karelin was born on September 19, 1967 near Novosibirsk. His father worked as a dump truck driver, his mother was an employee. Both are large builds. Sasha was born weighing five kilograms! From childhood, tall beyond his years, he hunted, famously skied, and went in for swimming. But he took up wrestling only at the age of thirteen, when he was head and shoulders above his father. And it's not a fact - Karelin would have become a wrestler if it weren't for the first and only coach - Viktor Kuznetsov. At the age of fifteen, Sasha suffered a broken leg at a youth competition. But it was after this severe injury that he made the final choice in favor of classical wrestling.

In 1986, Karelin suffered his first defeat, losing to world champion Igor Rastorotsky - 0: 1. Until 2000, it remained the only one. A year later, Alexander becomes the world champion among youths and gets into the main national team of the country.

“I first saw Karelin in Moscow, at a training camp in the Olympic Village two years before the Games in Seoul,” recalls Seoul Olympic champion Mikhail Mamiashvili. - The guys and I were sitting in the dining room and naming when he entered and stopped at the door. He looked big, awkward and very young. He obviously didn't know what to do with his own hands. But something else struck me - the Karelian look. It was the look of a man who knows exactly what he wants. Then Karelin was just getting close to the adult team. But already in Olympic year it was clear to me that he came to the team for a long time.

There were not so many supporters of Karelin performing in heavyweight at the Games in Seoul. Then he rightfully claimed the main role in the team two-time champion peace Igor Rastorotsky. But Rastorotsky lost the qualifying championship of the USSR. However, he was left with a chance: the question of who exactly would go to Seoul was to be decided in a specially organized tournament.

Maybe it was then that Karelin himself understood and formulated for himself the basic truth: “Life gives everyone a chance. It is important that you yourself be ready for this. Karelin won the last qualifying fight with Rastorotsky.

And in Seoul, when the inevitable question arose in the team about who would carry the team flag at the opening ceremony of the Games, Mamiashvili proposed a debutant. That was a definite risk. It has long been customary to trust the banner to those whose victory at the Games did not cause the slightest doubt among those around them.

Mamiashvili, the then captain of the wrestling team, explained why he named Karelin's name: “When Sasha fought Rastorotsky - that very decisive fight - few knew that his hand was seriously injured - a bone cracked. I saw him struggle. And I realized that if you need to die on the carpet to win in Seoul, Karelin will die, but he will not lose.

In Seoul, in the final, Alexander lost one point to the Pole Grabovsky in thirty seconds, but in the end he won.

Four years later, in Barcelona, ​​Karelin was again the standard-bearer, having also replaced Mamiashvili as team captain. True, the banner was different - white - of the United Team. However, paradoxically, our team has never been more united. For themselves, they still, albeit for the last time, were one team.

In four fights out of five, Karelin won ahead of schedule: in a minute and a half he sent Canadian Andrew Borodow to rest, in two and a half - Cuban Rossel Mesa. The Romanian Ion Grigorash took 15 seconds. In the final, the world champion, twenty-time Swedish champion Thomas Johansson did not last longer than the Canadian wrestler. And only Finn Juhu Ahokas Karelin won on points.

“When I stood on a pedestal,” Karelin recalled, “most of all in my life I would like to hear the Soviet anthem. We grew up on it. And a new generation should grow up on new hymns.”

A year after the Games in Barcelona, ​​Karelin became the world champion for the fifth time in a row. And only upon the return of the team from Stockholm to Moscow it became known that throughout the championship he fought with a broken rib in the first fight.

That championship to some extent became historical for journalists. Johansson, a long-time Karelian counterpart, who officially announced his retirement on the eve of the championship, for the first time managed to soak up the dry score of his fights with Karelin: in the penultimate fight, desperately trying to grab the Russian wrestler by the ribs, the Swede won back a point, which became the reason for the appearance of a whole photo report in the Stockholm newspapers the next day . "Here it is, this moment!" Below it was: "And here's what happened a little later."

It was better for the Swedes not to look at the rest of the pictures.

When Karelin was asked in Moscow why he didn’t withdraw from the competition due to an injury, the answer was a blank look: “Remove? I'm the captain!" This phrase was everything. And responsibility for his team, for the first time performing on the world stage under the Russian flag, and pride in the five victories it has already won at the European Championship in Istanbul, and much more, including pity for Johansson, whom he, Karelin, ruined the holiday. (“I really feel sorry for him. After all, if you look at it, it was I who spoiled the blood of a good man for the last five years.”)

True, the Swede Karelin "compensated for" the failure. During the championship in Finland, Alexander made happy a hefty fit man holding a child by the hand. Karelin signed on the outstretched T-shirts and baseball caps, saying goodbye, slapped the man on the shoulder. It was Johansson!

On March 28, 1996, in Budapest, in the semifinals of the ninth European Championship for himself, Karelin was again injured. In a duel with the Belarusian wrestler Vasily Dibelko, his pectoralis major muscle came off. The injury could not even be anesthetized - the muscle came off right under the shoulder joint, and the risk of affecting the nerve endings was too great. Karelin categorically refused to withdraw from the tournament.

In addition to the usual captain's arguments (“I went out on the carpet - fight”), there was another one: his wife Olga was watching Karelin from the podium. Then he will say: “It is very difficult to fight when they look at you like that.” And only after putting Olga on the plane, Karelin went to the hospital.

After the operation, which took almost three hours (only one and a half liters of blood was pumped out of the hematoma), the leading surgeon of Hungary, Istvan Berkes, said that Karelin would be able to fully train in two months. There were a little more than three months left before the Games in Atlanta.

Karelin weighed all the pros and cons for a very long time in order to continue to fight. He asked that the details of the operation not be published for at least a couple of months. And the scar wasn't too big. The surgeons who operated on Alexander - Berkes and Attila Pavlik, kept their word. And after the Games, Karelin from Hungary was sent congratulations on behalf of all the hospital staff: they say, with such a scale of the gap, it could not have occurred to anyone that he would participate at all.

The final heavyweight bout at the '96 Olympics was terrifying. Karelin's rival, an American of Iranian origin, Matt Ghaffari, raged. The stands raged: more than anything else, they, in fact, dreamed of seeing an American in the final. Music raged under the arches - from the famous "Rocky-4". Absolutely calm in the hall was only one person who had no right to lose. Including because he carried the banner of the Russian team on the opening day of the Games.

When the fight ended with a score of 1:0, Karelin remained standing on the carpet. And there was no smile on his face.

Once he came to wrestling, desperately dreaming of becoming a world champion. And in Atlanta he said: "All the world championships put together are not worth the Olympics."

After the Games in Atlanta, in an interview, the outstanding actor Yuri Nikulin, speaking about Karelin, remarked: “What I especially like as a former clown is that he has sad eyes.”

At a ceremony in the St. George's Hall of the Kremlin, when he was awarded the star of the Hero of Russia, Karelin, seeing Nikulin among those present, asked to be introduced - he thanked for the kind words.

“They don’t live that long in sports,” San Sanych once joked sadly in his address. Why did I dream of performing in Atlanta? The guys in the team got it: they say that Belarus has its own three-time Olympic champion - Alexander Medved, but not in Russia. This is wrong. But in general, I believe that a person, whether an athlete or a coach, should have the right to leave. Fulfilled the contract - and does not owe anything to anyone. It just doesn't work. Take Mamiashvili - he is a terrible fanatic, the whole team rests on him. How will I drop it? And most importantly, there is simply no one to take my place yet.
Karelin went on a record - his goal was to win in Sydney 2000. Alexander held the last test at the European Championship in Moscow and, as always, won. The championship was interesting because Karelin acted as a "playing" deputy. In December 1999, he was elected to the State Duma of Russia. Alexander Alexandrovich became a member of the State Duma Committee on Health and Sports.

Karelin's team name is shorter - San Sanych. Mamiashvili says:

I don’t even remember when exactly Karelin began to be called that way. I myself have been six years old and in the eyes, and behind the eyes I call him by his name and patronymic. How else can we emphasize the full degree of respect for him?

Until the final of his fourth Olympiad, Alexander was advancing confidently as always. Many Russian fans, athletes, officials gathered on September 27 in the wrestling hall, anticipating the new triumph of the Russian hero. Alas, Karelin did not win. The fate was decided by one point awarded by the judges to the American wrestler Gardner. Many people think it's unfair. Karelin did not look for excuses for bad refereeing: “I didn’t win. So, he lost. Well, an American grabbed me by the legs. So what? I've been hung up all my life. All this talk is for the benefit of the poor. It would be easier for me to lose to my own. Anyone but an American. Because I consider myself a representative of the strongest wrestling country in the world.”

In 2002, Karelin defended his thesis for the degree of Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences at the Academy of Physical Culture. Lesgaft (St. Petersburg) on ​​the topic " sports training highly skilled wrestlers.

All the same, Karelin lives in Novosibirsk, being an honorary resident of the city. Together with his wife Olga, he brings up sons Denis and Ivan and daughter Vasilisa.

“I began to be at home less,” says Karelin. - Stopped exercising twice a day five days a week. There are more opportunities for creativity. However, the responsibility has also increased.

One young man asked me recently: "What are you dreaming about?" - "On the general welfare." "You're not interested," he concluded. And I really dream that people around were happy. And the further, the more urgent the dream. I understand its special demand and necessity. Everyone should be able to work and receive adequate compensation for their work. Adequate according to civilized, and not according to Russian standards. Now, if the level of wages in our country becomes the same as in highly developed countries, the level of crime and other bad things will be simply insignificant. When this happens - and prosperity will come.

Karelin Alexander Alexandrovich (born in 1967) - Russian athlete(Greco-Roman wrestling), Honored Master of Sports (1988). Three-time Olympic champion (1988,1992,1996), world champion (1989-1991, 1993-1995,1997-1999) and Europe (1988-19%, 1998-2000).

Since 1988, he has been the permanent (thirteen-time) champion of the country.

Alexander Karelin was born near Novosibirsk. He began to engage in Greco-Roman (classical) wrestling in the section of the Novosibirsk Electrotechnical Institute since 1981. However, on this he sports interests have not ended.

The boy loved to hunt, ski and swim. His first and only mentor was and still is the Honored Coach of the USSR V. M. Kuznetsov.

In 1986, Karelin suffered the only defeat - he lost to world champion Igor Rastorotsky. But a year later, the athlete became the world champion among youths and was included in the main national team of the country.

Karelin went to the Olympics in Seoul (1988) due to the fact that he won the fight with two-time world champion Igor Rastorotsky. The debutant performed brilliantly, winning a gold medal.

Four years later, in the Olympic Barcelona, ​​the athlete once again proved his invincibility in Greco-Roman wrestling. He finished four of five fights ahead of schedule: in 1.5 minutes he defeated the Canadian Andrew Bordow, in 2 minutes he defeated the Cuban Rossel Mesa, in 15 seconds - the Romanian Ion Grigorash.

In the final, Karelin demonstrated his high professionalism and indestructible strength to the world champion, twenty-time Swedish champion Thomas Johansson. The foreign athlete lasted no more than 2 minutes.

In 1989, Alexander won the world title for the fifth time in a row. Later, journalists found out that for almost the entire championship, the athlete went to the mat with a broken rib.

In 1996, in Budapest, at the European Championships, he also competed with an injury (a pectoral muscle came off in a duel with a Belarusian wrestler), but he never even thought of withdrawing his candidacy from the competition.

Karelin's health was undermined; doctors strongly advised him not to take part in the Atlanta Olympics. But it was not possible to convince anyone of the most powerful fighter on the planet. Alexander could not stay away from the stormy Olympic life and let his team down.

The athlete was rewarded for his willpower with the victorious anthem that was performed in his honor at the Olympic Atlanta (1996). In the same year, Alexander Karelin was awarded the "Gold Star" of the Hero of Russia.

After the Olympic Games in Sydney (2000), where the athlete became a silver medalist, he decided to leave the big sport.

Brief Biographical Dictionary

"Karelin Alexander" and other articles from the section

Alexander Alexandrovich Karelin. Born September 19, 1967 in Novosibirsk. Soviet and Russian athlete, wrestler of the classical (Greco-Roman) style, three-time Olympic champion (1988, 1992, 1996), statesman and politician, deputy of the State Duma of five convocations. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1988), Hero of the Russian Federation (1997).

Father - Alexander Ivanovich Karelin, driver.

Mother - Zinaida Ivanovna Karelina, civil servant.

As a child, he was a bully. As Alexander said, he could steal a dog from neighbors to play border guards, make a fire in the wrong place, it happened that they dropped in with friends at the local Yakushev bakery to get hot bread there. For this, he got it from his parents, his mother was especially strict with him: “The most cruel punishment was when my mother did not talk to me. There was also Russian pedagogy from my father, but I still remembered more like my mother for an absolutely seemingly harmless phrase:“ Mom, are you out of your mind? "She didn't talk to me for long enough. That was the best lesson for me. Now I already understand that my mother was, in principle, much stricter."

From an early age, he did not pronounce the letter "R" well.

As a child, he dreamed of following in his father's footsteps and becoming a big truck driver. From his father, he learned early to drive a car, was well versed in technology, and as a teenager he could assemble and disassemble a car with his own hands. Later he received the profession of a mechanical technician, got the right to drive even road trains.

Since childhood, Alexander Karelin was fond of sports, he started with hockey and swimming. Once, on the street of Novosibirsk, a young man approached the playing boys, who introduced himself as Viktor Mikhailovich Kuznetsov. 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.

At the age of 15, he broke his leg, after which his mother even burned his uniform and forbade him to wrestle. But he did not give up his favorite pastime.

In 1984, Karelin fulfilled the standard of the Master of Sports of the USSR, and in 1985 he fulfilled the standard of the Master of Sports of the USSR of international class.

The first success came in 1985 - Alexander Karelin became the world champion among youth.

In 1986, at a tournament in Sweden, world champion Thomas Johansson refused to fight in the final with Karelin, and 1st place was given to Karelin.

He served in the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In 1988, despite a concussion and a high temperature, Karelin became the champion of the USSR for the first time, having won on the "carcass" against the leader of the USSR national team, two-time world champion Igor Rostorotsky. The coaches of the national team were not satisfied with these results, and in July an additional selection was arranged between the wrestlers, which 21-year-old Karelin won with a score of 2-0. In the same year, he became the winner of the Grand Prix in German Neuss and the Grand Prix of the FILA Grand Prix Gala of the International Amateur Wrestling Federation in Budapest.

In 1988, Karelin participated in his first Olympics, at that time he weighed 112 kg. In the finals of the Olympics in Seoul, Karelin met with the Bulgarian Rangel Gerovski. Alexander lost the first period 2:3, but in the end he won 15 seconds before the end of the fight with his favorite technique - a “reverse belt” throw - 4:3.

Immediately after the Olympics, he was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR.

In 1990, at the World Championships in Ostia, Karelin won all the fights on the “carcass” with the “reverse belt” technique. Further, at a tournament in Germany in the spring of 1991, he won all the fights on the “carcass” with the same technique.

The "reverse belt" was Alexander Karelin's signature throw - in heavyweight, only he could perform such a throw.

In 1992, in the final of the Olympic Games in Barcelona, ​​Karelin won a clean win over the world champion and twenty-time Swedish champion Thomas Johansson. The Swedish wrestler did not last more than two minutes.

In 1993, at the World Championships, in the first fight with the American wrestler Matt Ghaffari, the winner of the World Cup, he was injured: he injured two ribs with right side. One - the bottom - came off, the other - next to it - broke. 20 minutes after the fight with Ghaffari, Karelin entered the fight with Johansson, who already knew about his injury. Karelin managed to pull him three times to the "reverse belt" and throw him. Karelin won with a score of 12:1. In the final, he defeated Sergey Mureiko and again became the world champion.

In 1994, at the World Championships, he defeated Hector Milian (Cuba), the Olympic champion in weight class 100 kg. The culmination of 1994 was the "Match of the Century" in Greco-Roman wrestling between the national teams of the world and Russia, which took place in the Moscow sports complex "Druzhba".

Karelin's fight with Hector Milian ended on the "carcass" after 1 minute 29 seconds. The Russian team won with a total score of 9:1.

In 1995, in the final of the World Championship, Karelin defeated Sergei Mureiko. In October 1995, the IV international tournament for the prizes of Alexander Karelin was held in Novosibirsk, Karelin himself took part in it, won all the fights ahead of schedule on the “carcass”, each with a score of 10: 0. The culmination of the tournament was the duel between him and Matt Ghaffari, which Karelin won by holding the amplitude “reverse belt” - a score of 10:0.

In March 1996, at the European Championships, in a fight with Dmitry Debelko, he was injured - a big gap chest muscle. Like three years ago, he reached the final, fought literally with one hand and defeated Petr Kotk (Ukraine) with a score of 3:0. I started training only in June, and in July I went to the Olympics in Atlanta. In Atlanta, he also dominated even with an unhealed severe injury. In 2 minutes he defeated African champion Omran Ayari with a score of 10:0, then achieved “clean” victories over Juha Ahokas (Finland) and Panagiotes Poikilidis (Greece). In the semi-final, he defeated Sergey Mureiko with a score of 2: 0. The fight with him was difficult: acute pain was the cause of "uncontrollability of the hand."

At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, in the final, Karelin again defeated Ghaffari with a score of 1: 0. After the end of the duel, Ghaffari began to cry.

In 1997, at the World Championships in the final, Karelin defeated Mihaly Deak-Bardos (Hungary) with his "reverse belt" with a score of 11: 0.

In 1977, Karelin was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation.

In 1998, at the World Championships in the final, Karelin again defeated Ghaffari on the “carcass”.

In 1999, at the World Championships in the final, Karelin defeated Hector Milian with a score of 3: 0.

In 2000, at the Sydney Olympics, one of the strongest opponents, Sergey Mureiko (Bulgaria), confronted Karelin for the first fight. Karelin won this fight with a score of 3:0. In the second fight, Karelin defeated the strong Mihai Deak-Bardos (Hungary) on the "carcass". Georgy Soldadze (Ukraine) won in the quarterfinals. In the semi-finals, he defeated the strong Dmitry Debelko (Belarus).

In the final, he met with the American wrestler Rulon Gardner. After the first period, the score was 0:0, according to the rules then in force, after the break, the athletes were placed in a cross hold. Karelin was the first to open 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, Alexander Karelin completed sports career. Nobody managed to put Karelin on the shoulder blades.

The athlete later said about his defeats: “I have a lot of them - as many as seven. It is especially painful to remember the loss to Rulon Gardner at the Sydney Olympics. Later we met with him at another Olympics. Both were there as commentators on the TV channels of their countries. "

In 1999, Alexander Karelin received an offer to fight according to the rules of mixed martial arts with a fighter from Japan, Akira Maeda. The prize fund was 1,000,000 US dollars. The fight took place on February 20, 1999 in Tokyo. In accordance with the Olympic Charter, Karelin did not have the right to participate in commercial fights, so the fight was held without remuneration. Karelin, according to the rules of the fight, was supposed to use only the techniques of Greco-Roman wrestling, and Maeda - the techniques of mixed martial arts. Alexander Karelin won this fight on points: Maeda, who was tired after the fight, needed help to walk.

The achievements of Alexander Karelin are truly legendary. Three-time Olympic winner in the category up to 130 kg (1988, 1992, 1996), nine-time world champion (1989-1991, 1993-1995, 1997-1999), twelve-time European champion, Olympic silver medalist in 2000, world champion among juniors in 1985 of the year, 13-time champion of the USSR, CIS and Russia (1988-2000). He was the flag bearer of the national team at the opening of three Olympic Games: 1988 - USSR, 1992 - CIS, 1996 - Russia. Twice he was recognized as the best athlete in Russia.

The International Federation of United Wrestling Styles Alexander Karelin is recognized as the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of the 20th century.

From 1992 to 2011 in Russia, in the cities of the Siberian Federal District, the Karelin Prize wrestling tournaments were held. Since 1997, the Karelin Prize has been given the status of qualifying for the world and European championships in Greco-Roman wrestling among cadets (15-16 years old). The tournament has become a launching pad for young athletes who want to achieve high results in prestigious Greco-Roman wrestling competitions. Five winners of the Karelin Prize became the winners of the Olympic Games. These are Alexander Karelin (1988, 1992, 1996), Murat Kardanov (2000), Varteres Samurgashev (2000), Alexei Mishin (2004), Roman Vlasov (2012, 2016).

Participated in the ceremony of taking out to the stadium Olympic flame during the opening of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi on February 7, 2014.

Social and political activities of Alexander Karelin

In 1995-1999 - an employee of the tax police of Russia. Special rank: colonel of the tax police.

Alexander Karelin graduated from the Novosibirsk Motor Transport College, then the Omsk Institute of Physical Culture. Candidate (1998) Doctor (2002) of Pedagogical Sciences. Dissertations are devoted to sports topics.

Since 2001 - member of the Supreme Council of the United Russia party.

Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation of five convocations (1999-2003, 2003-2007, 2007-2011, 2011-2016, 2016-2017). He was a member of the Duma Committee on Health and Sports, a member of the Commission on Geopolitics. Since December 2007 - Member of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs. Since September 2016, he has worked on the Energy Committee.

In 2014, he supported the policy on Ukraine and Crimea. Regarding the situation in Ukraine, Karelin said: “Our armed forces can enter the territory of Ukraine only as part of a peacekeeping contingent. We have no other choice. Think for yourself: do you want to fight against the fraternal people, send your relatives there? The answer is obvious - no. Another thing "There is great confidence that the policy of the current Kyiv leadership has no future. However, Ukraine is reaping the fruits of its course of recent years. Everyone wanted to please the leaders of our neighbors, while completely disregarding their state interests. We are seeing the sad result of this today."

In the 2016 elections, running in the Iskitim single-mandate constituency No. 137, he won 55.9% of the vote.

During the 2018 presidential election, he was a member of the initiative group that nominated Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The growth of Alexander Karelin: 191 centimeters.

Personal life of Alexander Karelin:

Married. Wife - Olga Karelina. When he performed on the carpet, he dedicated all the victories to his wife. He met Olga at a tram stop. He recalled this with humor: "It's good that it was light - six o'clock in the evening, summer. Otherwise, in the dark, you can't approach the girls with my appearance - they run away with a cry of" Help! ".

The couple has three children: sons Denis and Ivan, and daughter Vasilisa. Son Ivan is engaged in Greco-Roman wrestling, Denis is a racing driver, daughter Vasilisa is fond of rhythmic gymnastics.

“I am raising my three children in absentia. As a child, I went to competitions, so I still won’t really come back. But nevertheless, we have strict rules in our family. Such a system is correct - democracy. , “I won’t.” You must know, want, well, if you don’t want to, you will anyway, ”he said.

Karelin has a house in Novosibirsk. Also often happens in Moscow.

Sports achivments Alexandra Karelina:

Olympic Games:

Gold - Seoul 1988 - up to 130 kg (for the USSR)
Gold - Barcelona 1992 - up to 130 kg (for the United Team)
Gold - Atlanta 1996 - up to 130 kg
Silver - Sydney 2000 - up to 130 kg

Friendship-84:

Gold - Budapest 1984 - up to 130 kg (for the USSR)

World Championships:

Gold - Martigny 1989 - up to 130 kg (for the USSR)
Gold - Ostia 1990 - up to 130 kg (for the USSR)
Gold - Varna 1991 - up to 130 kg (for the USSR)
Gold - Stockholm 1993 - up to 130 kg
Gold - Tampere 1994 - up to 130 kg
Gold - Prague 1995 - up to 130 kg
Gold - Wroclaw 1997 - up to 130 kg
Gold - Gavle 1998 - up to 130 kg
Gold - Athens 1999 - up to 130 kg

Wrestling World Cup:

Gold - Albany 1987 - up to 130 kg (for the USSR)
Gold - Besansan 1992 - up to 130 kg (for the Joint Team)

European Championships:

Gold - Kulbotn 1988 - up to 130 kg (for the USSR)
Gold - Oulu 1989 - up to 130 kg (for the USSR)
Gold - Poznan 1990 - up to 130 kg (for the USSR)
Gold - Aschaffenburg 1991 - up to 130 kg (for the USSR)
Gold - Copenhagen 1992 - up to 130 kg (for the Joint Team)
Gold - Istanbul 1993 - up to 130 kg
Gold - Athens 1994 - up to 130 kg
Gold - Besançon 1995 - up to 130 kg
Gold - Budapest 1996 - up to 130 kg
Gold - Minsk 1998 - up to 130 kg
Gold - Sofia 1999 - up to 130 kg
Gold - Moscow 2000 - up to 130 kg

Records of Alexander Karelin:

Listed in the Guinness Book of Records as an athlete who has not lost a single fight for thirteen years;
- The first three-time Olympic champion up to 130 kg Greco-Roman style;
- Nine-time world champion up to 130 kg Greco-Roman style;
- Twelve-time European champion up to 130 kg Greco-Roman style;
- Thirteen-time champion of the USSR, CIS and Russia up to 130 kg Greco-Roman style;
- Over the entire sports career, he won 888 fights;
- Three times he was the flag bearer of the national team at the opening of three Olympic Games 1988 - USSR, 1992 - CIS, 1996 - Russia;
- Became the youngest at the age of 21 Olympic champion up to 130 kg Greco-Roman style;
- In 1986 he took part in fourteen tournaments and won all the tournaments.

Awards and titles of Alexander Karelin:

Master of Sports of the USSR (1984);
- Master of Sports of the USSR of international class (1985);
- Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1988);
- Friendship of peoples (1989);
- Winner of the Fair Play Fair play prize for fair play in sports, founded by the Russian Olympic Committee;
- Colonel of the tax police (1995);
- Hero of the Russian Federation (1997);
- Twice he was recognized as the best athlete in Russia;
- In September 1997, he was recognized as the person of the year in Novosibirsk;
- Order of Honor (2001);
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (2008);
- Honorary diploma of the President of the Russian Federation (2013);
- Honorary resident of the city of Novosibirsk. Has a badge of distinction "For services to the Novosibirsk region";
- In 2013, in honor of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of A. I. Pokryshkin, he was awarded the Pokryshkin medal;
- Medal "Participant of the military operation in Syria" (2016);
- Order "For Merit to the Republic of Dagestan" (September 13, 2017) - for merits in the development of wrestling;
- "Golden Belt" the best wrestler of the planet (1989, 1990, 1992, 1994) (FILA);
- The International Federation of Amateur Wrestling Alexander Karelin was named the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of the 20th century;
- Order of St. Sava, 2nd degree (Serbian Orthodox Church, February 9, 2013);
- Cavalier of the Olympic Order (2001) (IOC);
- "Golden Branch" (2002) (FILA);
- Member of the FILA Hall of Fame.