Vasily Alekseyev: The Russian Bear
One of the most dominant weight lifters of his generation, Vasily Alekseyev was one of the most revered sports heroes of the Soviet Union, as well as one of the most entertaining. The son of a lumberjack, Alexseyev began competing in 1961. He came to international prominence in 1970 when he broke the weight-lifting world record for the press, snatch, and clean and jerk total. That same year he became the first person to lift a combined 1,322.8 pounds (600 kilograms) and the first to jerk more than 500 pounds (227 kilograms). Alekseyev checked in at the 1972 Olympic Games ...(100 of 326 words)