On September 2, at the age of 86, the greatest Alexander Medved passed away. The three-time Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling was a true legend and a unique athlete. The bear was able to win three Olympics in a row, and each time he won gold in a new weight category!

Alexander forever inscribed his name in the history of freestyle wrestling.

The first gold and the oil turk

The bear first tried himself in sambo and classical wrestling, but then switched to freestyle. Then Alexander Ivanitsky shone in the super heavy weight category. In the interests of the national team, Medved decided to move to a lighter category – up to 97 kg. As a result, at the 1962 and 1963 World Championships, two Alexanders won gold medals.

Soon Medved and Ivanitsky went to the 1964 Olympics. At the same time, both wrestlers were considered favorites in their weight categories. Bear’s main rivals were 1956 Olympic champion Golamreza Takhti, Akhmet Ayik and Said Mustafov.

However, the most difficult fight for Alexander was with the Swedish wrestler Lennart Eriksson. At the same time, the Scandinavian had already lost two fights and did not claim gold. Probably, Medved simply underestimated Eriksson, so he suddenly found himself on the verge of defeat. But at the last moment he performed an effective move and won on points.

Alexander Ivanitsky and Alexander Medved / Photo: © RIA Novosti / S. Ilyin

The meeting with Ayik was also very difficult. In Turkey, wrestlers usually smeared themselves with olive oil before a fight, and Akhmet did not change traditions, and the Olympic organizers turned a blind eye to this. The slippery opponent constantly escaped the Bear’s iron embrace, and their fight eventually ended in a draw. But Ayik lost the next match, so Medved and Mustafov fought for gold. Alexander put his opponent on both shoulder blades and became the champion, and then congratulated Ivanitsky on his victory.

Reduced the dislocation independently

In 1967, Ivanitsky ended his career, and before the 1968 Olympics Medved was able to return to the category over 97 kg, where very strong opponents awaited him. And Alexander’s main competitor in the fight for Olympic gold was the great German heavyweight Wilfried Dietrich, nicknamed Crane.

Bear had a difficult fight with him, during which Dietrich pulled the Soviet wrestler’s thumb out of its socket. Experiencing hellish pain, Alexander independently adjusted the dislocation. Then Dietrich was injured, tapped on the carpet and admitted defeat. Before the meeting with the German, Medved had already defeated another contender for gold – Bulgarian Osman Duraliev, so Alexander became the champion ahead of schedule.

Leonid Kitov and Alexander Medved / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Yuri Somov

After two outstanding performances at the Olympic Games, Bear wanted to retire, because he had already achieved everything that an athlete could wish for. However, Alexander set a new goal – to win the third Olympics in a row. And the great wrestler not only went for the third gold, but also became the standard bearer of the USSR national team at the opening ceremony of the 1972 Games in Munich.

Fight with the American giant

In Germany, Bear competed in the weight category over 110 kg. And in the very first fight he lost to the American Chris Taylor, who weighed about two centners, which is almost 70 kg heavier than the Bear. Our wrestler was much more skilled than the American, but technique alone will not help against such a giant.

Chris Taylor and Alexander Medved / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Yuri Somov

As a result, Alexander won the fight with Taylor on points, but his victory came at a great price. After meeting with the American, doctors advised Bear to leave the Olympics so as not to risk his health. But Alexander won the next bouts with painkillers and reached the finals, where Duraliev was waiting for him.

It’s interesting that the athletes had already met eight times before and our wrestler invariably won. However, Bear did not approach the final in Munich in the best condition. And yet Alexander managed to win both the fight and the third gold in a row. The bear became the first three-time Olympic champion in the history of freestyle wrestling.

Bear not only forever inscribed his name in the history of freestyle wrestling, but also rewrote it. All his achievements will forever remain in the memory of his fans.