- Leonid Zhabotinsky
Leonid Ivanovych Zhaboynsky ( _uk. Леонiд Iванович Жаботинський; born
January 28 ,1938 ) was an outstanding Sovietweightlifter who set 17 world records in the superheavyweight class, and wongold medal s at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics.He was born in village Uspenka,
Sumy Oblast ,Ukrainian SSR .Born into a Cossack family of Jewish Heritage.
Zhabotynsky, spent his childhood years in
Kharkiv . After graduating from the seven-year secondary school, he worked at the Kharkiv Tractor Plant and was coached at the local weightlifting club of the Armed Forces sports society.Zhabotynsky debuted at the "Ukrainian SSR Championship" in
1957 , where he earned a bronze medal . Later that year, Zhabotynsky entered theKharkiv Pedagogical Institute and studied there until1964 .At the "1961 USSR Championship" in
Dnipropetrovsk Zhabotynsky earned silver with the result of 500 kg. Two years later he set his first world record, starting an outstanding series of international achievements.Zhabotynsky was the flag bearer for the Soviet Union during the opening ceremonies of the
1968 Summer Olympics inMexico City and caused a stir by carrying the Soviet flag single-handed when the team marched in.Between
1963 and1970 Zhabotynsky set 17 world records in the superheavyweight class and won gold medals at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics.The famous rivalry between him and
Yury Vlasov at the1964 Summer Olympics was one of the most memorable moments of that Games.He was a member of
CPSU between1965 and1991 .External links
* [http://www.chidlovski.net/liftup/l_athleteResult.asp?a_id=315 World Records and titles of Leonid Zhabotinsky]
* [http://www.peoples.ru/sport/heavy_atlete/jabotinskiy/index.html Biography (in Russian) and photo]
* [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9002672 Britannica entry on Leonid Zhabotinsky]
* [http://www.weightliftingexchange.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=39&topic=2059.0 Leonid Zhabotinsky - Hall of Fame at Weightlifting Exchange]
*http://www.tiraspoltimes.com/news/ex_strongman_stumps_for_the_smirnov_2006_campaign.html
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
