Aleksandr Medved

Aleksandr Medved was a Soviet and Belarusian freestyle wrestler who won three Olympic gold medals and seven world championships. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers in the sport’s history.

1964 Summer Olympics: The Tokyo Olympics, held from October 10 to 24, 1964. Medved won his first Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling at these Games.
Freestyle wrestling: A style of amateur wrestling in which competitors may attack an opponent’s legs and use their own legs in holds. This was the wrestling style in which Medved won his Olympic and world titles.
Aleksandr Karelin: A Russian Greco-Roman wrestler who won three Olympic gold medals and nine world championships. Karelin’s later dominance invites comparison with Medved’s earlier record in freestyle.
Triple Olympic champion: An athlete who has won Olympic gold medals at three separate editions of the Olympic Games. Medved was the first wrestler to win three Olympic gold medals.
1968 Summer Olympics: The Mexico City Olympics, held from October 12 to 27, 1968. His second Olympic title came in the heavyweight freestyle competition.
Amateur wrestling: Competitive wrestling governed by standardized rules and weight classes, distinct from professional wrestling entertainment. Medved’s career belonged to the internationally regulated amateur sport.
Ivan Yarygin: A Soviet heavyweight freestyle wrestler who won Olympic gold in 1972 and 1976. Yarygin followed Medved as a leading Soviet heavyweight champion.
Olympic medal: An award presented to athletes who place among the top finishers in an Olympic event. His three gold medals became the most visible measure of his international achievement.
1972 Summer Olympics: The Munich Olympics, held from August 26 to September 11, 1972. Medved completed his unprecedented third consecutive Olympic wrestling title here.
Wrestling weight classes: Divisions that group wrestling competitors by body mass for fairer competition. Medved won international titles across heavyweight and super heavyweight divisions.

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