Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Karelin is a Russian politician and retired athlete.
Hero of the Russian Federation, also unofficially called Hero of Russia, is the highest honorary title of the Russian Federation. The title comes with a Gold Star medal, an insignia of honour that identifies recipients.
Greco-Roman, Graeco-Roman, classic wrestling or French wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1904. This style of wrestling forbids holds below the waist, which is the main feature that differentiates it from freestyle wrestling. This restriction results in an emphasis on throws, because a wrestler cannot use trips to bring an opponent to the ground or hook/grab the opponent's leg to avoid being thrown.
Aleksandr Vladimirovich Popov, better known as Alexander Popov, is a former Russian swimmer. Widely considered the greatest sprint swimmer in history, Popov won gold in the 50-metre and 100 m freestyle at the 1992 Olympics and repeated the feat at the 1996 Olympics, and is the only male in Olympic games history to defend both titles. He held the world record in the 50 m for eight years, and the 100 m for six. In 2003, aged 31, he won 50 m and 100 m gold at the 2003 World Championships.
Rulon Ellis Gardner is an American retired Greco-Roman wrestler. He competed at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and won the gold medal in 2000, defeating Russia's three-time reigning Olympic gold medalist Aleksandr Karelin in the final. Karelin was previously unbeaten for 13 years in international competition. Gardner won a bronze medal at the 2004 Games. In 2010, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.
Mkhitar Manukyan is a retired Armenian-Kazakh Greco-Roman wrestler. He competed at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 2004. He also won a world title in 1998 and 1999 and an Asian title in 1997 and 1999.
Russia, officially known as the Russian Federation, has competed at the modern Olympic Games on many occasions, but as different nations in its history. As the Russian Empire, the nation first competed at the 1900 Games, and returned again in 1908 and 1912. After the Russian revolution in 1917, and the subsequent establishment of the Soviet Union in 1922, it would be thirty years until Russian athletes once again competed at the Olympics, as the Soviet Union at the 1952 Summer Olympics. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia competed as part of the Unified Team in 1992, and finally returned once again as Russia at the 1994 Winter Olympics.
Mehmet Akif Pirim, is a former Turkish Olympic medalist sports wrestler in the featherweight class (62 kg), and currently a trainer. He won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Men's Greco-Roman wrestling and the bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics.
Siamak "Matt" Ghaffari is an Iran-born American Greco-Roman wrestler, MMA Fighter and professional wrestler. Ghaffari was a two-time USA Olympic team member, obtaining a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games. Ghaffari finished his career with the most Greco-Roman World and Olympic medals by a United States wrestler.
Hamid Sourian Reihanpour is a retired Iranian wrestler. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Greco-Roman wrestlers of all time. Sourian is 2012 Summer Olympic games gold medalist and six-time World Champion. He won both the Junior World Championships and Senior World Championships in 2005. He is also 2007 and 2008 Asian championships gold medalist.
Roman Andreyevich Vlasov is a Russian Greco-Roman wrestler. He is a two-time Olympic Champion, a three-time World Champion, and a four-time European Champion. He also won the gold medal at the 2013 Summer Universiade. Furthermore, he was runner-up at the 2013 World Championships and the 2014 and 2015 World Cup. Vlasov trains under Viktor Kuznetsov, the same coach who raised Aleksandr Karelin.
Anatoly Alekseyevich Beloglazov is a retired Russian freestyle wrestler. He won gold medals at the 1980 Olympics and 1977, 1978 and 1982 World Championships, placing third in 1983. In 2010 he was inducted into the FILA Hall of Fame.
Valentin Vladimirovich Nikolayev was a Soviet Greco-Roman wrestler. He won the world title in 1955 and an Olympic gold medal in 1956. He also won gold medals at the World Festival of Youth and Students in 1951, 1953 and 1955. Domestically he held the Soviet light-heavyweight title in 1951 and 1954, placing second in 1953.
Tomas Johansson is a Swedish wrestler. He was born in Haparanda. He won an Olympic silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1992, and a bronze medal in 1988. He won a gold medal at the 1986 World Wrestling Championships Johansson's success is overshadowed in controversy after he was found cheating at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He was disqualified, and stripped of his silver medal and later suspended after testing positive for anabolic steroids.
Artur Aleksanyan is an Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler. He is an Olympic Champion (2016) as well as silver medalist (2021) and bronze medalist (2012), a four-time World Champion, and a six-time European Champion. Aleksanyan is the second Olympic gold medalist of Armenia since regaining independence in 1991 and is the most decorated Olympian of independent Armenia as well. He has been nicknamed the "White Bear" and is one of the most renowned Armenian athletes of the 21st century.
Mihály Deák-Bárdos is a Hungarian amateur Greco-Roman wrestler, who played for the men's super heavyweight category. He is a four-time Olympian, and a six-time medalist at the European Championships. Deák-Bárdos had also won a total of five silver medals at the World Championships, losing out to numerous top-level wrestlers including Alexander Karelin, Rulon Gardner, Khasan Baroyev, and Mijaín López, all of whom were Olympic champions in the same division.
Abdulrashid Bulachevich Sadulaev is a Russian freestyle wrestler who competes at 97 kilograms and formerly competed at 86 kilograms. Sadulaev is widely regarded as the most dominant active freestyle wrestler in the world.
Juha Matti Ahokas is a retired amateur Finnish Greco-Roman wrestler, who competed in the men's super heavyweight category. Ahokas has won thirty Finnish championship titles, collected four medals at the European Championships, and also represented his nation Finland in four editions of the Olympic Games. Throughout his sporting career, Ahokas trained for Nurmon Jymy Wrestling Club in Seinäjoki under his father and personal coach Risto Ahokas.
Aleksey Viktorovich Shevtsov is a retired amateur Russian Greco-Roman wrestler, who competed in the men's lightweight category. He represented Russia in two editions of the Olympic Games, and later capped off his wrestling career with a bronze medal in the 60-kg division at the 2005 European Championships in Varna, Bulgaria. Shevtsov also trained as a member of the wrestling team at the Moscow Academy of Combat Sports in Moscow, under his personal coach Yevgeny Peremishin.
Yevgeny Timofeyevich Artyukhin was a Soviet heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler. He won a world title in 1983, as well as three bronze medals at the world and European championships in 1981–83. He missed the 1984 Summer Olympics due to their boycott by the Soviet Union. After retiring from senior competitions, he worked as a coach, bringing his son Sergei to an international level in Greco-Roman wrestling. He also continued competing in the masters category and won the Russian heavyweight title in 1995.
