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 has a Gold Star medal, an insignia of honour that identifies recipients.
Aleksandr Vladimirovich Popov, better known as Alexander Popov, is a Russian former 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 won the gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games, 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.
Buvaisar Hamidovich Saitiev, also spelled Buvaysar Hamidovich Saytiev, is a Russian retired freestyle wrestler of Chechen heritage, who represented Russia, and won nine world-level gold medals in freestyle wrestling. He is widely considered as the greatest freestyle wrestler of all time. In 2007, Saitiev, alongside Aleksandr Karelin, were voted the best wrestlers in the history of the sport by FILA. He currently is an acting State Duma Deputy from Dagestan.
Mijaín López Núñez is a Cuban retired Greco-Roman wrestler. Widely considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, López is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time World Champion, for a total of 10 world gold medals, and a five-time Pan American Games champion. He is the younger brother of Michel López Núñez, a Cuban amateur boxer. López was Cuba's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, and one of the country's flag bearers at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Siamak "Matt" Ghaffari is an Iranian-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. Ghaffari is considered the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler in American history, and is regarded as the standard for Greco-Roman wrestling in the United States.
Hamid Sourian Reihanpour or Hamid Soryan is a retired Iranian wrestler. 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.
The men's Greco-Roman 130 kilograms at the 2000 Summer Olympics as part of the wrestling program was held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre from September 25 to 27. The competition held with an elimination system of three or four wrestlers in each pool, with the winners qualify for the quarterfinals, semifinals and final by way of direct elimination.
Rıza Kayaalp is a five-time world champion and twelve-time European level champion Turkish wrestler competing in the 130 kg division of Greco-Roman wrestling. He won silver at the 2016 Summer Olympics and won bronze medals at the 2012 and 2020 Summer Olympics. He is a graduate of the Aksaray University Physical Education and Sports Academy and studies his master's degree at Bozok University.
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 Aleksandrovich Roshchin was a heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler from Russia. Between 1962 and 1972 he won nine medals at the Summer Olympics and world championships, including four gold medals.
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 In 1986 Johansson won the Jerring Award. 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. He was also a twenty-time Swedish champion, and is considered one of the greatest sportsmen in Swedish history. He was considered to be the dominating force in wrestling until Aleksandr Karelin's arrival in the sport. He ended up being 0–11 against Karelin, with a combined score of 1–74.
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.
Juha Matti Ahokas is a retired amateur Finnish Greco-Roman wrestler, who competed in the men's super heavyweight category. He 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.
