Karelin, Aleksandr

▪ 1997

      Sometimes referred to as the World's Meanest Man, Aleksandr Karelin, Russia's superman of Greco-Roman superheavyweight wrestling, continued his decade-long winning streak by gaining his third Olympic gold medal on July 23, 1996. His final match of the Games in Atlanta, Ga., was against longtime adversary Matt Ghaffari of the U.S., who had dedicated his career to conquering Karelin. Despite a painful recovery from shoulder surgery, Karelin dominated Ghaffari, crushing his apparently impossible dream.

      Karelin was born in 1968 in Novosibirsk, Siberia. He weighed 6.8 kg (15 lb) at birth and grew to 1.95 m (6 ft 3 in) and 132 kg (290 lb). He began his wrestling career at the age of 13 and, until beginning his partnership with coach Viktor Kuznetsov two years later, had only his impressive size in his wrestling favour.

      The year Karelin turned 18 he beat all but one of the wrestlers he opposed. The following year he was named world junior champion and became a member of the U.S.S.R. national team. When he perfected the reverse body lift, a move common in lighter-weight wrestling classes but never before used in heavyweight competition, Karelin became unbeatable. The maneuver would begin with Karelin on his knees facing the hips and feet of his prone opponent. He would join his hands around the opponent's hips and lift as he rose to his feet. Then, with his opponent against his body in a crosslike hold, Karelin would arch and throw his heavy burden. For the grand finale he would slam his body into the body of his unfortunate, perhaps unconscious, foe. The result was undoubtedly several points for Karelin but often serious bodily injury to his opponent. The reverse body lift became Karelin's ferocious trademark, and no opponent escaped it; in fact, most allowed themselves to be pinned rather than be victimized by the lift.

      Karelin was selected a member of the 1988 Olympic team and went to Seoul, S.Kor., to win his well-anticipated gold medal. He gained his second gold medal at the Olympics in Barcelona, Spain (1992), and won his seventh world championship at Prague in 1995. He had never been pinned in international competition.

      The Russian hero with the vicious reputation compared his wrestling style to poetry. The descendant of intellectuals exiled to Siberia, Karelin was a student of literature, poetry, opera, and ballet. (KATHERINE I. GORDON)

* * *