Weightlifting. Yearbook 1984
Results of the Soviet Youth Weightlifting Team in the 1983 International Competitions
English summary of Tyazhelaya Atletika. Ezhegodnik 1984 (Moscow: Fizkultura i Sport, 1984), pp. 16–19: the text is paraphrased, not translated.
European Junior Championships, San Marino
The team's first foreign start of 1983 was the European Junior Championships in San Marino, 9–13 May, with 92 lifters from 24 countries. We sent only eight men, as Yu. Zakharevich, S. Martynenko, U. Edelkhanov and D. Ledzinsky could not travel, which told on the team result.
At 52 kg (five lifters) for the third year running we had nobody able to fight Bulgaria and Poland for a prize. The young Bulgarian N. Terziyski won convincingly with senior world records in the snatch (115.5 kg), the jerk (144 kg) and the total, 255 kg (115.0 + 140.0); B. Pekkors (Poland) made 225 (100 + 125) and D. Mates (Romania) 220 (90 + 130).
At 56 kg (nine lifters) we had Viktor Sokolovsky of Kemerovo. He took snatch silver with 110 kg but, unable to mobilise himself, failed his low opening 135 kg in the jerk, as he had failed his 140 kg opener at the 1982 World Juniors in Sao Paulo. Worse, at the USSR Juniors in Siauliai in April he had easily totalled 250 (110 + 140), enough to fight for gold here. G. Tanchev (Bulgaria) won with 250 (112.5 + 137.5), then Ya. Zawadski (Poland) 237.5 (102.5 + 135) and O. Rusnak (Czechoslovakia) 232.5 (95 + 137.5).
At 60 kg (ten lifters) the young Bulgarians S. Topurov and P. Penchev had no worthy rivals. Topurov won with 305 (132.5 + 172.5), setting senior world records in the jerk (173.5 kg) and the total; Penchev made 290 (135 + 155) and D. Tobolski (Poland) 252.5 (110 + 142.5). We had no entrant here.
At 67.5 kg (17 lifters) we counted on Rezvan Gasanov of Baku, in good form: he had set a USSR junior snatch record of 145 kg at the USSR Cup and totalled 315 (142.5 + 172.5) at the Odessa international. Overcome by nerves, he snatched only 135 kg (bronze), twice missed 140, made just two jerks, 160 and 165, and was fourth with 300. P. Musinov (Bulgaria) won with 320 (142.5 + 177.5), E. Rusanov (Bulgaria) made 302.5 (135 + 167.5) and T. Pifek (GDR) 300 (132.5 + 167.5).
At 75 kg on 11 May our man was Vladimir Kuznetsov of Krasnodar, senior world record holder and winner of the 1982 USSR Cup and the Odessa Friendship Cup. The strongest Bulgarian middleweights, A. Varbanov and N. Boev, stayed at home, and among 13 entrants Kuznetsov expected no serious challenge from the 19-year-old Z. Stoichkov of Bulgaria. We urged him to fight seriously, but overconfidence let him down. Stoichkov snatched 155 kg after missing his first attempt; Kuznetsov, likewise, 157.5 after missing 152.5. Both weighed 74 kg and opened the jerk with 190, Kuznetsov leading by 2.5 kg, and both made it. Kuznetsov cleaned 195 but failed to lock it out; Stoichkov passed, and so did we. Called to 197.5, the Bulgarian could not clean it. Feeling a winner too soon, Kuznetsov cleaned 197.5 easily but missed again. Few believed in Stoichkov's last attempt, but he cleaned the bar with difficulty, rose and locked it out to loud applause after the bar had dragged him around the platform for some fifteen seconds.
Kuznetsov, no weaker and more experienced as the 1982 European junior champion, failed to collect himself and fight to the end, as again in October 1983, when he lost the world and European title to Varbanov. Stoichkov totalled 352.5 (155 + 197.5), Kuznetsov 347.5 (157.5 + 190) and D. Prost (Poland) 330 (145 + 185).
Anatoly Khrapaty of Adbasar had no rivals among ten lifters at 82.5 kg: making all six attempts, he won with 377.5 (167.5 + 210), ahead of Kh. Kofalik (Poland), 322.5 (140 + 182.5), and M. Studniski (Czechoslovakia), 320 (145 + 175). At 90 kg (13 entrants) Viktor Marusov of Bryansk, with 170 in the snatch, 205 in the jerk and 375 in the total, took gold despite several worthy opponents; D. Petrov (Bulgaria), returning from a serious shoulder injury, and N. Vlad (Romania) both made 367.5 (160 + 207.5 and 162.5 + 205).
Five lifters met at 100 kg. Sergei Nagirny of Dneprodzerzhinsk, injured and competing below his usual, heavier class, could not be expected to score high, and was third with 360 (160 + 200); G. Petrov (Bulgaria) won with 392.5 (175 + 217.5) and M. Chernik (Czechoslovakia) made 385 (170 + 215).
The heavyweights competed on the last day, four at 110 kg and six above. Yuri Yurchenko of Mogilev won the 110 kg class with 372.5 (160 + 212.5), equalled by F. Hartmann (GDR); Ya. Bokfi (Hungary) made 365 (162.5 + 202.5). Over 110 kg Sergei Kolevatov of Lyubertsy won the snatch with 170 kg but lost the jerk to Bulgaria's G. Andreev (210 kg), who took the total with 380 (170 + 210); Kolevatov made 370 (170 + 200) and Kh. Muller (GDR) 362.5 (165 + 197.5).
Team places: Bulgaria first (325 points; 7 gold and 3 silver medals in the total), the USSR second (216; 3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze), Poland third (167; 3 silver, 2 bronze).
The Friendship meet, Pazardzhik
On 7–10 June nine of our youths competed at the Friendship meet in Pazardzhik, Bulgaria, comparable in entry (87 lifters from 11 socialist countries) to a world championship for under-18s. We entered every class except 52 kg, where Yan To Funt (North Korea) won with 217.5 (92.5 + 125), and his countryman Li Yonk Shik and B. Osmanov (Bulgaria) both made 212.5 (92.5 + 120).
At 56 kg Eduard Kharitonov of Lipetsk beat the Bulgarian P. Mitev after a hard fight, 245 (110 + 135) to 235 (105 + 130); M. Tsenk (GDR) made 222.5 (95 + 127.5). At 60 kg Tigran Davtyan of Yerevan could not resist his rivals and was fifth with 230 (102.5 + 127.5); A. Karadzhov (Bulgaria) won with 262.5 (120 + 142.5), followed by Di In Khak (North Korea), 242.5 (102.5 + 140), and T. Kleptsig (GDR), 240 (100 + 140). At 67.5 kg, among 14, Oleg Sadykhov of Donetsk justified our hopes, winning and setting two USSR youth records, 170 kg in the jerk and 305 kg in the total, with 135 in the snatch; M. Petrov (Bulgaria) made 300 (130 + 170) and V. Echevaria (Cuba) 285 (125 + 160).
Of twelve at 75 kg, Vladimir Rakov of Yuzhnouralsk was fourth with 305 (140 + 165); the Bulgarian G. Slavkov won with 317.5 (142.5 + 175), ahead of the East Germans D. Razmus, 312.5 (142.5 + 170), and S. Langner, 310 (137.5 + 172.5). USSR junior champion Artur Aldatov of Ordzhonikidze won the 82.5 kg class of eight with a modest 330 (150 + 180); Kh. Shemakher (GDR) matched it but was heavier and took second, and S. Zawada (Poland) made 322.5 (150 + 172.5).
At 90 kg (nine lifters) Viktor Tregubov of Shakhty led the snatch with 167.5 kg and made 190 in the jerk, but injured his shoulder trying 200 and settled for second. D. Grigorov (Bulgaria) won with 335 (160 + 205), and Kh. Richter (GDR) made 330 (150 + 180). At 100 kg (eight) Aleksandr Chigrin of Dushanbe was second with 347.5 (152.5 + 195); N. Petrov (Bulgaria) won with 357.5 (160 + 197.5) and the Cuban Kh. Gonzalez made 345 (150 + 195).
Our young heavyweights were Sergei Kolevatov (110 kg) and Lev Boyarchuk (over 110 kg) of Arsenyev. The Bulgarians, knowing from the entries that Kolevatov would be at 110 kg, pinned their hopes on Kolyo Kolev, called “our Pisarenko” (he resembles Anatoly Pisarenko in figure, face, black moustache and lifting manner), and entered him in the heaviest class; of Boyarchuk they knew little. Kolevatov won among six with 362.5 (172.5 + 190), ahead of D. Iliev (Bulgaria), 352.5 (150 + 197.5), and S. Chvikvan (Poland), 310 (140 + 170). Among seven super-heavyweights Boyarchuk (120.05 kg) showed high fighting qualities against Kolev (112.5 kg) and won with 377.5 (172.5 + 205), his jerk and total being new USSR youth records. Kolev made 367.5 (167.5 + 200) and P. Kudeshek (Czechoslovakia) 325 (145 + 180). Soviet youths took five gold medals in the total, Bulgaria four and North Korea one.
The small weight classes
Our juniors could not enter the World Junior Championships; the Cairo winners' results and our juniors' at the USSR Spartakiad in the same weeks are in the article by Yu. A. Sandalov and P. A. Poletaev in this yearbook.
Our lag in the small classes, above all 52 kg, has often been noted; one cause, in my view, is too little training load. At national-team camps I. Isakov (52 kg) lifts 12–14 tonnes or more in a session, but at home he does that in a week. His camp results were encouraging, with repeated 100 kg snatches and even 107.5 kg before the Spartakiad, but he could not repeat them in competition, mainly for want of volitional preparation. A second brake is high bodyweight, which must be cut artificially before competitions. The youth team now has several gifted 52 kg lifters, A. Sargavakyan (b. 1966), I. Miligosyan (b. 1968), R. Azimov (b. 1966) and I. Isakov (b. 1964), and we may hope they will join the senior team.