Russian weightlifter Yury Vlasov accomplished a lot in his time as an elite +90kg athlete. Unfortunately he has passed away at the age of 85 years old, due to natural causes.
In his time in the sport, Vlasov left behind quite the legacy. He most notably competed in two different Olympics, even winning gold at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, before taking silver in Tokyo at the next cycle.
Aside from that, his accomplishments were incredible to see. He was the first person to clean and jerk over 200kg (441lb), which he did in his gold medal winning efforts, by lifting 202.5kg (446.4lb).
That accomplishment was one of several world records that he scored in his time as an IWF athlete. On top of his accomplished weightlifting career, Vlasov was also a journalist, politician, and published author.
Yury Vlasov’s Accomplishments
Olympic Career
- 1960 Rome Olympic Games — Gold Medal
- 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games — Silver Medal
IWF World Weightlifting Championships (WWC)
- 1959 Warsaw WWC — Gold Medal
- 1961 Vienna WWC — Gold Medal
- 1962 Budapest WWC — Gold Medal
- 1963 Stockholm WWC — Gold Medal
- 1964 Tokyo WWC — Silver Medal
IWF European Weightlifting Championships
- 1959 Warsaw EWC — Gold Medal
- 1960 Milan — Gold Medal
- 1961 Vienna — Gold Medal
- 1962 Budapest — Gold Medal
- 1963 Stockholm — Gold Medal
- 1964 Moscow — Gold Medal
Arnold Schwarzenegger Reacts
Among the many people that Yury Vlasov impacted in his time on Earth, was none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Upon hearing the news of the Olympic weightlifter’s passing, he took to Twitter to issue a statement of mourning for this athlete.
“Yuri Vlasov taught all of us that “impossible” is just a word. He was the first person to clean and jerk 200KG, and he inspired me when I met him as a young lifter in 1961. It is because of people like him that I refuse to call myself self-made.
When I was lucky enough to really get to know him later, I was blown away. This man wasn’t just a great lifter – he was a great thinker. He talked about poetry and politics like a professor, and carried around more books than weights.
He told me the power of the body was nothing compared to the power of the mind. He was one of the strongest men in the world and he believed that real strength came from words.
He was truly one of a kind and I hope each and every one of us can find inspiration in his story. I was lucky to know him and I will miss him dearly. My thoughts are with his family.”
When I was lucky enough to really get to know him later, I was blown away. This man wasn’t just a great lifter – he was a great thinker. He talked about poetry and politics like a professor, and carried around more books than weights. 2/
— Arnold Schwarzenegger (@Schwarzenegger) February 15, 2021
He was truly one of a kind and I hope each and every one of us can find inspiration in his story. I was lucky to know him and I will miss him dearly. My thoughts are with his family. 4/4
— Arnold Schwarzenegger (@Schwarzenegger) February 15, 2021
It is clear that Yury Vlasov had a massive impact on the sport of weightlifting, as well as other athletes for generations to come. He was a pioneer for the sport, and he will be deeply missed.
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