Leonid Zhabotinsky facts for kids

Zhabotinsky in 1968
Quick facts for kids Personal information
Born	(1938-01-28)28 January 1938 Uspenka, Sumy, Ukrainian SSR
Died	14 January 2016(2016-01-14) (aged 77) Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine
Height	1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	163 kg (359 lb) (1968)
Sport
Sport	Weightlifting
Medal record Representing the  Soviet Union Olympic Games Gold 1964 Tokyo +90 kg Gold 1968 Mexico City +90 kg World Weightlifting Championships Bronze 1963 Stockholm +90 kg Gold 1964 Tokyo +90 kg Gold 1965 Teheran +90 kg Gold 1966 East Berlin +90 kg Gold 1968 Mexico City +90 kg European Weightlifting Championships Silver 1963 Stockholm +90 kg Gold 1966 East Berlin +90 kg Gold 1968 Leningrad +90 kg USSR Weightlifting Championships Silver 1961 Dnipropetrovsk +110 kg Silver 1962 Tbilisi +110 kg Silver 1963 Moscow +102.5 kg Gold 1964 Kiev +102.5 kg Gold 1965 Yerevan +102.5k g Gold 1966 Moscow +102.5 kg Gold 1967 Luhansk +102.5 kg Gold 1965 Rostov-on-Don +110 kg

Leonid Ivanovich Zhabotinsky (born January 28, 1938 – died January 14, 2016) was an amazing Soviet and Ukrainian weightlifter. He was incredibly strong, setting 19 world records in the superheavyweight class. Leonid won two gold medals at the Olympic Games in 1964 and 1968.

Early Life

Leonid Zhabotinsky was born in a village called Uspenka in Sumy Oblast, which was part of the Ukrainian SSR at the time. He came from a Cossack family. Even though his father was an athlete, Leonid said he got his strength from one of his grandfathers.

Leonid spent his childhood years in Zaporizhzhia. After finishing school, he worked at the Kharkiv Tractor Plant. There, he started training in weightlifting with coach Mikhail Svetlichny at a local sports club.

Weightlifting Career

Leonid Zhabotinsky first competed in the Ukrainian SSR Championship in 1957. He won a bronze medal in his very first competition! Later that year, he began studying at the Kharkiv Pedagogical Institute.

He became famous for his incredible strength. Between 1963 and 1974, Leonid set 19 world records in the superheavyweight class. This means he lifted more weight than anyone else in his category at that time.

Olympic Success

Leonid won gold medals at two different Olympic Games. His first gold was at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. His second gold medal came at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

At the opening ceremony of the 1968 Olympics, Leonid was the flag bearer for the Soviet Union. He famously carried the heavy Soviet flag with just one hand, while other flag bearers usually needed two!

Personal Life

After his amazing sports career, Leonid Zhabotinsky became a coach for weightlifters in the Soviet Army. He retired in 1991 as a colonel.

Leonid was married to Raisa, and they had two sons, Ruslan and Vilen. Both of his sons also became weightlifters, following in their father's footsteps.

Did you know that Leonid Zhabotinsky was a big inspiration for Arnold Schwarzenegger when Arnold was a teenager? Arnold looked up to Leonid's strength and success.

Leonid Zhabotinsky passed away on January 14, 2016, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. He was 77 years old.