Background

Aleksandr Karelin was born as a 5.5 kg (12 lb) baby on September 19, 1967, in Novosibirsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (present-day Novosibirsk, Russian Federation). He is a son of Aleksandr Karelin, a truck driver, and Zinaida Karelina, who served as an office clerk.

Education

When Karelin was a child, he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become a truck driver. He studied at one of the oldest schools in Novosibirsk - school No. 19. Having finished the eighth grade, Aleksandr entered Novosibirsk Motor Transport College, graduating in 1987. He then attended the Siberian Academy of Physical Culture.

In 1998, Karelin defended a Doctor of Philosophy degree and in 2002 a habilitation in sport-related pedagogy at the Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health.

In addition, Karelin attended a military school of the Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs and the St. Petersburg University of the Russian Interior Ministry. Besides, he holds a degree in law.

Karelin began wrestling at the age of 13. Under the tutelage of Viktor Kuznetsov, he quickly achieved success in Soviet junior tournaments.

Career

As previously mentioned in the "Education" section, Aleksandr Karelin started wrestling at the age of 13 under the guidance of Viktor Kuznetsov. In 1986, Karelin lost only one match - to 6-foot, 5-inch, 280-pound world champion Igor Rostorotsky. In 1987, Karelin became world junior champion and earned a place on the Soviet national team. At the same time, he and Kuznetsov were refining a vicious wrestling maneuver that would make Karelin indomitable - the reverse body lift. Using the reverse body lift, Karelin, who stood 1.93 meters (6 feet 4 inches) tall and weighed 131 kg (290 pounds), hoisted his opponents into the air and slammed them violently to the mat. The move became Karelin's trademark and so intimidated his opponents that many simply rolled over and allowed themselves to be pinned rather than risk injury.

Soon, Karelin was defeating Rostorotsky regularly. In 1988, he won the European Championship and earned a super-heavyweight berth on the wrestling team Russia would send to the Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. It was the beginning of an unprecedented thirteen-year winning streak that would elevate Karelin to the top of the wrestling world and to folk hero status in his native Russia. He won the Olympic gold in Seoul in 1988 and again in Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996. He won the European Championship for nine consecutive years, from 1988 to 1996, and again in 1998, 1999 and 2000. He also won the World Championship in 1989-1991, 1993-1995, and 1997-1999.

However, the impossible happened. Aleksandr Karelin lost a match. In one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history, American Rulon Gardner defeated Karelin 1-0 in the super-heavyweight finals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. In overtime, Gardner was able to wiggle free of Karelin's grasp, avoiding the terrifying reverse body lift and scoring the first point against the Russian athlete in a decade. It was enough for the gold medal. Karelin earned silver.

Aleksandr Karelin retired from wrestling in 2000 to devote himself full-time to his legislative responsibilities.

As for Karelin's career in government, he served as a deputy of five convocations at the State Duma of the Russian Federation. From 1995 to 1999, he served with the Federal Tax Police Service of the Russian Federation and retired with the rank of colonel. It was in 1999, that, upon invitation from Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, Karelin began his political career. The same year, he was selected by Putin's Unity Party to run for a seat, representing his hometown in the parliament. Karelin was elected in December 1999 and again in 2003, although he disliked campaigning. He once stated: "They told me to grow hair instead of having my favorite short haircuts. They told me I should not drive sport utility vehicles - but I don't fit in a regular car. Finally, I said, 'Maybe you want me to pierce my ears and nose, paint my cheeks, use lipstick and makeup? Look, the people who vote for me see me every day as I am. I don't have to pretend to make them like me.'"

In 2001, Karelin was made a member of the Supreme Council of the United Russia Party. In 2007, Karelin was elected to the State Duma as a representative of Stavropol Krai. In December of the same year, he was made a member of the Duma's Committee on International Affairs. In September 2016, Karelin joined the Duma's Committee on Energy. In addition, Aleksandr acted as a member of the Duma's Health and Sport Committee, as well as a member of the Commission on Geopolitics. On September 15, 2020, Karelin resigned from the Duma. On September 25, 2020, he was elected senator of the Federation Council, representing Novosibirsk region. The decision was made unanimously.

It's worth noting, that, during the 2018 presidential election, Karelin was a member of the initiative group, that nominated the candidacy of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moreover, holding the post of a deputy of the State Duma of the III, IV, V, VI, and VII convocations, Karelin co-authored 17 legislative initiatives and amendments to draft federal laws.

As for his activity outside the ring and government, it's worth mentioning, that Karelin appeared in the 1998 TV commercial, advertising "Champion" juice. In 2014, 2017 and 2018, he appeared in Evening Urgant, a Russian late-night talk show, hosted by Ivan Urgant on Channel One.

Achievements

• 

  Aleksandr Karelin gained prominence as the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of all time. The athlete achieved success with his effective maneuver, known as the reverse body lift.
  
  Karelin's wrestling record is 887 wins and two losses. He won twelve European Championships and nine World Championships. Karelin's dominance is unparalleled: he won every match he entered for thirteen years and went ten years without giving up a single point. Karelin obtained gold medals at the 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games under a different flag each time (Soviet Union, Unified Team and Russia respectively) and a silver medal at the 2000 Olympic Games.
  
  During his career, Karelin attained numerous other awards, including the Order of Friendship of Peoples (1989), the Russian Order of Honour (2001), the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (2008), the Russian Federation Presidential Certificate of Honour (2013), the Serbian Order of Saint Sava (2013), the Medal "To the Participant of the Military Operation in Syria" (2016), the Order For Services to the Republic of Dagestan (2017), among others.
  
  Besides, in 1997, the athlete was made a Hero of the Russian Federation. In 2001, Karelin was made a Cavalier of the Olympic Order. His many other titles include the Master of Sport of the USSR (1984), Master of Sports of the USSR of International Class (1985), Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1988), and others.
  
  In 2003, Karelin was named the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of the 20th century by the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) and one of the class of ten inaugural inductees into the FILA International Wrestling Hall of Fame. He was also mentioned in the 25 best world athletes of the 20th-century list.
  
  Moreover, Aleksandr won the Gold Belt as the best wrestler on the planet four times - in 1989, 1990, 1992 and 1994.
  
  Karelin is so loved in his homeland, that Russia mourned his loss in the 2000 Olympic finals, his first and only defeat in international competition. It's even been suggested, that he could someday become Russia's president.
  
  Karelin's name is on the lists of the Guinness Book of Records as a fighter who has not lost a single fight in 13 years.
  
  It's also worth noting, that Karelin holds the title of an honorary resident of Novosibirsk.

Politics

Since 2001, Aleksandr Karelin has been a member of the Supreme Council of United Russia.

In 2017, Karelin joined the PutinTeam, a social movement, aimed at promoting Vladimir Putin's policies.

Karelin says, that United Russia, the ruling political Party of Russia, is a tool for harmonizing the economy and social sphere, helping to create harmonious relations between the state and society, namely the relations between the authorities and the population.

Views

In his doctoral dissertation, titled "Methods of execution of suplex throw counters" and "Integral training system for top-level wrestlers," Karelin stated, that athletes, who do not know how to "control themselves," who demonstrate emotional instability, show insufficiently good results in competitions. Experts believe that, having studied the work of Karelin, one can deduce the "formula" of the ideal champion.

During an interview, Karelin once stated, that he drew inspiration from Pyotr Stolypin's way of public service.

In his interview for Komsomolskaya Pravda (Komsomol Truth) in early 2019, Karelin expressed his views on pension reform. He stated, that Russian citizens should stop counting on someone else's help instead of their own strength and means. He also believes, that everyone should think about the ways of providing the older generation with financial aid.

It's worth noting, that Karelin spends a lot of time, doing charities. He started his own fund, which is involved in improving the social and economic life of his country.

Quotations: "I train every day of my life as they have never trained a day in theirs."

"The real drug is to train like a madman, really like a madman."

"Of course, I am grateful for my strength. It makes me self-sufficient. When I bought a refrigerator, I carried it myself up the stairs to my apartment on the eighth floor."

"The loser is usually the one who is ready to lose. Fight, overcome difficulties, control your emotions - and you will win."

Personality

Karelin loves opera, theater and ballet. He voraciously reads Russian history and literature and writes poetry.

Karelin is a big fan of auto and motor vehicles.

Aleksandr is afraid of heights.

Karelin is described as a good father, who loves spending time with his family. Some sources also say he is a man of few words. However, he can discuss different topics, except for his family.

Physical Characteristics: Since his childhood, Karelin has been tall and strong. However, some sources reported, that he couldn't do pull-ups.

During his athletic career, Karelin had a number of severe injuries. When he was 15, he broke his leg while training, and his mother, having learned about this accident, burnt his wrestling uniform and forbade him to wrestle. Later, he broke his arms two times and ribs thirteen times. Approximately in January 1988, the athlete sustained a serious concussion. At that time, doctors even considered removing him from the 1988 Olympic team. Later, Karelin won the 1993 World Championships despite breaking two ribs in the opening bout against Matt Ghaffari. At the 1996 European Championships in Budapest, Karelin tore the right pectoralis major muscle so badly that doctors predicted he would not be able to use his right hand for several months.

Like many other wrestlers, Karelin has a bit tongue, the condition, that affects his pronunciation and speech. Besides, he has ear cartilage injuries.

As for his physical appearance, Karelin is 1.93 meters (6 ft 4 in) tall.

Quotes from others about the person

• "This is a highly talented man. His knowledge and his feeling for poetry, literature and music are incredible. He is witty, full of puns and constantly embellishing his language with passages from books and music. And he is a big teddy bear, too." - Larisa Mason, a graduate of Leningrad State University (now Saint Petersburg State University), who served as an interpreter for Karelin
  
  "You consider this ancient sport and this monumental man who's had a perfect career and the only thing you come up with is that he is what Hercules was to the ancient Greeks." - Jeff Blatnick, a former NBC commentator
  
  "He didn't just dominate the world of Greco-Roman wrestling, for 13 years, he terrified the world of Greco-Roman wrestling!" - Philip Hersh, an Olympic sportswriter
  
  "He's been the man for 13 years. Nobody even had a chance to beat him." - Rulon Gardner, an American retired Greco-Roman wrestler

Interests

• hunting, poetry, opera, theater and ballet

• Politicians

  Pyotr Stolypin

• Writers

  Aleksandr Kuprin, Fyodor Dostoevsky; Russian, American and English literature

• Athletes

  Ivan Yarygin, Aleksandr Medved

Connections

Aleksandr is married to Olga Karelina. Their marriage produced two sons - Denis and Ivan, and one daughter - Vasilisa.

Father:

Aleksandr Ivanovich Karelin

Aleksandr Ivanovich Karelin was a truck driver and an amateur boxer.

Mother:

Zinaida Ivanovna Karelina

Zinaida Ivanovna Karelina (died 2007) served as an office clerk.

Spouse:

Olga Karelina

Olga Karelina is a bookkeeper by training. She owns a fashion clothing shop "Donna" in Novosibirsk.

Aleksandr and Olga got acquainted at a bus stop.

Son:

Denis Karelin

Denis Karelin (born circa 1986) is General Director of Goodman steak house in Novosibirsk, Russian Federation. Besides, he is the founder of 16 companies.

Denis tried his hand at wrestling, but changed it for car racing.

Son:

Ivan Karelin

Ivan Karelin (born 1994) followed in his father's footsteps and became a Greco-Roman wrestler. He is coached by Viktor Kuznetsov and competes in the Greco-Roman super heavyweight division.

Daughter:

Vasilisa Karelina

Vasilisa Karelina (born circa 1999) is a rhythmic gymnast. In addition, she is keen on photography.

rival:

Rulon Gardner

Rulon Gardner (born August 16, 1971) is an American retired Greco-Roman wrestler, who competed at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and won the gold medal in 2000, defeating Aleksandr Karelin in the final.

rival:

Igor Rostorotsky

Igor Rostorotsky (born February 4, 1962) is a retired Greco-Roman wrestler, who competed in the super heavyweight division.

coach:

Viktor Kuznetsov

Viktor Kuznetsov (born December 14, 1941) is a Russian Greco-Roman wrestling coach. His trainees include Aleksandr Karelin, Roman Vlasov and Vladimir Zubkov.

References

• Soviet Sport Wrestlers
  2010
• Official Website of Karelin's Fund