It recently became known that the legendary Belarusian wrestler, three-time Olympic champion Alexander Medved passed away on September 2, 2024.
The press service of the Belarusian Wrestling Federation reported on the sad event for all domestic sports in its official Telegram channel.
According to published information, the best wrestler of the last century passed away at the age of 86.
There are no words to express the sadness and pain of loss, rest in peace, legend... - the message says.
The Federation expressed its condolences to the family and friends of Alexander Medved.
Alexander Medved was born on September 16, 1937. He won his first Olympic gold medal in 1964 in Tokyo.
After this, he won victories at the Olympic Games in Mexico City (1968) and Munich (1972).
In addition, the Belarusian became world champion seven times, won the European Championships three times, and the Soviet Union Championships nine times.
The athlete was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR.
In 2001, he was recognized as the best athlete of Belarus in the 20th century, and four years later – the best freestyle wrestler of the 20th century in the world.
After finishing his athletic career, Medved worked as a coach and held the position of vice president of the National Olympic Committee.
He also headed the Belarusian freestyle wrestling team and headed the Belarusian Wrestling Federation.