Sergo Hambardzumyan

Hambardzumyan was born to physically strong parents and weighed 7.2 kg at birth. His mother died when he was 16 years old. In 1930 he moved from his village to the Armenian capital Yerevan to work as a car mechanic; there he took up weightlifting. In 1938 he set a world record at 433.5 kg, but it was not recognized internationally because the Soviet Union was not a member of the International Weightlifting Federation. Nevertheless, Hambardzumyan was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honour and became a protégé of Josif Stalin.[1][3]

Hambardzumyan placed fifth at the 1946 World Weightlifting Championships, but could not compete in 1947 in Philadelphia because he was not issued an American visa in time. He retired soon after that due to a heart attack, and later took random jobs as a taxi driver and a restaurant owner. He died of a heart failure in Moscow, aged 73.[1][3]