Vasilijs Stepanovs

Vasilijs Stepanovs (3 March,[1][2] 28 May[3] or 12 December 1927[4][5] – 8 April 2011) was a Soviet weightlifter. He was born in Russia as Vasily Matveyevich Stepanov (Russian: Василий Матвеевич Степанов), but later settled in Latvia, after serving with the Soviet Baltic Fleet there.[3]

Vasilijs Stepanovs
Personal information
Born1927
Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died8 April 2011 (aged 83–84)
Sport
SportWeightlifting
ClubDynamo Riga
Medal record
Representing  Soviet Union
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1956 Melbourne Light heavyweight
World Weightlifting Championships
Silver medal – second place1955 MunichLight heavyweight
European Weightlifting Championships
Gold medal – first place1955 MunichLight heavyweight

Stepanovs took up weightlifting in 1948, and in 1953 won the Soviet middleweight title. He then moved to the light-heavyweight class and won the 1955 European and 1956 Soviet titles. He finished second at the 1955 World Championships and 1956 Olympics, both times behind Tommy Kono. After the Olympics he progressed to the middle-heavyweight division and set four ratified world records in the press between 1958 and 1962. In retirement he trained weightlifters in Riga, Latvia.[3][6]

References
  1. Vasilijs Stepanovs Archived 5 September 2012 at archive.today. Latvian Olympic Committee
  2. Staģis, Andris (28 February 2012). "Šī nedēļa vēsturē". Sporta Avīze. Rīga: SIA "Mediju nams". 9 (835): 27. ISSN 1691-0451.
  3. Vasilijs Stepanovs. sports-reference.com
  4. Ošiņš, Ivars (2008). Latvijas olimpiskais zelts, sudrabs, bronza. Lauku avīze. p. 215. ISBN 978-9984-827-07-0.
  5. Latvijas enciklopēdija, 5. sējums, Rīga: Valērija Belokoņa izdevniecība, page 323.
  6. Vasily Stepanov. chidlovski.net
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