Ο Alexander Karelin ήταν ίσως ο μεγαλύτερος παλαιστής στην ιστορία της πάλης. Αν θέλαμε να παρουσιάσουμε σύντομα το βιογραφικό του θα είχαμε τα εξής:
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1988 Seoul 130 kg
Gold medal – first place 1992 Barcelona 130 kg
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta 130 kg
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney 130 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place Martigny 1989 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Ostia 1990 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Varna 1991 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Stockholm 1993 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Tampere 1994 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Prague 1995 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Wroclaw 1997 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Gävle 1998 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Athens 1999 130 kg
World Cup
Gold medal – first place Albany 1987 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Besançon 1992 130 kg
European Championships
Gold medal – first place Kolbotn 1988 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Oulu 1989 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Poznań 1990 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Aschaffenburg 1991 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Copenhagen 1992 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Istanbul 1993 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Athens 1994 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Besançon 1995 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Budapest 1996 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Minsk 1998 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Sofia 1999 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Moscow 2000 130 kg
Junior World Championships
Gold medal – first place Colorado Springs 1985 130 kg
Gold medal – first place Burnaby 1987 130 kg
Junior European Championships
Gold medal – first place Malmö 1986 130 kg
Ναι, υπάρχει και ένα ασημένιο μετάλλιο στην Ολυμπιάδα του Σύδνεϋ. Μετά από αυτή την αποτυχία (!) εγκατέλειψε την ενεργό δράση αφού πλέον, λόγω ηλικίας, θεωρήθηκε ότι δεν μπορεί να αποδώσει όπως έπρεπε.
Σε αυτό το βίντεο, παρακολουθούμε έναν αξέχαστο αγώνα του Karelin, με αντίπαλο τον Κουβανό Héctor Milián.
Ο αγώνας έγινε για το Παγκόσμιο Πρωτάθλημα Ελληνορωμαικής Πάλης του 1994 στο Tampere της Φινλανδίας.
Ποιός ήταν ο Héctor Milián;
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1992 Barcelona 100 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1991 Varna 100 kg
Silver medal – second place 1994 Tampere 130 kg
Silver medal – second place 1995 Prague 100 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Wroclaw 130 kg
Silver medal – second place 1999 Athens 130 kg
World Cup
Bronze medal – third place 1987 Albany 100 kg
Gold medal – first place 1988 Athens 100 kg
Gold medal – first place 1989 Frederikstad 100 kg
Gold medal – first place 1990 Gothenburg 100 kg
Gold medal – first place 1992 Besançon 100 kg
Silver medal – second place 1995 Schifferstadt 130 kg
Silver medal – second place 1996 Colorado Springs 130 kg
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1987 Indianapolis 100 kg
Gold medal – first place 1991 Havana 100 kg
Gold medal – first place 1995 Mar del Plata 100 kg
Gold medal – first place 1999 Winnipeg 130 kg
Pan American Championships
Silver medal – second place 1986 Colorado Springs 100 kg
Gold medal – first place 1987 Indianapolis 100 kg
Gold medal – first place 1988 Mexico City 100 kg
Gold medal – first place 1989 Colorado Springs 100 kg
Gold medal – first place 1990 Colorado Springs 100 kg
Gold medal – first place 1991 Havana 100 kg
Gold medal – first place 1992 Albany 100 kg
Gold medal – first place 1993 Guatemala City 100 kg
Gold medal – first place 1997 San Juan 125 kg
Silver medal – second place 1998 Winnipeg 130 kg
Silver medal – second place 2000 Cali 130 kg
Gold medal – first place 2001 Santo Domingo 130 kg
Junior World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1986 Schifferstadt 130 kg
Η περιγραφή στα αγγλικά είναι επαρκέστατη.
