Yuri Vlasov was born in 1935 in the city of Makeevka in the Donbass. His childhood was during the war years: the father of the future champion served as a scout, and his mother was in charge of the library. From constant hunger, Yuri’s hair began to fall out even then.
First successes in sports
Vlasov graduated from the Saratov Suvorov School, and then from the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy, receiving a specialty in aviation radio communications engineer. He continued the military line through his father, and from his mother he inherited a love of literature.
Despite a difficult childhood, by the age of 15 Vlasov weighed about 90 kg, having a minimal percentage of fat. In 1953, he graduated with honors from the Suvorov School — already there he was actively involved in sports.
In 1957, Vlasov set the first USSR records (snatch — 144 kg, clean and jerk — 183 kg). Two years later, Vlasov became the USSR heavyweight champion and won the 1960 Olympics in Rome.
Meeting with Schwarzenegger in Moscow
In 1988, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was a longtime fan of Vlasov, came to Moscow for filming. He admitted that he took up bodybuilding when he saw Vlasov perform in Austria.
Schwarzenegger set a condition for the filming organizers: he would not leave Moscow unless he saw Vlasov in person. They met and took the legendary photo:
“During one of the trips, I met Yuri Vlasov again. It was in Moscow on the set of “Red Heat,” the first American film to receive permission to film on Red Square. Then we spent the whole day with him. He was so sensitive, kind, smart and, of course, very generous. He gave me a beautiful blue mug. And since then I drink coffee from it every morning,” Schwarzenegger recalled.
Vlasov is one of the most titled weightlifters in history, who took a mathematical approach to building the body. In 1962, he collected all imaginable records: in the bench press — 186 kilograms, in the snatch — 163, in the clean and jerk — 210.5 and the triathlon total — 550.
In the year of his seventieth birthday, Vlasov set a record: lying on his back, he was able to squeeze 185 kg with a personal weight of 110 kg. Training four times a week, the veteran was in excellent physical shape.
In 1989–1991, Vlasov was a people’s deputy of the USSR, and in 1993–1995, a deputy of the State Duma. In 1996, he nominated himself for the post of President of the Russian Federation, gaining 0.2%.
In February 2021, Vlasov died — he was 85 years old. Schwarzenegger dedicated his last touching message to his idol:
“Yuri Vlasov taught us all that “impossible” is just a word… When I was lucky enough to really get to know him later, I was shocked. This man was not just a great athlete — he was a great thinker. He talked about poetry and politics, he read more books than he carried weights. He told me that the strength of the body is nothing compared to the strength of the mind. He was one of the strongest men in the world and believed that true power comes from words.”