Shamil Khisamutdinov

As a youth, Shamil Khisamutdinov was active in track & field athletics, cross-country skiing (being a local district champion in that sport) and basketball, and took up wrestling in 1968, when he began studying at the Omsk Institute of Physical Education. Wrestling as a Greco-Roman lightweight for his entire career, Khisamutdinov won gold at the 1972 Olympics and was the 1973 and 1975 World Champion and 1973 and 1974 European Champion. He also won bronze at the 1976 European Championships, but a shoulder injury sustained at this tournament ended his career. Domestically, Khisamutdinov won four Soviet titles (1971-74). After his forced retirement from sports, Khisamutdinov worked as a wrestling coach. He has coached the Soviet and Swedish national teams and, since 2010, has been president of the Russian Kurash Federation, a traditional Tatar style of wrestling.