Ivan Bogdan

Ivan Bogdan, a Soviet Army officer from Ukraine, took up wrestling quite late, in 1950 when he was already 22-years-old and made the Soviet national team in 1958, when he won his first Soviet Greco-Roman heavyweight title. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Bogdan was the most dominant Greco-Roman heavyweight in the world, winning the World title in 1958 and 1961 and Olympic title in 1960. Domestically, besides his 1958 title, Bogdan won two more Soviet titles in 1959 and 1961, silvers in 1955 and 1956 and a bronze in 1960. After finishing his sporting career, Bogdan worked as a wrestling coach in his native Ukraine.