Aleksandr Kolchinsky

Aleksandr Kolchinsky took up wrestling in 1966 and made the Soviet national team in 1974. In the 1970s Kolchinsky, the 193 cm tall and 115 kg Ukrainian giant, who competed as a Greco-roman super-heavyweight, was considered a main medal contender at every major tournament in which he entered. Kolchinsky was most successful at the Olympic Games, where he won gold medals in 1976 and 1980. He would have been a favorite to medal at the 1984 Olympics, but the Soviet boycott ended his chances. In addition his Olympic titles, Kolchinsky won the World title in 1978 and the World Cup in 1980. He also won silver at the 1975, 1977 and 1979 World and 1976 and 1977 European Championships and bronze at the 1975 European Championships. He competed at the 1979 European Championships, placing fourth. Domestically, Kolchinsky won six Soviet titles (1974, 1976-80).

After finishing his sporting career in the middle of 1980s, Kolchinsky and his wife opened a small sewing shop, but he was later associated with Ukrainian organized crime. He was suspected of being an active member of the Savlokhov Brothers’ criminal group and organizing smuggling channels to Ukraine. In 1994 Kolchinsky was sentenced to seven years of prison on extortion charges, but was paroled by Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma in 1996. After his prison sentence, Kolchinsky tried to distance himself from his previous criminal associates and founded a children’s wrestling club Hart in Kyiv, which he headed until his untimely death due to a heart attack in 2002. Since 1998, an annual youth Greco-Roman wrestling tournament in his honor has been held in Kyiv.