WRESTLING GALLERY - WRESTLING IN THE EX-USSR.

Wrestling used to be a great sport in the former Soviet Union. Almost every republic in the ex-USSR had its own strong school and traditions of wrestling. And there is a number of national historic folk-styles of wrestling throughout the ex-USSR - from Estonia to Tajikistan, from Yakutia to Moldova!

On this gallery I have put some old hot wrestling pictures from 1960's and 1970's of Soviet wrestlers of that period - which I have taken from some Soviet-published wrestling books.

It's Ivan Yarygyn back again - the Russian bear from Siberean city of Krasnoyarsk. On the picture he's on the way to his first gold Olympic medal in 1972 Munich Olympics. He had pinned all his opponents down during that tournament!

Another Soviet wrestling superstar - Alexander Medved from Minsk, Belorussia. 3 times Olympic gold medalist in free-style wrestling (1964, 1968, 1972). On this picture - he's on his difficult way to the 3rd Olympic gold medal on 1972 Munich Olympics.

Elkan Tedeev from Ossetian republic in Russian Federation. It is written in a book that he performed lots of new, unusual moves and holds. So we can really get sure of it - just looking at this picture! :-))))

Two great Soviet wrestlers of Greco-Roman style - Estonian Johannes Kotkas and Ukrainian Ivan Bogdan. Kotkas was 1952 Helsinki Olympic champion and Bogdan is 1960 Rome Olympic gold medalist. On the picture we can see both champions wrestling each other.

Anatoly Parfyonov - World War 2 veteran and 1956 Melbourne Olympics winner. 

And this is the front cover of the book - where from I have taken many pictures for this gallery. It's called - "Wrestling - what men do"! :-)))))