Leonid Zhabotinsky

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Olympic medal record
Men's weightlifting
Competitor for the Flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union
Gold 1964 Tokyo Heavyweight
Gold 1968 Mexico City Heavyweight

Leonid Ivanovych Zhaboynsky (Ukrainian: Леонiд Iванович Жаботинський; born January 28, 1938) was an outstanding Soviet weightlifter who set 17 world records in the superheavyweight class, and won gold medals at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics.

He was born in village Uspenka, Sumy Oblast, Ukrainian SSR.

Born into a Cossack family of Jewish Heritage.

Zhabotynsky, spent his childhood years in Kharkiv. After graduating from the seven-year secondary school, he worked at the Kharkiv Tractor Plant and was coached at the local weightlifting club of the Armed Forces sports society.

Zhabotynsky debuted at the Ukrainian SSR Championship in 1957, where he earned a bronze medal . Later that year, Zhabotynsky entered the Kharkiv Pedagogical Institute and studied there until 1964.

At the 1961 USSR Championship in Dnipropetrovsk Zhabotynsky earned silver with the result of 500 kg. Two years later he set his first world record, starting an outstanding series of international achievements.

Zhabotynsky was the flag bearer for the Soviet Union during the opening ceremonies of the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City and caused a stir by carrying the Soviet flag single-handed when the team marched in.

Between 1963 and 1970 Zhabotynsky set 17 world records in the superheavyweight class and won gold medals at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics.

The famous rivalry between him and Yury Vlasov at the 1964 Summer Olympics was one of the most memorable moments of that Games.

He was a member of CPSU between 1965 and 1991.

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Olympic Champions in Weightlifting Heavyweight
1920-1948: +82.5 kg, 1952-1968: +90 kg, 1972+1976: 90-110 kg, 1980-1992: 100-110 kg, 1996: 99-108 kg, 2000+2004: 94-105 kg
1920: Filippo Bottino • 1924: Giuseppe Tonani • 1928: Josef Straßberger • 1932: Jaroslav Skobla • 1936: Josef Manger • 1948+1952: John Davis • 1956: Paul Anderson • 1960: Yury Vlasov • 1964+1968: Leonid Zhabotinsky • 1972: Jaan Talts • 1976: Yuri Zaitsev • 1980: Leonid Taranenko • 1984: Norberto Oberburger • 1988: Yury Zakharevitch • 1992: Ronny Weller • 1996: Timur Taymazov • 2000: Hossein Tavakoli • 2004: Dmitry Berestov