Leonid Taranenko

Leonid Taranenko

Taranenko (center) at Moscow Olympics, 1980
Personal information
Born (1956-06-13) June 13, 1956
Malaryta, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union

Leonid Arkadevich Taranenko (Russian: Леонид Аркадьевич Тараненко, born June 13, 1956) is a former Soviet/Belarusian weightlifter. His 266 kg clean and jerk in 1988 is still the largest amount ever lifted in competition, though no longer an official world record due to restructuring of weight classes.

Weightlifting career

Taranenko in 1986.

Taranenko trained at VSS Uradzhai in Minsk. His first major success took place at the 1980 Olympics, when, competing for the Soviet Union, he won the gold medal in the 110 kilogram class with a 422.5 kg total. He was unable to compete in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles due to the Soviet boycott. However, competing in the 1984 Friendship Games, Taranenko won the 110 kg class with a world record total of 442.5 kg, exceeding the winning total in Los Angeles (by Norberto Oberburger) by 52.5 kg.

After this, Taranenko moved up to the super-heavyweight class. Lifting in Canberra, Australia on November 26, 1988, he set a world record of 266.0 kg in the clean and jerk, and 475.0 kg in the total. Due to the restructuring of the competitive weight classes that took place in 1993 and 1998, these lifts are no longer recognized as the official world records. However, these remain the highest figures ever posted in competition.

In 1992, Taranenko represented the Unified Team at the Olympics in Barcelona. He took the silver medal in the super-heavyweight class with a total of 425.0 kg.

Taranenko's other victories include the 110 kg class titles at the 1980 World and European championships, and super-heavyweight titles at the 1990 World championship and 1988, 1991, and 1996 European championships.

Career bests

Major result

Year Venue Weight Snatch (kg) Clean & Jerk (kg) Total Rank
1 2 3 Rank 1 2 3 Rank
Olympic Games
1980 Soviet Union Moscow, Soviet Union 110 kg 182.5182.519022202352401422.51st
1992 Spain Barcelona, Spain +110 kg 187.5187.5--2232.5237.5242.524252nd
1996 United States Atlanta, United States +108 kg --------------------
World Championships
1979 Greece Thessaloniki, Greece 110 kg 182.52nd2205402.53rd
1980 Soviet Union Moscow, Soviet Union 110 kg 182.5182.51902nd2202352401st422.51st
1985 Sweden Södertälje, Sweden +110 kg 1853rd232.55417.54
1986 Bulgaria Sofia, Bulgaria +110 kg 2002nd------
1987 Czechoslovakia Ostrava, Czechoslovakia +110 kg 202.53rd2651st467.52nd
1990 Hungary Budapest, Hungary +110 kg 1951st2551st4501st
1993 Australia Melbourne, Australia +110 kg 1851901954232.5242.5--5422.54
European Championships
1980 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Belgrade, Yugoslavia 110 kg1901st2301st4201st
1985 Poland Katowice, Poland +110 kg1852nd2301st4152nd
1986 East Germany Karl-Marx-Stadt, East Germany +110 kg1952nd242.51st437.52nd
1988 United Kingdom Cardiff, United Kingdom +110 kg207.51st2552nd462.51st
1990 Denmark Ålborg, Denmark +110 kg2052nd247.53rd452.53rd
1991 Poland Władysławowo, Poland +110 kg2001st247.51st447.51st
1996 Norway Stavanger, Norway +110 kg180180182.52nd220227.5232.52nd4151st
USSR Weightlifting Championships
Summer Spartakiad of the Soviet Union
Cup of the Soviet Union

Notes and references

  1. Taranenko lifted 476.0 kg in the total, but for the competition results, the weight was normalized to the standard interval of 2.5 kg.
  2. "Leonid Taranenko". Lift Up. Retrieved 2009-07-27.

External links

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