I was inspired by the words of an academic
by the name of Vavilov -
"The best chance you have of succeeding
"is by putting as much as you can on your shoulders."
(LEGENDS LIVE ON)
(NOVOSIBIRSK, RUSSIA)
Aleksandr Karelin is a legend.
Three Olympic golds, nine-time world champion
and a twelve-time European champion.
Men like him are born once in a thousand years.
There's always been this fascination with strongmen.
The fact that this monster of a person
came from one of the most inhospitable places on earth,
that made the myth even bigger. He's the Siberian monster.
I first met Aleksandr Aleksandrovich in 1996-1997.
He was visiting our school.
It was a meeting between children and a living legend,
everyone's hero.
I was born here in Novosibirsk in Autumn, on 19th September.
The first gym I attended was a boxing gym
because my father was a boxer.
A coach who was putting a team together came by.
We were messing around during our break and he took all of us
and that's how we ended up in a wrestling gym.
That's how I met Kuznetsov.
I was moved by his philosophy
and that's how I started attending a wrestling gym.
I met Aleksandr Karelin in 1981.
He was 13 then, 179cm tall, weighing 79kg.
A 13-year-old boy with such a weight,
I thought he would make a good heavyweight wrestler.
So I arrived at the gym.
Kuznetsov convinced me in five sentences.
He explained to me it's the process of
overcoming obstacles that matters.
Even these days he can go on
endlessly explaining all the moves.
Move your arm towards yourself.
Aleksandr Karelin and I had a lot of things in common,
things that are important in sport - our personalities,
the ability to work hard and to focus at competitions.
(OLYMPIC GAMES SEOUL, 1988)
By unanimous decision of the staff, my team and my captain,
I was trusted to carry the red flag of the Soviet Union.
I could hardly think straight.
Even to this day, given how talkative I am,
I can't describe those feelings.
When the tournament began,
the sense of pressure had its effect on me.
During the first few fights,
I didn't just walk out to the mat,
I leapt out on it.
Just before the fight, I think about how well I warmed up
and if I'm not confident in my readiness,
I think about how I can compensate for this.
When you go out on the mat, the most important thing
is not to think about what impression you give.
Not to think about the effect you produce
but to think about what you're there for.
Control not of yourself but of your opponent.
It's necessary to drive him into a vulnerable state.
My favourite part of the fight
is when you realise that you got to your opponent.
That you chained him, imposed your manner on him.
This is the sweetest sensation from the fight.
And by the time I made it to the finals,
the pressure was on.
(SEOUL 1988 MEN'S GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING FINAL)
I came out and attempted to do the only move I could do
and he caught me on the counterattack
and threw me over his back.
With time running out, I became flustered.
Nevertheless, I still managed to somehow do my signature move
and that was enough for me to win the Olympics.
The throw for which Karelin became famous
was called the Karelin Lift.
Rivals would lie flat
hoping not to have anything happen to them,
he would reach under them, holding this 285 lb person,
doing the most difficult squat you could ever imagine,
he would pick the person up and then throw them on the ground
and that was the end of the match.
(OLYMPIC GAMES BARCELONA 1992)
He didn't just dominate the world of Greco-Roman wrestling
for 13 years,
he terrified the world of Greco-Roman wrestling
for 13 years.
The American wrestler Jeff Blatnick at one point said
it's a victory if you don't get thrown by the guy.
It was a very fast tournament for me.
Seven minutes for all fights.
He was wrestling at his second Olympics
like it was just another training session.
He was so laid back and confident that he beat everyone
and became a two-time Olympic champion.
(OLYMPIC GAMES ATLANTA 1996)
At the continental championship in Budapest,
I got a very serious injury.
My greater pectoral muscle was torn
and the doctors told me that in a year's time
I wouldn't even be able to lift a spoon with my right hand.
The most important thing was the final match
with his main opponent. Seeing as this was in America
and his main opponent was American,
there was so much excitement. The crowd was roaring.
Ghaffari was running around with a flag.
In '96, when I fought Matt Ghaffari,
we had a very difficult fight. But I attacked,
I did not counterattack but attacked.
The two gladiators, ladies and gentlemen.
Olympic champion,
Aleksandr Karelin.
What this guy has done, this is unbelievable.
He went through six years
without having a point scored on him.
I mean, just think about that for a minute.
(OLYMPIC GAMES SYDNEY 2000)
I was preparing for these Olympics
knowing this was my last one for two reasons.
Firstly was my age.
I understood that I was getting older,
although I was generally in good form.
It was clear that the preparation process
was getting more complicated.
(SYDNEY 2000 MEN'S GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING FINAL)
I made an unfortunate mistake and I did not have
the emotional strength to change the course of the fight.
My father came to support me,
along with a big group of fans from Novosibirsk,
but I lost.
I still haven't learned how to comment on it.
Part of what makes him so appealing
is that he is not what you expect.
He was a very educated man with a PhD and a law degree.
He had interest in ballet,
he had interest in classical music,
and went on to have a political career.
I could no longer remain just an athlete
and that is when I realised
that one can sit around contemplating,
but it is important to act upon it.
(PARLIAMENT BUILDING NOVOSIBIRSK)
I've always taken an interest in the world around me.
So the fact that I became an MP of such a great superpower
was an expression of my citizenship.
People were overjoyed when he won
because we have known a lot of great athletes,
but the fact he is so big, tall, powerful,
and that he represents our country,
and that he's a Christian,
it all makes you feel so thrilled inside
that such people are among us and that they win.
He is respected and valued all over the world.
Everyone loves him in Novosibirsk.
He is a role model for everyone.
We are really lucky to have him here with us.
Today you will be training
with a two-time Olympic champion
in Greco-Roman wrestling, yes?
- Yes. - Roman Vlasov.
Aleksandr always knew where I was and what I was doing.
Whether I was training or at competitions,
he was always there.
This man has shared my Olympic journey all the way through.
That's one of the reasons why I dedicated my victory to him.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
I hope that anyone, anywhere, will look at my story
and realise they can be a champion.
What a wrestler from Novosibirsk achieved
is easily applicable to any other part of Russia.
(LEGENDS LIVE ON)