Olympic weightlifter David Rigert has died

Olympic weightlifter David Rigert has died. The last years of his life, the athlete lived in Taganrog. The death was reported in the Russian Weightlifting Federation on October 26.

David Adamovich struggled with the disease for a long time. In the 80th year of life, the heart of a weightlifter stopped. The federation noted that Riegert was a man of unbending will and rare hard work. His athletic achievements and triumphs will forever be a reference point for future generations.

Over the years of hard work, David Riegert has achieved many outstanding successes. He became the champion of the XXI Olympic Games in 1976 in Montreal, six times won the world championship, nine times - Europe and five times - the USSR in all-around. Rigert set 63 world records. Some of his achievements remain unbeaten until now, for example, the standing bar press - 198 kg at a weight of 90 kg and the push - 265 kg at the same weight.

After completing his sports career, he devoted himself to coaching, leading the USSR and Russia weightlifting teams.

David Riegert was born in the village of Nagorny, Kokchetav region (Kazakh SSR) in a family of Russian Germans. In recent years he lived in Taganrog.

In 1996, a specialized children and youth sports school of the Olympic reserve No. 7 was opened there, the director of which he remained throughout his life. In 1999, Riegert Weightlifting Academy was founded - a unique center for training young talents.