In Minsk opened a monument to the legendary wrestler Alexander Medved
At the Eastern Cemetery in Minsk on September 16, a monument to the three-time Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling was solemnly opened.
On September 16, a monument to three-time Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling Alexander Medved was solemnly opened at the Eastern Cemetery in Minsk, a correspondent of the Minsk-Novosti agency reports.
At the ceremony gathered many friends, associates, relatives of A. Bear. First Vice-President of the Russian Wrestling Federation Omar Murtuzaliev recalled that during his lifetime, the legendary wrestler loved when a large wrestling brethren came to his competitions held in Minsk. He paid attention to everyone, loved to communicate, remember funny stories.
- Alexander Vasilyevich visited my native Dagestan more than once. We came to the training of young athletes, to the guys from the national team of our region. He found words to inspire wrestlers, told instructive cases from his career. Recently, at the Russian Wrestling Championship, a team from Dagestan won nine out of ten gold medals. I know that in the hall to some of these guys at one time came Alexander Bear. So the words of the legendary athlete had an effect. He invested a part of himself in the success of athletes. I am sure this is not an isolated case, Murtuzaliev said.
Heads of the sports sphere, famous wrestlers, friends said kind words about A. Bear. Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee Vladimir Kukharev noted that the Soviet athlete became the personification of freestyle wrestling.
- Two years after the death of Alexander Vasilyevich, but the international tournament of his memory gathers hundreds of wrestlers in Minsk. All of them, following the example of the legendary wrestler, learn to be knights on the carpet, to promote the ideals of honesty, hard work, high dedication, strength. This is a good example for modern youth. Numerous followers of the Bear continue his work, falling in love with young athletes in the fight. Today, his warm look and ability to support in difficult times are very lacking. Our task is to convey to future generations what an athlete and a person should be, Kukharev stressed.
Honored coach of Belarus Vladimir Yaprintsev compared A. Beard with cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. He paved the way for others, showed you can win three Olympics in a row.
Chairman of the Belarusian Wrestling Federation Alim Selimov recalled one of the most popular phrases of the Bear: “All life is a struggle.” It became motivating for the leader himself (previously a titled wrestler), and today A. Selimov says these words to young athletes.
The author of the monument was the Belarusian sculptor Konstantin Kostyuchenko. This is a bronze bust of young A. Bear on a granite basis. At the foot of the block are figures of wrestlers.
- On the monument Alexander Vasilyevich in wrestling tights - it was his lifetime wish. The height of the monument is about three meters. The bust has the maximum resemblance: the athlete is alive, with his ironic smile. The work was long and painstaking, but everything turned out great, said the coach of the Minsk City Center of the Olympic Reserve for wrestling named after three-time Olympic champion A.V. Medved Vladimir Bogutsky.
Photo by Sergei Mitsevich
