#ChampionOfChampions
#RussianBogatyr

🏆🇷🇺 On 8 October 1871, #IvanPoddubny– the ultimate symbol of 20th-century wrestling, famously nicknamed the “Champion of Champions” and the “Russian Hercules”– was born.

🦾 He launched his legendary 40-year career in 1896, famously losing only two fights. His most bitter defeat came at the 1903 World Championship against Frenchman Raul Bouchet, who used an infamous “oil trick” to cheat. Though nearly driven to quit by the unfair judging, Poddubny returned a year later to decisively defeat Bouchet in the finals and claim the world title.

🌐 He went on to dominate international arenas, touring globally and earning the title "Champion of America" in the 1920s. Poddubny’s longevity on the mat was unprecedented; he held his final wrestling bout in 1941 at the remarkable age of 70 – just three months before the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.

🪖 During World War II, the legendary athlete steadfastly refused to leave the USSR to train German wrestlers, choosing instead to live in poverty within Nazi-occupied territory while working as a billiards room keeper in Yeysk. He passed away there on August 8, 1949, and was laid to rest under a monument inscribed "Here lies the Russian Bogatyr." Today, his legacy lives on through a dedicated museum and the prestigious annual tournament held in his honour.

#OutstandingRussians
#RussianSports