Pride of pre-revolutionary Russia ...

It is interesting to trace the fate of athletes, pride prerevolutionary Russia ... By the way, Alexander Bulla ended his life in 1934 in a camp on the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal ...
A group of participants of the championship watching wrestling two wrestlers; wrestler right - I.M.Poddubny

A group of participants watching wrestling championship two fighters (the first in the first row on the left is I.M.Poddubny)

Curious staged shots))
A group of participants of the championship at home

Member of the championship at home.

Portrait of an athlete and fighter I.V.Lebedeva (Uncle Vanya)

Uncle Vanya, so young fighters lovingly called veteran, devoted his life to popularize the struggle. He organized tournaments, worked entertainer. Lebedev became the bridge through which tradition dorevolyutstonnoy wrestling school passed to a new generation of Soviet fighters already ...
I.V.Lebedev measures the amount of hands champion heavy weight.

Outstanding nugget, the most famous, undefeated wrestler Ivan Poddubny. He was called the champion of champions.
World champion in Greco-Roman wrestling Ivan Poddubny (seated center) with his brothers

He was a moloobrazovanny and harsh. The nature of the heroic strength having had a very sharp temper. Could easily go on with the fight frank scuffle. One day, speaking with the circus in Taganrog, a bloody fight with another fighter on the street. Police intervened - and got them ...
Here's what I wrote about him I.Lebedev: "He broke the world's best fighters without regret and without the slightest scruple. Strong was that spontaneous hurricane. Of all the laws of life known one: "homo homini lupus est" (»Man to Man - Wolf & quot; - lat.) And firmly followed his command. In a push - out of competition. If used to the enemy especially fiercely resistant, Poddubnyi sure his foot on the ground will come. Was terrible not only for Russian, but also for all foreign fighters: Do not give up, so will break & quot;

But the writer Alexander Kuprin, who happens to have dinner with the famous fighters, when he was in the early 20s toured Europe, spoke about it so:
"Recently had dinner with Poddubny - a man of great strength and the same stupidity»

War found Ivan Poddubny 70-year-old man in the city of Yeisk, where he lived in recent years. The Germans were amazed overlooking the Russian bear, pacing around the city with the Soviet medal on his chest ... and invited him to work in the officers' club bouncer and a marker. They gladly took pictures and autographs with the legendary athlete.
The Soviet government recalled the old man of his contacts with the occupiers. Out of respect for his merits and his age did not touch it, but also to help the hungry in the postwar years old wrestler did not ... He starved and died in poverty. Only in the late 50s, his name was rehabilitated.

In 1910, there were 20 Luriha records. The most curious record in "full-term": Lurich raised right hand barbell weighing 105 kg and, holding it up, took the floor with a weight of 34 kg and also rises. Of circus tricks most famous - stretching with two camels and hold on a raised hand of five people. In many countries demonstrated their skills Georg Lurich and everywhere was very popular. In some European cities were founded athletic clubs name Luriha.
Portrait G.Luriha, world champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, a participant in the championship.