Bodybuilding in the USSR.

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Valery Berezovsky. 1974.

 

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1985. USSR. Norilsk. "Arktika" Sports Palace. In the weightlifting gym. In the photo: Maxim Ivankov (far left), Alexander Gutorov (center), Viktor Morozov (right).

 

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Nikolai Malyshev at the USSR Championships in Kaunas, 1986.

 

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In February 1971, the first—still unofficial—USSR Bodybuilding Championship took place in Severodvinsk, an event that went down in history. At that time, the sport was known as athletic gymnastics. The first place was won by Severodvinsk resident Alexander Lemekhov.
In the autumn of 1968, a section for athletic gymnastics began operating on the second floor of the Sever sports hall. This sport was especially popular in Severodvinsk: even during the city’s open championship, the large hall of the Lenkom venue was filled to capacity. From February 26 to 28, 1972, the second USSR Championship was also held here, consisting of strength disciplines and a bodybuilding competition. In the team standings, the Severodvinsk team took first place, winning the White Sea Cup, followed by teams from Leningrad in second place and Moscow in third.
Today, we are publishing for the first time a series of photographs of the well-known Severodvinsk athlete Alexander Andreyevich Lemekhov (1948–2025). These images trace the path he followed in this sport—from his first steps, when a school physical education teacher directed him to a weightlifting coach, to his outstanding achievements.

 

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The first photo shows Alexander Lemekhov with his daughter and son, July 1974. Photos courtesy of Andrey Lemekhov.

 

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Alexander Lemekhov.

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Alexander Lemekhov.

 

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Alexander Lemekhov.​

 

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Great thread dude!

 

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In the photo on the left is F. Davletbaev, on the right is B. Velikoivanenko.

 

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Medal "Athletic Gymnastics" (bodybuilding). City of Krasnoyarsk.

 

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Photo from the archive of Soviet bodybuilder Oleg Andreev