About Aleksandr Medved
Aleksandr Vasilyevich Medved was a Ukrainian-born Soviet Belarusian freestyle wrestler who competed for the Soviet Union and was named "one of the greatest wrestlers in history" by FILA, the sport's governing body. Between 1962 and 1972 he won three Olympic gold medals, seven world and three European titles. He served as the Olympic flag bearer for the Soviet Union in 1972, for Belarus in 2004 and recited the Judge's Oath at the Opening Ceremony of the 1980 Olympics. They met eight times in the finals of major international championships and Medved won on all occasions. Yet Medved equalized the score and won the title because of his lower body weight. Previously he was awarded the Order of Lenin (1964), Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1970), and Order of the Badge of Honour (1964, 1969, 1985).
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