Leonid Zhabotinsky's name is rarely heard in sports news today, but this Ukrainian once held the title of the strongest man on the planet, inspiring millions and becoming an example of unshakable fortitude.

Leonid Zhabotinsky was a two-time Olympic champion and set 19 world records, reports the Novini.LIVE portal.

  Leonid Zhabotinsky was born in 1938 in the village of Uspenka, Sumy Oblast, and early on he showed not only strength but also character. According to legend, as a youth, Leonid managed to stop a raging bull by grabbing it by the horns—an incident that many considered a symbolic harbinger of his future sporting glory.

   Confrontation with Vlasov: a battle of the titans of Soviet weightlifting.
  Zhabotinsky's path to the top of the sport was not easy. His idols were Ukrainian weightlifters Grigory Novak and Mark Rudman, and his dream was to break the world record of American Paul Anderson, who lifted 500 kg in the triathlon. But his main rival was Yuri Vlasov, the star of Soviet weightlifting, the son of an influential intelligence officer close to Stalin.

At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Zhabotinsky was not even part of the main squad at first. Only at the last training camp in Vladivostok was he included in the team. During the competition, he played a psychologically delicate game: at first he supported Vlasov when he took the world record, raising it in his arms and saying: "Yuri, well done, congratulations on the world record." Vlasov replied: "Probably, the time will come when you will remove me from the big sport." These words turned out to be prophetic - it was Zhabotinsky who would soon become his main competitor.

   In the final bout, Vlasov lifted 162 kg on his third attempt, while Zhabotinsky, summoning all his will, achieved a winning result and won Olympic gold. Their rivalry went down in history as a clash not only of muscles, but also of character.

     

        Life off the stage: coach, judge, inspirer.
  After completing his sports career, Jabotinsky did not leave sports. He worked as a coach, received an international judge category, held positions in the Sports Committee and even taught in Madagascar. His life was eventful: he participated in a car rally, organized more than 10 tournaments for schoolchildren in Zaporizhzhia, and his first car was a modest "Zaporozhets".

In 2004, he and his son visited the USA at the invitation of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The legendary actor and bodybuilder openly called Jabotinsky his idol, who inspired him to start his path in sports. In his memoirs, Jabotinsky wrote: "There is no cheating in sports - there is only a winner and a loser."

  

    Despite his global fame, Leonid was concerned about the state of weightlifting in Ukraine, lamenting the lack of conditions for the development of a new generation of athletes. He wrote his autobiography "On the Top of Olympus" to convey his experience and philosophy of wrestling.

 

Leonid Zhabotinsky passed away in 2016, but his legacy lives on in the hearts of athletes and strength fans. He proved that a true hero is not only a champion, but also a person who inspires others to believe in themselves.