Maxim Ivanovich Poddubny. Ivan Poddubny - invincible champion of champions

After the tragedy, Poddubny left the circus and even wanted to leave the sport. But then he received an invitation to the World Championships in France. 35-year-old Poddubny lost to his opponent, 20-year-old Paris champion Raoul le Boucher. But soon at the championship in Moscow he defeated the strongest rivals - Shemyakin, Lurikh, Yankovsky. And later, at the international championship in St. Petersburg, Le Boucher also bet, receiving the first prize and 55 thousand rubles - a huge amount at that time.

Performances followed at championships in France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Tunisia, and Algeria. Everywhere Poddubny took first places, never once agreeing to “fixed fights.”

In 1910, Ivan decided to leave his sports career and return to his native village, even bought land there, started a farm, got married... But three years later he could not stand it and returned to the carpet.

The years after the revolution were not easy for the athlete. Although he was not involved in politics, but continued to fight in the ring, he was arrested by Odessa security officers, mistaking him for a certain Poddubnov, the organizer of Jewish pogroms. True, they sorted it out later and let me go. But during this time, Poddubny’s wife Antonina left for someone else.

In 1922, while on tour with the Moscow Circus in Rostov-on-Don, Poddubny met his future second wife Maria Semyonovna Mashonina. He had to feed his family, he continued to tour, visited Germany again and even America... The Americans persuaded him to stay with them, they acted with both persuasion and threats... But despite this, in 1927 Ivan returned to his homeland. In 1939, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor in the Kremlin. He also received the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR.

If someone has never heard about Russian strength and courage, about honesty, openness, incredible power and fortitude, then he could get acquainted with all these qualities by learning the only person. Every child at the dawn of the twentieth century knew who Poddubny was, he was recognized on the streets, he was proud and admired, but he himself remained completely indifferent to his own fame. He was never mercantile, did not chase big profits, he just wanted to live with dignity, and not vegetate from hand to mouth. Ivan Maksimovich passed big way, which ended so stupidly in the end, but the memory of it will forever be imprinted in the souls of compatriots, and not only that.

Ivan Poddubny: brief biography and personal life of the great wrestler

This handsome, stately man, with a bullish physique, seemed to have stepped out of a picture about ancient Greek deities or Russian epic heroes. However, his difficult fate often causes mistrust in those who begin to study it. It is so implausible that many consider it a hoax or an ordinary lie. However, in fact, who this is - Poddubny can be easily figured out if you start from the very beginning and clearly understand that the only thing that Ivan Maksimovich has never tolerated in life is lies and giveaways. But let's figure it out gradually, without getting ahead of ourselves.

Interesting

This amazing man, Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny, was born in Tsarist Russia. He shone like a real pearl in the circus and sports arenas of Europe and America. He managed to survive the occupation in one breath, without pretending, and even received the title of Master of Sports of the Soviet Union. Having gone all this long way, the wrestler managed to remain the same simple-minded and naive child, who was easy to deceive and cheat, which is what everyone who was not too lazy did.

Ivan Maksimovich has really come a long way. He experienced the ascent to the top, passionate feelings, love and betrayal, he saw victories and deception. All these trials fell on him, although he did nothing to deserve them, but descendants will remember the story of Poddubny, who managed to travel a seventy-year-long journey without being noticed in a single meanness, in a single word of untruth or lie. Let's tell the biography of a man whom even the fascist occupiers respected and did not dare to contradict him.

Childhood and youth of the future wrestler: I came out body and face

Many people are interested in where they come from, that is, where Poddubny was born, which is where the story should begin. The life of the future fighter and great man Ivan Maksimovich, about whom the whole world would later talk, began in the tiny village of Bogodukhovka, which nestled very comfortably near a river with the strange name Irkley, which was previously included in the Poltava district. He was born into a present family Zaporozhye Cossack named Maxim Ivanovich Poddubny and his wife Anna Danilovna, nee Naumenko, also belonging to an old Cossack family, September 26, 1871.

Everything that the boy had at the beginning of his life, he inherited from his parents. There were legends in the village about the strength and beauty of Maxim Ivanovich. He kept a small farm, which he worked on himself, without hiring farm laborers. They say he could easily carry a horse or a cow from place to place. Something is also known about the mother; she had an angelic voice and perfect pitch, which her offspring also inherited. In addition, all her relatives were known as long-livers. For example, they talked about her grandfather, who was twenty-five years old in the army, and then cheerfully ran about the farm until he was one hundred and twenty years old, and died because he was hit by a log while building a neighbor’s house.

Little Vanyatka grew up just like the rest of the children in the village, tending geese and helping his parents as best he could, but his heroic strength was immediately noticeable. At the age of twelve, in order to help the family financially, his father gave Vanyusha to a farm laborer, where they were always happy with him. He transported grain, grazed herds of cows and horses, mowed and collected bread and hay, and was not afraid of work. And he continued to help at home. By the age of fifteen, he was already so strong that he easily took a young bull by the horns and bent him to the ground so that he could not escape at all. People said that he took after his father, who could easily stop a chaise with one hand by grabbing it by the wheel. When in the evenings he started a Cossack song behind the hut, long and sad, they came running to listen from the other end of the village.

On holidays and weekends, Maxim and his son Ivan loved to put on a show for people. They grabbed each other by the belts and fought until one of them ended up in the roadside dust. Dad often gave in so as not to seriously injure the teenager’s dignity, but later the wrestler himself would say that only his father was stronger than him. Then Ivan Maksimovich suddenly discovered that the neighbor's curly-haired girl, named Alenka Vityak, who loved to play Cossack robbers with the boys, had turned into beautiful girl with blue eyes like cornflowers and long sand-colored braids. However, wealthy merchant parents mediocre they did not want to give their daughter to a poor farm laborer.

Port stevedore and clerk Poddubny

After he had no luck with his marriage, Ivan decides to move away and goes straight to Crimea, where, according to rumors, loaders made good money. In 1893, he arrived in Simferopol and got a job at the Lavas company, where he would work for the next three years. During this period, even experienced loaders with many years of experience were surprised at his strength, and most importantly, his unsurpassed dexterity, with such a powerful and massive figure. The guy, like feathers, lifted heavy loads, straightened up and straightened his shoulders, and then fluttered like a butterfly along shaky and trembling ladders for fourteen, or even sixteen hours.

In 1896, he was transferred from simple loaders to clerks, since he perfectly knew literacy and arithmetic, which his mother and the church priest taught him, where he sang in the choir on Sundays. Around the same period, Ivan met wrestling athletes Vasily Vasiliev and Anton Preobrazhensky. The guys gave him a biographical essay about the career of Karl Abs, which delighted Poddubny. He began training with new friends who readily acknowledged his superior strength.

The formation and flourishing of an athlete’s career: circus performer and wrestler

By the time Ivan Poddubny was already training hard with his friends in the yard of the nautical classes, he attended a circus performance for the first time. At the beginning of the century, it was fashionable to show not only gymnastic tricks, outlandish people and animals, but also performances by strongmen. He just happened to attend the performance of the Beskorovainy Circus in 1896. True, the young strongman did not immediately dare to enter the arena. Three times, for three days in a row, he went to watch the action and only after that he decided to go out and measure his strength with famous wrestlers who were famous all over the world.

The first combat experience of Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny can be considered precisely this battle in the arena of the traveling “Circus Beskorovainy” in the summer of ninety-six of the nineteenth century. Moreover, the battle was an absolute failure. Experienced specialists who knew their business, operating with special techniques, they gave him a good kick, as the future invincible wrestler later recalled.

The beginning of a sports journey: oh, how strong you are, Mother Rus'

First bad experience I couldn’t discourage a brave and persistent guy from wanting to wrestle. The style of wrestling and the nuances of combat were completely unfamiliar to him, but after a week of performances, the time had come to show Russian-Swiss belt wrestling. Having seen the performance, Poddubny unexpectedly realized that this was exactly the same thing that he and his father demonstrated in the village. Then he prepared, signed up and entered the arena without fear. The athlete’s first fight was remembered by his opponent, as well as by all spectators, for a long time, if not forever.

Everyone recognized the boy who had been beaten the day before, and the opposing wrestler with a smile extended his hand to him for a handshake before the fight. The audience whistled, laughed and promised to give flowers to Ivan in honor of his loss. The gong rang and the opponents grabbed each other. The professional tried to tilt Poddubny’s body to one side, but he stood as if his legs were filled with concrete. No one understood how the legs of the famous and authoritative master described a semicircle in the air, and he himself plopped down heavily on the sand of the arena. There was complete silence in the circus, after which the audience exploded with wild applause, the crowd went wild, only Ivan Maksimovich calmly smiled into his mustache and said, “Well, give me another!”

They also gave another, handsome and powerful Italian, but he also went to earth, like the first. Following him there were nine more wrestlers in a few days, whom the Russian hero scattered like kittens. Among the defeated were many famous personalities, for example, the Italian wrestler Pappy, Borodanov, Razumov and even the future two-time world champion in French wrestling Georg Lurich. However, there was a hitch on the twelfth opponent; he turned out to be an athlete a head taller and twice as heavy as Petr Yankovsky, but even here Ivan managed to achieve a draw.

So Ivanushka, Maksimov’s son Poddubny, began working in a circus in Feodosia and entertained the public until the New Year, and on January 1, 1897, he took his pay, collected his simple belongings and went to Sevastopol, where the famous circus of Turkey stood, where they had already invited him . A special performance was created for the public, since it was, after all, a circus, so he had to perform in his own clothes.

Razumov was put up against him, and when Ivan grabbed the handles on his belt, they simply broke off. The audience roared, because they thought that all this was due to the unprecedented strength of the wrestler. In fact, Mr. Turzzi worked on them with a nail file in advance. However, it was soon announced that the athlete Ivan Poddubny had been transferred from amateur to professional.

Without these proteins of yours: the physical parameters of an athlete

Many are interested in what he really was like, this wrestler Poddubny, who did not let anyone down. It is not difficult to find out, since fortunately the data from his card from the French wrestling championship in Paris, which took place in 1903, has been preserved.

Full height from heels to crown - 184 centimeters.
Weight – 118 kilograms.
The volume of the chest when exhaling is 134 centimeters.
The neck circumference in a relaxed state is 50 centimeters.
Biceps girth – 46 centimeters.
Thigh circumference – 70 centimeters.
Waist circumference – 104 centimeters.

All this “good” was actually given to him by nature; he only had to slightly adjust these indicators through regular training and battles.

The heyday of Poddubny's career

Even in the circus of Feodosia, Ivan Maksimovich realized that it is not at all necessary to be stronger than the enemy, sometimes victory is brought by dexterity and mastery of fighting techniques, which he began to use with success in his career. He trained hard, perfected his techniques, and his fame and fame hurried ahead of him.

Ivan Poddubny was always irritated by championships, which were often dominated by unfair fights, manipulation of results and deception, which he could not tolerate. After a battle with Raoul le Boucher, at the World Championship, who smeared himself with oil and ran around the entire arena like a catechumen, and then also received the winner’s cup, he packs his things and decides to return to Feodosia to work again as a loader. But friends and acquaintances, fans and other wrestlers persuade him to stay to take part in the championship in Moscow.
In May of the fifteenth year of the twentieth century, at the Ozerki Circus in Yekaterinoslav, he defeated the famous wrestler “Black Mask” Alexander Garkavenko, and after him he also knocked down Ivan Zaikin.
During the revolutionary events, he, completely unrelated and uninterested in politics, but only in sports, worked in the circuses of Kerch, and then Zhitomir. In 1922, at the age of more than fifty years, he was invited to Moscow to the central circus. At the same time, the medical commission revealed an absolutely exceptional state of health in the elderly athlete.

In the twenty-fourth year he went on a long tour of the United States, and in February the 26th he already took the American Champion Cup that rightfully belonged to him, and all this at the age of fifty-five! Our compatriots really had something to be proud of.

Titles and awards

During 1904-1910, the athlete Poddubny became the world's first six-time world champion in Greco-Roman (previously considered French or French-Russian) wrestling.
In 1911 he was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor.
In 1939, he was awarded, as we have already mentioned, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, and at the same time the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR.
In 1945, after the end of the war, Ivan Maksimovich was also awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports of the Soviet Union.

Personal life and death of Ivan: perpetuation of memory and interesting facts

Often personal life famous people far from adding up in the best possible way, this is what happened to Ivan, who is unhappy in love. Just as things had not worked out for him since his early youth, when at the age of twenty he dreamed of marrying a neighbor’s merchant’s daughter, so things went well. Although the mighty handsome man with a dashing Cossack mustache had enough affairs and loves, he did not dream about this at all, but about a quiet family life on the shore of the gentle and warm sea, surrounded by a bunch of kids.

Loves and marriages

At the very beginning of his circus career, when Alenka’s blue eyes were completely erased from his memory, Ivan suddenly unexpectedly and unrequitedly fell in love with the tightrope walker Emilia, who was ten years older than him. He was ready to get married and have children, but the Hungarian beauty-acrobatic soon found herself a new boyfriend, more experienced and rich, and that was the end of the relationship. But he did not suffer for long, because just once he saw the fragile girl Mashenka Dozmarova, he immediately realized that he was lost; the gymnast captivated him with her defenseless and pure beauty. But it didn’t work out here either, since literally on the eve of the wedding, she fell from under the dome and fell with all her might into the arena, from where she was carried out under a white sheet.

In 1910, Ivan meets the dazzlingly beautiful Antonina Kvitko-Fomenko, who was also of noble birth. The couple decides to go to the village, but no idyll worked out. At first everything went well, but then the wife began to skillfully pump money out of her husband, squandering it left and right, and then she completely fled abroad with the first white officer she came across, running away from the revolution in 1919. She did not forget to grab her husband’s gold awards, which could be sold at a profit. It was a major disappointment, and then the elderly athlete returned to the circus again. Subsequently, she begged him to forgive her, but he remained cold - he did not forgive anyone for betrayal and betrayal.

However, three years later, unexpected luck overtook him - Ivan Maksimovich met his future wife, with whom he will live out his long life. It was not at all by chance that he met Maria Semyonovna Mashonina; she was the mother of one of his students, whom he trained just like that, absolutely without any payment. This marriage turned out to be happy, then Poddubny found peace and love.

Occupation and the fate of the strongman during the war

In 1939, for outstanding services on the path of sports, Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and recognized as an Honored Artist, because he was, after all, a circus performer. After that, he wrestled professionally for two more years, and left the arena only in 1941, having seventy years of life “experience” behind him.

During the war, he lived in Yeysk and served as a bouncer in a bar, while he always wore the order on his chest and never took it off. The Germans respected the strength and power of the elderly athlete and never touched him. He was even offered to move to Germany, but he refused, saying that he was a Russian fighter and would remain so. After the war, denunciations to the NKVD rained down on him, but the authorities did not find anything criminal in his actions.

Death of a hero

A powerful body and bullish health were the hallmarks of Ivan Poddubny. He never had a cold, didn't know what it was high temperature or headache. Once he had to sit in the dungeons of the NKVD for almost a week in 1937, but this could not break him, although there was almost a belt in the basement cold water. Ivan Maksimovich spent the post-war years in terrible poverty, malnourished and under-drinking, because the rationed bread was not enough for him even to maintain life in his body.

He slowly sold all his awards, and then, returning from the market in 1945, he tripped and fell, after which he could no longer walk, as he broke his femoral neck, which never healed. He died on a hot day on August 8, 1949, in the city of Yeisk from a stroke (heart attack) that knocked him down. He was buried in the city park, now there is a monument there, and opposite there is a sports school named after him.

Perpetuation of memory and interesting facts

Such great man, as Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny must definitely remain in people’s memory, as it happened. Beginning in 1953, memorials to Poddubny began to be held, and since 1962, tournaments were held in his honor and named after him. In 71, a museum was opened in memory of the invincible fighter, and the next year a pleasure boat in the Feodosia seaport was named after him. In 2011, a bronze stele in memory of Poddubny was installed in Yeisk with a memorial inscription. However, the public has always been more interested in interesting facts about his private life.

Ivan Maksimovich ordered himself a special cane, with which he constantly walked to increase the load. She weighed exactly sixteen kilograms, and he liked to “accidentally” drop her on the feet of his companions.
Rumors that Poddubny was a vegetarian have no basis; he himself never said anything like that. But it is known that during the occupation, the Germans gave him five kilograms of meat a month out of respect. In addition, it is known that he was very fond of pilaf, and this dish certainly cannot be prepared without meat, and even quite fatty one.
Poddubny's main trick was a number with a telegraph pole. He put it on his shoulders and people clung to him on both sides until the pillar itself could not stand it and broke.
After reading several books on athletics and wrestling, Ivan Maksimovich created a training schedule for himself. He ran, jumped, lifted weights, worked out with dumbbells and showered himself cold water.
The disgraced Frenchman Raoul le Boucher, who at the first meeting achieved a draw on his territory, tried to order the murder of the Russian Goliath, but he failed. There were several more attempts, but they also failed.

In addition, it is believed that Poddubny has a huge amount of funds left in American and European banks, which his unlucky first wife was unable to obtain and squander. However, Ivan Maksimovich himself could not receive them, which is why he returned from a tour of the States almost empty-handed. Even the NKVD tried to find out account numbers from him, torturing the giant with a soldering iron, but nothing was achieved, he only chuckled in his gray mustache and repeated one thing - as if the money had been stolen and there was no way to get it back.

- (1871 1949) Russian athlete, Honored Artist of Russia (1939), Honored Master of Sports (1945). In 1905 08 world champion in classical wrestling among professionals. In 40 years of performances, he has not lost a single competition. Since 1962 they have been held... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Russian professional wrestler, athlete, Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1939), Honored Master of Sports (1945). In 1893-96 he worked as a port loader... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Poddubny, Ivan Maksimovich- Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny (1871 1949), world champion in classical wrestling among professionals (1905 1908). For 40 years of performing in Russia and on the international stage, he has not lost a single competition. Poddubny memorials have been held since 1962. ... Illustrated encyclopedic dictionary

- (1871 1949), athlete (classical wrestling), circus performer, Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1939), Honored Master of Sports (1945). In 1899 he joined E. Truzzi's troupe. He worked in various circuses in Russia and toured abroad. In 1905 08 world champion... Encyclopedic Dictionary

Genus. 1871, d. 1949. Athlete (Greco-Roman wrestling). World champion in classical wrestling among professionals (1905 08). In all the years of performances (more than 40 years), he has never been defeated. Honored Artist of Russia (1939). Honored Master... ... Large biographical encyclopedia

Ivan Poddubny Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny on a postage stamp of Ukraine Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny (Ukrainian Ivan Maksimovich Piddubny) (September 26 (October 8) 1871 village of Krasenovka in Cherkassy region now Ukraine August 8 ... Wikipedia

Wikipedia has articles about other people with the same surname, see Poddubny. Ivan Poddubny: Poddubny, Ivan Vladimirovich (born 1986) Russian football player, futsal player. Poddubny, Ivan Maksimovich (1871 1949) Russian and... ... Wikipedia

Poddubny, Ivan Vladimirovich (born 1986) Russian football player, mini football player. Poddubny, Ivan Maksimovich (1871 1949) athlete, professional wrestler of the Russian Empire ... Wikipedia

Ivan Maksimovich (1871 1949), world champion in classical wrestling among professionals (1905 1908). For 40 years of performing in Russia and on the international stage, he has not lost a single competition. Since 1962, memorials to Poddubny have been held... Modern encyclopedia

IN early XIX centuries, wrestling was considered the “queen of sports” - it just so happened: fashion is made up of a thousand and one factors. Russia was considered the birthplace of real strongmen, and all because of Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny. Then he was considered a real giant: his height was as much as 184 centimeters, by modern standards, we can say that this was slightly above average (we are growing, sir), but by old standards he was a giant. True, Ivan’s other characteristics were very good: weight - 118 kg, biceps - 46 cm, chest - 134 cm when exhaled, hip - 70 cm, neck - 50 cm. Impressive.

In a way, Ivan proved that strength and physique are inherited. Ivan's father, Maxim, had exceptional height, strength and an impressive constitution. They often fought with their father for the amusement of the local residents. Like everything amazing in this world, Ivan took the first step on the path to sports from unhappy love: they didn’t want to give Alenka Vityak, the giant’s first love, to a poor man, so Ivan sent his steps to earn money in Stavropol, where he planned to accumulate more gold and achieve her hands are a commendable thrust.

Our hero worked at the port for fourteen hours a day, easily moving heavy bags and boxes. Afterwards he ended up in Feodosia, where he rented a room with two sailors who told Ivan about the benefits of training and physical exercise. And then the circus arrived. Ivan Beskorovainy circus. In addition to the standard set of guta-percha girls/boys, jugglers and illusionists, the program included strongmen and wrestlers with whom you could measure your strength. Poddubny decided to take part and suffered his first crushing defeat. This gave the future champion some serious motivation: not only did our hero quit drinking and smoking, but he completely changed all his habits and began training every day with 32-kilogram weights and a 112-kilogram barbell. Started to harden.

This is how Poddubny got into the circus. He became a celebrity and a dream for ladies almost immediately. He fought many people with sashes, and the most famous was his trick with a telegraph pole. The essence of the procedure was that a telegraph pole was placed on Poddubny’s back, 10 people hung from both ends of the pole and pulled him down. All this ended with the pillar simply breaking under Poddubny’s strong back.

But everything changed when Ivan received a telegram from St. Petersburg in which someone invited the strongman to an “important conversation.” As it turned out, this was an invitation from the chairman of the St. Petersburg Athletic Society, Count Ribopierre, to become a real classical wrestler. Poddubny was given a trainer and premises, and training began immediately.

All this was in order to take a Russian man to Paris to a classical wrestling competition, where 130 opponents were already waiting for Ivan. Ivan won 11 times in a row, and he had a fight with his boss - the crowd's favorite, a handsome man of enormous height and broad shoulders, Raoul le Boucher. This fight was difficult and epic. It turned out that Raul was smeared with some kind of greasy substance, so Poddubny could not grab him. The judges stopped the fight, but could not offer anything better than drying Raul with a towel every five minutes. The fight lasted an hour, no one could win, but de Boucher, slippery in every possible sense, was declared the winner, because he evaded the attack perfectly. Of course, it's easy to dodge an attack when you're slippery! However, in the future Raul will count for this. When he comes to St. Petersburg next time and the rematch takes place, the cunning Frenchman will offer Ivan a bag of money to refuse the fight, but Ivan will not only refuse the money, but will also make de Boucher suffer in the full sense of the word. For twenty minutes, under the hooting of the crowd, de Boucher stood on his knees, crushed by Poddubny, who thus decided to punish Raoul for cheating.

Then Poddubny had a happy time of victories and other joys, until 1910, then somehow there was no time for struggle, revolution, sir. Sometimes Poddubny began his performances in cities (as he himself said) “with the whites, and ended with the reds.” In 1910, perhaps the most famous anecdote with Poddubny happened. The first school of jiu-jitsu appeared in Paris, founded by a Japanese martial artist. The new art was surprising, because a small man could easily fight people larger and stronger than him. Poddubny was put up against the Japanese. The jiu-jitsu master knocked Ivan off his feet with his first sweep-kick; his fast attacks extremely surprised the straightforward Poddubny. But it ended with Ivan simply grabbing the Japanese man by the kimono and breaking his thigh on his leg, as if it were just a stick. Why is he showing off? In 1922, Poddubny, in his sixties, returned to the ring.

The Soviet government also respected the strongman. In 1939, he was even given the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

Old age came to Poddubny during the era of occupation. The Germans who occupied Yeysk knew very well what kind of strange, strong, gray-haired man he was, who easily threw Wehrmacht soldiers out of taverns when they got drunk like sacks of hay. The Nazis respected Poddubny, gave him 5 kilograms of meat a month and even invited him to his homeland to become a coach, but Ivan refused in every possible way.

Poddubny’s life was interesting, but he was not too happy in love. Most of the women only wanted money from him, one of the giant’s lovers fell from a great height into the circus arena, the other ran away with a rich officer. A strong body and high needs also worked out for Poddubny. After the war, severe famine began, and Poddubny only had the rations that were issued for a month for a day. In addition, he broke his hip. Poddubny died in 1949.

Ivan Poddubny- this name has become the embodiment of physical power and unyielding Russian character. A fight with him was a real test of strength for every fighter, and only a few dared to take revenge. Above all, he valued honesty in people, respected strength, and severely punished meanness and deception. Our article is devoted to the biography of the legendary “Champion of Champions” and a true Russian hero.

Hereditary Cossack Ivan Poddubny.
Childhood and athlete's youth

Ivan Poddubny born on October 8, 1871 in the village of Bogodukhovka, Poltava province. Childhood and athlete's youth took place in Ukraine. He was from a family hereditary Cossacks, famous for their enormous strength and longevity. According to rumors, Ivan’s grandfather lived for 120 years, however, there is no documentary evidence of this. However, the heroic power of the Poddubnys is an undeniable fact. The head of the family, Maxim Ivanovich, had powerful strength and a stern disposition. They tell how one day, already world famous, Ivan decided to show off his strength and tied a poker in a knot. The father calmly unbent the iron rod and gave it a good smack on the back of his careless son, so that in future he would not spoil things.

The father and his eldest son often entertained the villagers by staging belt fights - a favorite heroic pastime of Russian strongmen. Ivan more than once managed to lay his parent down on his shoulder blades, although he was always sure that he simply gave in to him. When the future champion was once asked if there was a person stronger than him in the world, he answered without hesitation: “There is - my father!”

From childhood, Ivan was accustomed to hard peasant labor: he helped cultivate the land and worked as a laborer for wealthy relatives. The strongman inherited an excellent ear for music from his mother and sang in the church choir on Sundays.

If fate had decided otherwise, the world might never have known about the “Champion of Champions” Ivan Poddubny. But in the life of the village strongman there came a time turning point, forcing him to leave his parents' home and go in search of a better life. This happened after they refused to marry Ivan to the girl with whom he was madly in love. The parents were looking for a more profitable match for their daughter than a young farm laborer. Poddubny, who had a hard time experiencing this breakup, could no longer remain in his native land. In 1892 he moved to Sevastopol.

Becoming a "Champion of Champions" It started in Crimea. To earn a living, Ivan Poddubny gets a job as a loader at the port. Colleagues were amazed at his colossal strength and endurance. Ivan tirelessly carried heavy-duty boxes and bales along the gangway, without even bending under their weight. IN free time The strongman went to the circus, watching with delight the performances of acrobats and strongmen. One day he volunteered to participate in a Swiss wrestling match. The straightforward hero, who did not know all the tricks of this competition, was almost immediately knocked down.

The defeat forced the strongman to think hard and reconsider his lifestyle. Among his friends were avid fans of wrestling and weightlifting. They gave Ivan the idea do strength training. Poddubny begins to exercise every day with three-pound weights and a 112-kilogram barbell, and douses himself with cold water. In addition, he sets for himself strict diet, completely eliminating tobacco and alcohol. Explores the intricacies of modern wrestling.

His re-entry into the arena was met with deafening whistles. Remembering the previous failure, the audience prepared to watch a boring spectacle. But the challenger surprised everyone by putting the circus strongman on his shoulder blades. Poddubny had a series of brilliant fights, defeating, among other things, the famous Russian wrestler Georg Lurich , and a duel with another famous athlete, Peter Yankovsky ended in a draw. After such a deafening triumph, the name of Ivan Poddubny thundered throughout Russia.

In 1897, he got a job in the Italian Truzzi Circus, which toured all over the world. Black Sea coast. Performs in the arena, demonstrating miracles of strength. So, in one of the rooms they broke a lamppost on his back. On the advice of a colleague, the athlete grows a lush mustache, which has since become his integral attribute.

World famous And
the most spectacular fights
Ivan Poddubny

One of the most famous fights of Ivan Poddubny took place during his circus tour in Novorossiysk. Quite quickly putting the massive Swedish wrestler Anderson on his shoulder, the Russian strongman made many doubt the fairness of the fight. Outraged by such rumors, Ivan invited his opponent to have a rematch. Having agreed with the organizers, the Swede agreed, but on the condition that Poddubny would lose.

A refusal could destroy the reputation of both the circus and the athlete himself, since the fight had already been announced, and all tickets for it were sold out in advance. Yielding to the persuasion of his colleagues, Ivan agreed to go against his conscience. However, at the sight of his opponent’s smug face, he couldn’t stand it. The Swede did not have time to come to his senses when he found himself hanging a few centimeters above the ground. Ivan Poddubny lay on his back, feigning defeat, and without visible effort held his squirming opponent at arm's length. Burning with shame, Andersen fled from the circus, amid the laughter and hooting of the crowd.

By 1903 in Russia Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny there were no equals in strength and sportsmanship. Among the strongest fighters Russian Empire he is recommended to participate in the World French Wrestling Championship. This type of martial arts was new to the athlete, but thanks to hard training and perseverance, he managed to master it in just three months.

At the tournament, which brought together famous athletes from all over the world, the Russian wrestler won 11 victories in a row. In the final, Poddubny had to fight with a young but promising athlete Raoul Le Boucher . The fight was extremely tense, the initiative passed from one opponent to another. However, it soon became clear that the Frenchman was outright cheating by smearing himself with oil before the fight. By all international rules the fight should have been stopped immediately and the victory awarded to the Russian athlete. However, there was a lot of money at stake, which decided the outcome of the confrontation.

The judges made a very dubious and illogical decision to wipe down the French wrestler every five minutes. Within an hour, Poddubny failed to put the enemy on his shoulder blades, and Raoul Le Boucher was declared the winner on points. The decision of the panel of judges was met with deafening whistles. By that time " Russian bear"managed to captivate the French public, who were extremely outraged by the unsportsmanlike behavior of their compatriot.

For the honest and straightforward Poddubny, this defeat was a real shock. Not wanting to be a puppet in the hands of greedy businessmen, he decides to leave the sport. But a year later he returns to take part in the world championship in French wrestling, held in St. Petersburg. Here he again met his offender. Realizing that this time defeat could not be avoided, Raul offered his opponent a substantial bribe for the loss.

Ivan Poddubny answered the way he knew best - harshly, but within the rules. During the fight, he forced his opponent to kneel and held him in this position for a quarter of an hour, until the judges took pity on Raul, asking him to be released. By that time the Frenchman was already on the verge of hysterics.

In the final battle Poddubny managed to defeat the great Paul Pons . The fight lasted almost two hours, after which the Frenchman was completely exhausted and presented an extremely sad sight. Under the deafening roar of the crowd, the Russian wrestler laid him down on his shoulder blades, becoming the new world champion in French wrestling.

Another interesting one fight of Ivan Poddubny occurred in the summer of 1904 in Moscow. His opponent was famous for his rudeness and unsportsmanlike behavior Johann Abs. The fight was so fierce that within half an hour the fighters literally smashed the stage decorations to pieces. Finally, enraged by his opponent’s antics, Poddubny threw him out of the lists. A few minutes later he came back, dragging the struggling German by his belt, and with all his strength he pressed his forehead against the floor of the arena. Abs soon came to his senses, but he remembered the lesson taught by the Russian hero for the rest of his life.

In 1908, at a tournament in Berlin Ivan Poddubny defeated the German champion in the decisive battle Jacob Koch. And the day before, the German recklessly tried to bribe the Russian champion. The next day, the German press came out with revealing materials, branding Koch as a swindler and a coward. And Poddubny, according to apt expression one of the journalists has since been called “ Champion of champions».

"Golden" period in It is generally accepted that the years 1905-1910, when the Russian athlete dominated the fight, leaving no room for his opponents one chance. During this time, he managed to become a four-time world champion. Ivan Maksimovich kept his awards in a separate chest, which by the end of his sports career weighed more than 30 kilograms! Tired of the behind-the-scenes intrigues of big-time sports, the wrestler decides to stop performing and retire.

Return to native land.
Personal life of Ivan Poddubny

Return to homeland passed without unnecessary pomp. The family greeted Poddubny with great warmth. Even Maxim Ivanovich, who repeatedly threatened to kill prodigal son Shafts, for performing in public “in a shameful state” (in a wrestling tights) changed his anger to mercy.

Using the money accumulated over the years of performances, the athlete bought his own estate and 120 acres of land, which he divided among his closest relatives. That same year he married the first beauty of his village - Antonina Kvitko-Fomenko. But alas, calm and happy life it didn't work out for the former champion. The farm quickly fell into disrepair, and his wife, having appropriated part of his rewards, ran away with her lover. For the honest and respectable Poddubny, his beloved’s betrayal came as a bolt from the blue. Black melancholy took possession of the “Champion of Champions”, almost driving him to the grave. Much later, Antonina repented of what she had done and begged for forgiveness, but she never received it.

However, this was not the first time that a gullible hero became a victim of female cunning. While working in the circus, he started an affair with the beautiful tightrope walker Emilia, but she, having played with his feelings, ran away with a fan. Poddubny once bitterly joked about this that if anyone managed to lay him down, it was only women.

Talking about personal life Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny, one cannot fail to mention his main love - a circus acrobat Masha Dozmarova. Masha performed mind-blowing stunts under the circus big top, without any insurance, and she paid for it by falling to her death during the performance. A piece of the “Russian Bear” himself died along with her.

With his last wife, Maria Semyonovna Mashonina, Ivan met in 1922 while touring in Rostov-on-Don. The athlete lived with her until the end of his days.

Return of the champion.
Conquest of the New World

Having survived his wife’s betrayal and sold off his failed household in order to cover the debts of negligent relatives, Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny decides to do what he has always done best - fight and win. Return of the Champion was a resounding success. In the spring of 1915, he holds two victorious fights against Alexandra Garkavenko, nicknamed “Black Mask”, as well as his friend and one of the strongest fighters in the world - .

IN troubled years civil war the invincible “Russian Bear” did not support any of the warring parties, promoting only sports and healthy image life. World famous helped him and his family get through it hard time. However, it became more and more difficult for the legendary athlete to earn a living in the “land of the Soviets” every year, and he made the difficult decision to leave for America.

Conquest of the New World began by the Russian champion in 1925, when he was already 55 years old. However, even in mature age He was in such good health that he was allowed to participate in the competition without question. In the United States by that time, freestyle wrestling was very popular, fights in which often had the character of a bloody spectacle, without any rules.

Ivan Poddubny, who valued sporting honor above all else, was simply not ready for this. In the very first fight, the opponent tried to grab the Russian hero by the mustache, which he greatly regretted in the next minute. The Soviet press widely covered the successes of the “Champion of Champions,” turning him into a tool of socialist propaganda.

Fight with the invincible American champion Joe Strencher, famous for its steely grip, ended in a draw. Soon after this Ivan Poddubny decides to leave a country alien to him, where everything is subordinated to the cult of money, and sport has degenerated into an ugly spectacle that promotes violence and cruelty. Having broken all contracts and at the same time losing fabulous money, in 1927 he returned to his homeland.

Leaving the sport.
Years of war and occupation

Returning to the Soviet Union, Ivan Poddubny continued to perform as a circus wrestler and strongman. Despite the fact that he had already crossed the 60-year-old mark, few young athletes could compete with his strength.

One of the few who managed to put the “Russian Bear” on his shoulder blades was a young Ryazan wrestler Ivan Chufistov . This happened in 1924. After that defeat, Ivan Maksimovich hugged his opponent and said with a sigh: “I lost not to you, but to my old age!”

In 1939 for outstanding sporting achievements Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny The Order of the Red Banner of Labor was solemnly awarded, which the athlete was very proud of and did not remove even during the years of fascist occupation. In addition, he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR.

In 1941, Poddubny announced his leaving sports. Together with his wife and adopted son he settled in the resort town of Yeisk, where a couple of years earlier he had bought a cozy house with a large garden. Here the former athlete experienced years of war and occupation. He flatly refused to leave the surrounded city, citing the fact that he was already old and had nothing to lose.

And again worldwide fame Poddubny became his ticket to life. The Germans invited him and his family to go to Germany and train young athletes, but the Russian hero responded with a firm refusal. For such insolence, anyone could be thrown to the wall without trial, but the German leadership, appreciating the courage of the elderly athlete, left him alone. Moreover, in order to feed his family, he was asked to work as a security guard in a billiard room. The old athlete agreed to this and honestly fulfilled his duties. Quite a few tipsy fascist soldiers were reasoned with by the stern “Russian Bear”, which they were quite proud of and boasted to their colleagues that Ivan Poddubny himself threw them out of the door.

Sunset of life.
The tragedy of the strongman

Sunset of life the legendary athlete met in poverty and oblivion. In 1945 he was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, but no financial assistance the outstanding athlete was not provided with any assistance; even a request for a daily free bowl of soup remained unanswered. In order not to die of hunger, Poddubny sold the remaining awards. IN recent years he practically did not walk due to a compound fracture of his leg. This time Ivan’s good health failed him - the damaged bone stubbornly refused to heal. The life of the legendary "Champion of Champions" Ivan Poddubny broke in 1949. He died of a heart attack at the age of 78.

The great athlete was buried in Yeisk, modestly, without celebrations. Much later, grateful townspeople installed a tombstone on his inconspicuous grave with the carved inscription: “Here lies the Russian hero.” And in 2011, a monument to the great athlete was unveiled in Yeisk. A museum has been opened in the house where Ivan Maksimovich spent the last years of his life.

In memory of the “Champion of Champions” several documentaries and artistic paintings, including: " Ivan Poddubny: The tragedy of the strongman» (2005) and " Poddubny"(2014). The role of the legendary strongman in last movie performed by famous Russian actor Mikhail Porechenkov.

Interesting facts from biographies
Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny

IN biography of Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny there are many facts indicating that the life of the “Champion of Champions” sometimes hung by a thread. The first time this happened was during his Parisian tour. Raoul Le Boucher, remembering his humiliating defeat, hired four thugs to deal with the offender. But the raiders did not know who they had contacted. Having received a fair beating, they returned to the employer empty-handed and began to extort money for the damage caused. The next morning, the French wrestler was found at home, beaten to death.

In 1919, Poddubny was almost killed by the Makhnovists, and in 1920, the security officers miraculously avoided shooting him, mistaking him for an enemy of the people. In Kerch, a White Guard officer shot at him. The only thing that saved the athlete from inevitable death was that the shooter was dead drunk and therefore missed, slightly scratching his shoulder.

The symbol of Ivan Maksimovich’s truly heroic strength was his famous cane. Made to special order, it weighed 16 kilograms! Not everyone could even simply lift such a weight, but the athlete himself walked with it so easily and naturally, as if it were carved from wood.

It's hard to believe, but IvanPoddubny was a convinced vegetarian. He did not recognize meat in any form. He ate mostly porridge and was very fond of borscht and cabbage pies. The “Russian Bear”’s appetite matched his colossal strength, but at the same time the athlete never suffered from obesity, but on the contrary, he always remained bravely strong and fit.

Of course, heroes, like Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny– these are unique and naturally gifted people. However, it is absolutely not necessary to be a descendant "Champion of Champions" or becoming a vegetarian to help realize the potential within each of us. Intensive work on oneself and perseverance in achieving goals is the secret to the success of all natural athletes. But at the same time we must not forget about proper nutrition. To improve your physical performance, it will be useful to include complexes of vitamins and minerals in your daily diet.