Sergei Beloglazov
Twin-born champion who ruled the bantamweights of the 1980s
- Born
- September 16, 1956, Kaliningrad, Russia
- Nationality
- Soviet Union
- Height
- 165 cm (5′5″)
- Style
- Hook-and-tilt technician
- Weight
- 57 kg, 62 kg
- Active
- 1979–1988
- Status
- Retired · age 70
The medals
2 Olympic golds, 6 world titles
The story
ergei Beloglazov and his twin brother Anatoly both won Olympic gold in 1980, but Sergei kept winning for most of the decade. Born in Kaliningrad, he took the 57 kg title at the Moscow Olympics and then won six world titles between 1981 and 1987, including one a weight class up at 62 kg. The Soviet boycott kept him out of Los Angeles in 1984, and he returned to win a second Olympic gold in Seoul in 1988. His trademark was a tilt throw, gripping the shoulder and hip while hooking the far leg. In 1990 Lehigh University hired him, the first former Soviet wrestler to coach at an American college, and he has since coached national teams on three continents.
Tap a technique with an arrow to learn how it works.
- Olympic champion (1980, 1988)
- World champion ×6 (1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987)
- European champion ×5 (1979, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1988)
- World Cup champion ×5 (1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1986)
- FILA International Wrestling Hall of Fame (2004)
Defining matches
- 1980WINMoscow Olympics (57 kg gold)
- 1982WINWorld Championships, Edmonton (62 kg title, one weight class up)
- 1988WINSeoul Olympics (second Olympic gold)
Steal his tilt: grip the shoulder and hip, hook the far leg and drive your partner over the trapped leg. Drill the hook and the drive together until the throw lands them on their back, not their side.
