 |
A 337 lb Alexeyev psyches up at the 72 Olympics. Take a good look at that game face. Would you want to square off with this man in a contest of will? |
| Vasily is all business as he chalks up to put the finishing touch on his first Olympic championship. |
 |
 |
Here he is seen in his trademark trance prior to his last exercise at the Munich games. "There are times when you think, 'How am I going to lift such a heavy thing?' ", he was once quoted. |
| He is at the lowest point of the clean before 'driving up'. |
 |
 |
Another popular shot of the same that showed up on the web around the time of the 1996 Olympics. |
| His final attempt with 507 lbs in the jerk in Munich was captured in this picture used for the cover of Sports Illustrated. |
 |
 |
This shot of the lift appeared on the cover of Strength & Health. While all of his lifts and triple sum registered as Olympic records, he set no world records at this event. |
| This is the medal ceremony from the 72 Olympics. On the stand with him are Rudy Mang (l) and Gerd Bonk (r). I had forgotten how impressive Bonk looked until I dug out this picture. |
 |
 |
This is the Moscow celebration for the Soviet medalists of the Munich games. This picture gives a pretty clear sense of his celebrity status. |
| Alexeyev surprised all of us when he showed up less than a year later at the 73 European championships in Madrid weighing a 'scant' 315 lbs. |
 |
 |
But it didn't seem to affect his ability to do battle with the barbell... |
| ...or to set records. Here he is readying his final jerk of 240 kg (529.2 lbs). |
 |
 |
The victor...as usual. |
| A bit out of order, this is the champion in the introduction of the supers in Madrid. |
 |
 |
Also out of order, this is another shot of Vasily performing the snatch at the 1972 Munich Olympics. |
| This is a news clipping that appeared in a French newspaper in 1972. |
 |
