Born on November 7, 1948 in the village of Ust-Kamzas, Kemerovo region. Then his family moved to the village of Sizaya, not far from the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station in the Shushensky district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. After school I went to Abakan to study as a driver. I came to the freestyle wrestling section of coach V.I. Charkov.

In 1966 he began training in Krasnoyarsk with D. G. Mindiashvili.

In 1968 he won the youth championships of Russia and then the USSR. In preparation for the 1970 USSR Championship, he trained under the guidance of Vladimir Gusev and Alexander Okhapkin.

In 1970 he won the RSFSR championship and in the same year became the champion of the USSR.

In 1971, at the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR, he lost to Vladimir Gulyutkin from Kiev.

Titles and awards

• two-time Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling
• USSR champion 1970 and 1973
• The first absolute champion of the USSR
• European champion 1972, 1975, 1976
• world champion 1973
• Five-time World Cup winner
• The order of Lenin
• Order of the Red Banner of Labor
• Order of Friendship of Peoples (1985).

Bibliography

In 1995, I. S. Yarygin’s book “Severe Men’s Games” was published in Krasnoyarsk.

Memory

1. As a sign of special services to world sports, the International Amateur Wrestling Federation (FILA) established a tournament for the I. S. Yarygin prizes in 1990. The first tournament was held in Abakan, and the rest are held in Krasnoyarsk. The international freestyle wrestling tournament in memory of Ivan Yarygin is held annually in Krasnoyarsk at the Ivan Yarygin Sports Palace.
2. One of the Tu-160 aircraft (b/n - 04, Engels-2) is named after Yarygin.
3. On November 7, 1998, on the Olympic Village Square in Moscow, on Udaltsova Street, where the participants of the World Youth Games lived and trained, a monument and memorial plaque “Olympic Village named after Ivan Yarygin” was unveiled.
4. On March 8, 2002, a monument to Ivan Yarygin was unveiled in Krasnoyarsk.
5. In Krasnoyarsk, the sports palace is named after him

Ivan Sergeevich Yarygin
Ivan Yarygin, photo from 1976
Occupation:	Freestyle wrestler
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:	With. Ust-Kamzas, Kemerovo region
Citizenship:	USSR, Russian Federation

Ivan Sergeevich Yarygin- athlete of the Soviet Union and Russia, freestyle wrestler, world champion, absolute champion of the USSR, twice won a gold medal at the Olympic Games.

In 1972 he became an Honored Master of Sports in freestyle wrestling.

Biography

Ivan was born on November 7, 1948 in Ust-Kamzas near Kemerovo. After which, he and his family moved and lived in the village of Sizaya, Krasnoyarsk Territory. Ivan considers the village of Sizaya to be his homeland.

Ivan was born into a typical village family, where he had ten brothers and sisters. Since childhood, Ivan stood out for his height and strength. Parents worked hard to feed all family members and involved the elders in the work. He was also destined to become a collective farmer, but Ivan was strongly drawn to sports. As a child, he constantly played football, which his parents were indignant about, because their son Ivan would soon have to start working in the field. After graduating from school, Yarygin went to the city of Abakan, the capital of Khakassia, with the goal of training to become a driver. Here he got into the freestyle wrestling section under the guidance of coach Vladimir Ilyich Charkov.

In sports circles, Ivan Yarygin is called “the last Russian hero” for his physical fitness, the nature of the fight and many victories. Contemporaries spoke of Ivan as a pleasant, friendly and easy-to-communicate person.

Rapid sports career

Since 1996, he trained in the city of Krasnoyarsk with Dmitry Georgievich Mindiashvili, in the future the best coach of the Soviet Union. He instilled in Yarygin the highest sense of responsibility.

Two years later, Ivan Sergeevich won the youth championships of Russia, and then the USSR. I prepared for the 1970 USSR Championship under the guidance of coaches Alexander Sergeevich Okhapkin and Vladimir Evgenievich Gusev.

In 1970, Yarygin became a prize-winner at the RSFSR Championship and champion of the USSR.

There have been defeats in the history of fighters. At the 1971 Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR, he lost to Vladimir Gulyutkin from Kyiv.

Constant training has borne fruit.

In 1972, at the Olympic Games in Munich, Ivan set a world record, spending only 7.2 minutes on all his fights and at the same time defeating all his opponents. This has never been seen in the history of freestyle wrestling. This brought him his first Olympic medal.

In 1973, Yarygin won the World Universiade.

Ivan received his second Olympic medal in 1976 at the Olympics in Montreal. He had the honor of carrying the flag of his team at the closing of the 1976 Olympic Games.

Won the World Cup. During his career he became the Cup champion five times. Soon he became the winner at the international freestyle wrestling tournament in the capital of Georgia - Tbilisi.

For ten years, starting in 1982, Ivan was the head coach of the USSR national freestyle wrestling team. Ivan put his whole soul into this work. He has previously combined his coaching activities with his performances on the mat.

In 1993, he became president of the Russian Wrestling Federation and a member of the bureau of the International Federation of United Wrestling Styles. He was a member of these organizations until his death in 1997.

Death

On October 11, 1997, young Yarygin died in a car accident on the Makhachkala-Kislovodsk road in the Stavropol Territory near the city of Neftekumsk on the border with Dagestan. He was buried at the Troekurovskoye cemetery in Moscow. There is a legend that a fortune teller predicted his tragic death shortly before the incident.

Memory

In 1990, an international tournament for the Yarygin prizes was held. The international tournament in memory of Yarygin is held every year in Krasnoyarsk at the Sports Palace named after him. Moscow also has a wrestling palace named after Ivan Yarygin.

A famous aircraft is named after him.

In 1998 in Moscow and in 2002 in Krasnoyarsk, monuments were opened in his honor. In the name of I.S. Several streets, a museum, etc. are named after Yarygin.

In 2001, a documentary film about the legendary wrestler Ivan Sergeevich was released.

Bibliography

Ivan Yarygin made a huge contribution to the development of wrestling and wrote several works on this topic. His book “You Go to the Carpet” was published in Moscow. And in 1995, his book “Severe Men’s Games” was published in Krasnoyarsk.

The Siberian nugget became famous not only for his victories, but also was an example of Russian character, honor and dignity outside the carpet.

“FIT BUT NOT TRAINED”

Wrestling in Russia has always been more than just a sport, and its outstanding representatives cannot be listed on a piece of paper. One of them stands apart in this stellar company. Ivan Yarygin is a ready-made hero of novels and patriotic films, a man of boundless kindness and breadth of character, like Siberia, a classic image of a Russian hero. They said about him that a wrestler is not a profession, but a way of life and a way of life.

Like his great predecessor Ivan Poddubny, Yarygin as a child did not even think about a career as a wrestler and did not study special techniques, although according to legend, at the age of 15 he could beat any stocky man in a logging camp with his belts. Being the seventh child in the family, from childhood he helped his father and older brothers with work, and spent all his free time in a vacant lot, playing football with the boys. Tall and long-armed Yarygin could have become an excellent goalkeeper, but fate and Krasnoyarsk wrestling coach Vladimir Charkov, who saw remarkable inclinations in the boy, prepared a different destiny for him.

Yarygin resisted the coach’s persuasion for a long time, but in the end he decided to try. The debut turned into painful defeats and last place in the tournament. It was not in his nature to retreat, and the desire to prove it to himself and others took over. Ivan took up the fight thoroughly. He soon found himself in the army, where he attracted the attention of the famous wrestler Dmitry Mindiashvili, who gave the young man a scathing description: “Fit, but not trained” - and transferred him to the sports company.

UPS AND DOWNS

The first success with the new mentor was not long in coming. Yarygin effortlessly won all the bouts at the national youth championship in Riga, and soon became the champion of the USSR among adults. In those years, as in modern times, winning a national championship was sometimes more difficult than becoming an Olympic champion.

Yarygin went to his first European Championship in full confidence of his victory, but in the final he learned a lesson for life and was tactically outplayed by the experienced Turk Ahmet Ayik.

Yarygin's performance at the Games in Munich is still called the best example of freestyle wrestling in history. The Krasnoyarsk wrestler demonstrated almost incredible speed for a 100-kilogram giant. On the way to the Olympic gold, Ivan spent only 7 minutes 20 seconds, defeating all his opponents ahead of schedule. This record remains unbroken to this day. It was not easy even for Yarygin to cope with the worldwide fame that had washed over him. He called 1974 a black year in his career, since he could not win a single competition for a long time. The opponents thoroughly studied Ivan's fighting style, while he himself allowed himself to relax. The defeats became the necessary impetus to become stronger and repeat the Olympic triumph in Montreal.

“Ivan experienced every loss very strongly,” recalled his wife Natalya. “I didn’t blame anyone for the defeats, but I completely regretted that I couldn’t make it to the third Olympics.”

That defeat at the Union Championship finally convinced Yarygin to end his career as an athlete and switch to coaching. “During a fight, I think more about whether my bald spot is visible,” joked 32-year-old Ivan.

CHARACTER

Even when he was an athlete, Yarygin willingly shared his skills with young people, showing everyone his signature techniques in detail. The coaches did not always like such openness, and therefore they tried to restrain Ivan, setting him as an example Alexander Medved, who always kept young people at a distance and did not shy away from once again intimidating a young competitor. Yarygin couldn’t do that and was sincerely surprised: “Well, let the guys study!” He willingly shared not only his experience, but also his money. Already in the 90s, having won 160 thousand dollars in a casino, the next day he easily distributed it to all his neighbors: “Such money does not bring income, it must be given as a gift.”

In the role of mentor, Yarygin succeeded no less, preparing the strongest team in the history of the USSR in the 80s. Two-time Olympic champion Arsen Fadzaev recalled how at the Olympics in Seoul he could not make the required weight. Only the composure of Yarygin helped him avoid failure, who went with the athlete to the bathhouse, ordered the door to be closed, and after half an hour the extra half a kilogram was gone.

Yarygin's students and relatives feared and respected him so much that they understood him from a half-gesture. If in a male company Ivan Sergeevich folded his arms on his chest, it means that someone is behaving too arrogantly. Usually such a warning instantly sobered up the opponent in a dispute, and therefore Yarygin did not have to use his heroic strength. The only exception was one case in a trolleybus, when a wrestler rushed to the aid of a boy who was being beaten by two huge foreheads. To sober up the scattered hooligans and send them running, a couple of blows were enough for Ivan.

FATAL PROPHECY

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Yarygin headed a united federation of both styles of wrestling. In order to preserve his native sport, he had to learn new skills, because what was happening in the 90s fit the definition of “fighting without rules” more than wrestling. The legendary wrestler had to constantly deal with lies and betrayal, and for such an honest person, every deception of his friends was a strong blow. However, Ivan had enough strength and courage to cope with this and unite the complex wrestling family, which to this day feels like a single whole at the memorial in his memory.

On that fateful night of October 11, 1997, Yarygin was returning to his wife from a competition in Dagestan. Not far from Neftekumsk, the BMW, where the wrestler was with his friends, drifted into the oncoming lane, and at a speed of 140 km/h the car rammed a truck standing on the side of the road. According to legend, a fortune teller predicted Yarygin’s death in a car accident, and a few years before that, an evil fate killed Ivan’s father and three brothers. Finally, two months before his death in a car accident, his son Sergei miraculously survived.

But even after Yarygin’s death, his house is annually full of guests on Ivan Sergeevich’s birthday - November 7th. It’s rare that living people can gather about a hundred friends at one table, who don’t even need to be specially invited. The great wrestler Ivan Yarygin is still alive in the hearts of his friends, colleagues and rivals, because he knew how to value this friendship.

Awards and medals

Freestyle wrestling (men)
Olympic Games
Gold	Munich 1972	Up to 100 kg
Gold	Montreal 1976	Up to 100 kg
World Championship
Gold	Tehran 1973	Up to 100 kg
world Cup
Gold	Toledo 1973	Up to 100 kg
Gold	Toledo 1976	Up to 100 kg
Gold	Toledo 1977	Up to 100 kg
Gold	Toledo 1979	Up to 100 kg
Gold	Toledo 1980	Up to 100 kg
Europe championship
Silver	Berlin 1970	Up to 100 kg
Gold	Katowice 1972	Up to 100 kg
Silver	Madrid 1974	Up to 100 kg
Gold	Ludwigshafen am Rhein 1975	Up to 100 kg
Gold	Leningrad 1976	up to 100 kg
Universiade
Gold	Moscow 1973	Up to 100 kg
State awards

Ivan Sergeevich Yarygin(November 7, 1948 - October 11, 1997) - Soviet and Russian athlete, freestyle wrestler; two-time Olympic champion. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1972).

Biography

Born on November 7, 1948 in the village of Ust-Kamzas, Kemerovo region. Then his family moved to the village of Sizaya, Krasnoyarsk Territory. After school I went to Abakan to study as a driver. I came to the freestyle wrestling section of coach V.I. Charkov.

In 1968 he won the youth championships of Russia and then the USSR. In preparation for the 1970 USSR Championship, he trained under the guidance of Vladimir Gusev and Alexander Okhapkin.

In 1971, at the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR, he lost to Vladimir Gulyutkin from Kiev.

Titles and awards

• Honored Master of Sports in freestyle wrestling (1972),
• Two-time Olympic champion (1972, 1976),
• World Champion (1973),
• Five-time World Cup winner (1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980),
• European Champion (1972, 1975, 1976),
• Silver medalist of European champion (1970, 1974),
• Winner of the World Universiade (1973),
• USSR Freestyle Wrestling Championship 1970 - 01! ;
• USSR Freestyle Wrestling Championship 1972 - 02! ;
• USSR Freestyle Wrestling Championship 1973 - 01! ;
• Freestyle wrestling at the 1975 Summer Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR - 03! ;
• USSR Freestyle Wrestling Championship 1978 - 03! ;
• USSR Freestyle Wrestling Championship 1980 - 03! ;

Bibliography

• I. S. Yarygin. You go out onto the carpet. Moscow. Soviet Russia, 1989.
• I. S. Yarygin. Harsh men's games. Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarsk book publishing house, 1995.

Memory

Documentaries

• - “Ivan Yarygin. Memories" - a documentary video (52 min.) about two-time Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling Ivan Sergeevich Yarygin. Scriptwriter, director and cameraman Yuri Elkhov. Ivan Yarygin Foundation (Moscow).

Write a review of the article "Yarygin, Ivan Sergeevich"

Notes

Literature

• Great Olympic Encyclopedia. T. 1-2. Author-compiler V. L. Steinbach. - M.: Olympia Press, 2006. - 784+968 pp.: ill.
• Pavlova, Anna// Our Krasnoyarsk region. - 08/28/2014. - No. 63 (653).

Links

• - Olympic statistics on the website Sports-Reference.com(English)

Excerpt characterizing Yarygin, Ivan Sergeevich

Prince Andrei grinned, looking straight into Anna Pavlovna’s face.
“Dieu me la donne, gare a qui la touche,” he said (the words Bonaparte said when laying on the crown). “On dit qu"il a ete tres beau en prononcant ces paroles, [God gave me the crown. Trouble is the one who touches it. “They say he was very good in saying these words,” he added and repeated these words again in Italian: “Dio mi la dona, guai a chi la tocca.”
“J"espere enfin," Anna Pavlovna continued, "que ca a ete la goutte d"eau qui fera deborder le verre. Les souverains ne peuvent plus supporter cet homme, qui menace tout. [I hope that this was finally the drop that overflows the glass. The sovereigns can no longer tolerate this man who threatens everything.]
– Les souverains? Je ne parle pas de la Russie,” said the Viscount politely and hopelessly: “Les souverains, madame!” Qu"ont ils fait pour Louis XVII, pour la reine, pour Madame Elisabeth? Rien,” he continued animatedly. “Et croyez moi, ils subissent la punition pour leur trahison de la cause des Bourbons. Les souverains? Ils envoient des ambassadeurs complimenter l"usurpateur. [Sirs! I'm not talking about Russia. Sirs! But what did they do for Louis XVII, for the queen, for Elizabeth? Nothing. And, believe me, they are being punished for their betrayal of the Bourbon cause. Sirs! They send envoys to greet the thief of the throne.]
And he, sighing contemptuously, changed his position again. Prince Hippolyte, who had been looking at the Viscount through his lorgnette for a long time, suddenly at these words turned his whole body to the little princess and, asking her for a needle, began to show her, drawing with a needle on the table, the coat of arms of Condé. He explained this coat of arms to her with such a significant air, as if the princess had asked him about it.
- Baton de gueules, engrele de gueules d "azur - maison Conde, [A phrase that is not translated literally, as it consists of conventional heraldic terms that are not used entirely accurately. The general meaning is this: The coat of arms of Conde represents a shield with red and blue narrow jagged stripes ,] - he said.
The princess listened, smiling.
“If Bonaparte remains on the throne of France for another year,” the Viscount continued the conversation that had begun, with the air of a man who does not listen to others, but in a matter that is best known to him, following only the course of his thoughts, “then things will go too far.” Through intrigue, violence, expulsions, executions, society, I mean good society, French, will be destroyed forever, and then...
He shrugged and spread his arms. Pierre wanted to say something: the conversation interested him, but Anna Pavlovna, who was watching him, interrupted.
“Emperor Alexander,” she said with the sadness that always accompanied her speeches about the imperial family, “announced that he would let the French themselves choose their mode of government.” And I think there is no doubt that the whole nation, freed from the usurper, will throw itself into the hands of the rightful king,” said Anna Pavlovna, trying to be polite to the emigrant and royalist.
“This is doubtful,” said Prince Andrei. “Monsieur le vicomte [Mr. Viscount] quite rightly believes that things have already gone too far. I think it will be difficult to go back to the old ways.
“As far as I heard,” Pierre, blushing, again intervened in the conversation, “almost the entire nobility has already gone over to Bonaparte’s side.”
“That’s what the Bonapartists say,” said the Viscount, without looking at Pierre. – Now it is difficult to know the public opinion of France.
“Bonaparte l"a dit, [Bonaparte said this],” said Prince Andrei with a grin.
(It was clear that he did not like the Viscount, and that, although he did not look at him, he directed his speeches against him.)
“Je leur ai montre le chemin de la gloire,” he said after a short silence, again repeating the words of Napoleon: “ils n"en ont pas voulu; je leur ai ouvert mes antichambres, ils se sont precipites en foule”... Je ne sais pas a quel point il a eu le droit de le dire [I showed them the path of glory: they did not want to; I opened my front doors to them: they rushed in a crowd... I don’t know to what extent he had the right to say that.]
“Aucun, [None],” the Viscount objected. “After the Duke’s murder, even the most biased people stopped seeing him as a hero.” “Si meme ca a ete un heros pour certaines gens,” said the Viscount, turning to Anna Pavlovna, “depuis l"assassinat du duc il y a un Marietyr de plus dans le ciel, un heros de moins sur la terre. [If he was a hero for some people, then after the murder of the Duke there was one more martyr in heaven and one less hero on earth.]
Before Anna Pavlovna and the others had time to appreciate these words of the Viscount with a smile, Pierre again burst into the conversation, and Anna Pavlovna, although she had a presentiment that he would say something indecent, could no longer stop him.
“The execution of the Duke of Enghien,” said Monsieur Pierre, “was a state necessity; and I precisely see the greatness of the soul in the fact that Napoleon was not afraid to take upon himself the sole responsibility in this act.
- Dieul mon Dieu! [God! my God!] - Anna Pavlovna said in a terrible whisper.
“Comment, M. Pierre, vous trouvez que l"assassinat est grandeur d"ame, [How, Monsieur Pierre, you see the greatness of the soul in murder," said the little princess, smiling and moving her work closer to her.
- Ah! Oh! - said different voices.
– Capital! [Excellent!] - Prince Ippolit said in English and began to hit himself on the knee with his palm.
The Viscount just shrugged. Pierre looked solemnly over his glasses at the audience.
“I say this because,” he continued with despair, “because the Bourbons fled from the revolution, leaving the people to anarchy; and Napoleon alone knew how to understand the revolution, defeat it, and therefore, for the common good, he could not stop before the life of one person.
– Would you like to go to that table? - said Anna Pavlovna.
But Pierre, without answering, continued his speech.
“No,” he said, becoming more and more animated, “Napoleon is great because he rose above the revolution, suppressed its abuses, retained everything good - the equality of citizens, and freedom of speech and the press - and only because of this he acquired power.”
“Yes, if he, having taken power without using it to kill, would have given it to the rightful king,” said the Viscount, “then I would call him a great man.”
- He couldn't do that. The people gave him power only so that he could save him from the Bourbons, and because the people saw him as a great man. The revolution was a great thing,” Monsieur Pierre continued, showing with this desperate and defiant introductory sentence his great youth and desire to express himself more and more fully.
– Are revolution and regicide a great thing?... After that... would you like to go to that table? – Anna Pavlovna repeated.
“Contrat social,” the Viscount said with a meek smile.
- I'm not talking about regicide. I'm talking about ideas.
“Yes, the ideas of robbery, murder and regicide,” the ironic voice interrupted again.
– These were extremes, of course, but the whole meaning is not in them, but the meaning is in human rights, in emancipation from prejudice, in the equality of citizens; and Napoleon retained all these ideas in all their strength.
“Freedom and equality,” said the Viscount contemptuously, as if he had finally decided to seriously prove to this young man the stupidity of his speeches, “all big words that have long been compromised.” Who doesn't love freedom and equality? Our Savior also preached freedom and equality. Did people become happier after the revolution? Against. We wanted freedom, and Bonaparte destroyed it.
Prince Andrei smiled, looking first at Pierre, then at the Viscount, then at the hostess. At the first minute of Pierre's antics, Anna Pavlovna was horrified, despite her habit of light; but when she saw that, despite the sacrilegious speeches uttered by Pierre, the Viscount did not lose his temper, and when she was convinced that it was no longer possible to hush up these speeches, she gathered her strength and, joining the Viscount, attacked the speaker.
“Mais, mon cher m r Pierre, [But, my dear Pierre,” said Anna Pavlovna, “how do you explain a great man who could execute the Duke, finally, just a man, without trial and without guilt?
“I would ask,” said the Viscount, “how the monsieur explains the 18th Brumaire.” Isn't this a scam? C"est un escamotage, qui ne ressemble nullement a la maniere d"agir d"un grand homme. [This is cheating, not at all similar to the way of action of a great man.]

The legendary Ivan Yarygin, who will be discussed in our article, is famous for his achievements all over the world. People involved in freestyle wrestling never tire of remembering this Russian hero, who passed away so early. Despite the fact that he lived so short - only 48 years old - he managed to achieve unprecedented results in his sport. It was thanks to such a brilliant success after the death of the hero that the Palace named after Ivan Yarygin was opened, a monument was built in his honor, an interesting film was made about him and much more was done that does not allow us to forget about such a great athlete.

Birth of a legend

There are different facts about where the freestyle wrestling legend was born. Some say that Ivan Sergeevich Yarygin was born in the village of Sizaya (Krasnoyarsk Territory), but this is not so. The family moved there after the birth of their son. And the significant event itself took place on November 7, 1948 in Ust-Kamzas (Kemerovo region). But Ivan practically did not remember this place of residence, so he rightfully considered Sizayu his homeland. The fact that he lived in this region played a decisive role in Yarygin’s life. After all, it was there and at that time that Dmitry Georgievich Mindiashvili was and worked. This man became Ivan’s coach, and this is none other than the best coach of the Soviet Union, and subsequently of Russia.

To this day, Dmitry is proud that he raised such an athlete. Ivan attended school, and after classes he went to training. This is how their communication went. But, unfortunately, after graduating from school, Yarygin left the Krasnoyarsk Territory and went to the city of Abakan, where he began studying to become a simple driver. At the same time, Ivan did not stop wrestling. In 1968, the championship was held among the youth of Russia, and then the Soviet Union. Yarygin won brilliantly both there and there. At this period of his life, Ivan’s coaches were Vladimir Gusev and Alexander Okhapkin. It was they who led him to the Russian championship, and then the entire Union, where he became the absolute champion. This happened in 1970. That's how the whole world learned about him.

Participation in the Olympic Games

Since then, freestyle wrestling has taken the main place in Ivan’s life. Ivan Yarygin won over and over again, but there were also defeats. After all, without this, growth and work on oneself is impossible. His first loss was in 1971 in a fight with Vladimir Gulyutkin from Kyiv. This did not dampen the athlete’s ardor, and he continued training. Success was reflected in defeating seven wrestlers in Germany at the Olympic Games in 1972. The most amazing thing is that he did it in just seven minutes and twenty seconds. In addition to the gold medal, he earned worldwide fame and recognition at this tournament. This medal was not the last. Four years later, he went to Montreal for the Olympics and took his second gold. The height of recognition and respect was the fact that Ivan carried the flag of the Soviet Union, walking ahead of the Olympic team. Later there were many competitions both in Europe and in the world, and everywhere Ivan was the winner.

Coaching work

Of course, Ivan Yarygin did not stop at his achievements as a wrestler, and he wanted to pass on his experience and skills to other athletes. Therefore, in 1993, he became a coach and continued to engage in this activity until the tragedy. It is worth noting that Ivan faced many problems in this area. Coincidentally, it was during this period of time that the country stopped financially supporting this sport, and he had to try hard to find money for the development of freestyle wrestling.

One of his students was the Ukrainian wrestler Ilya Mate. Having met his student at one of the competitions, Ivan lost this fight, which did not upset him at all. He was of the opinion that it is necessary to give way to young and promising athletes, and Ilya’s victory was rather a compliment to him as a coach. He even gave Mate the right to participate in the next Olympics, because he was a hero not only in strength, but also in heart. The athlete’s character has always amazed the people around him. A generous, good-natured person is exactly the definition that suits his personality. Typically, successful athletes become secretive, reluctant to make contact and rarely talk about their affairs. Ivan never hid the special fighting techniques that brought him success and victories. He easily shared everything he knew with his friends, and this surprised his coaches. They tried to slow him down, but he was relentless. Ivan believed that young guys should adopt and enhance what older athletes know.

Character in personal life

Having such an impressive appearance, Ivan Yarygin never used his strength in everyday life. Wherever he was, he always behaved with restraint. But as soon as someone started getting impudent or rowdy, Ivan just had to stand up and fold his arms crosswise on his chest. The troublemaker immediately understood that he needed to calm down, because no one wanted to get involved with such a person. Friends remember only one case when Ivan had to use force. He saw bandits beating one boy and stood up for him. True, the fight lasted only a few seconds. After a couple of blows the villains were defeated.

The neighbors of the great wrestler recall the incident when Ivan won a large sum of money in a casino, and instead of keeping it for himself, he divided it among his neighbors, which caused a whole mountain of emotions and gratitude.

As for Ivan’s family, his parents were simple people who came from the village. Besides him, there were 10 children, and father and mother had to work hard to provide for such a large family. According to tradition, as soon as one of the children grew up, he also began to work and help. The family expected the same from Ivan, so playing sports did not make the parents very happy. But Ivan was relentless in his desire and chose sport over rural work.

Versatile personality

Ivan Sergeevich Yarygin was a very versatile person and, in addition to wrestling, was also fond of football. By the way, he started playing this sport during his school years, and continued in Abakan. He was best suited to the role of goalkeeper. Football connoisseurs claimed that he would become a wonderful goalkeeper. But a freestyle wrestling coach noticed him in time and directed the guy’s talent in the right direction.

It's not just the football section that has lost a great player. Basketball could also acquire a great athlete in him. At least that's what the coaches thought.

Tragic death

It’s sad to remember the day when the world learned about the death of the fighter. On October 11, 1997, Ivan Yarygin was driving a car along the highway from Makhachkala to Kislovodsk. A tragic accident - and the great man was gone. The relatives did not have time to come to their senses, and Ivan was no longer alive. They say that he had a presentiment of his death, as he was predicted to die early. But these are just rumors. But in reality, he did not have time to do very many of the planned things.

We remember and mourn

Considering the merits of the athlete, the public tried to perpetuate his name in all possible ways. This is how the Ivan Yarygin tournament appeared, a museum was opened, a monument was erected, a film was made, and even a supersonic plane TU-160 was named after him. All this allows us to remember this legendary man and try to bring to life everything that he did not manage to do. The Palace of Ivan Yarygin was built in Krasnoyarsk. This is a place for sports in which young people never tire of citing the successes and results of this famous wrestler as an example.

Memory of a hero

Ivan was buried with honor at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow. Those who remember and honor the memory of Ivan can come here and lay flowers. It should be noted that flowers can be seen on the grave almost constantly. This suggests that the legend of freestyle wrestling has not been forgotten.