Nikolay Yakovenko

Nikolay Ivanovich Yakovenko (Russian: Николай Иванович Яковенко, 5 November 1941 – 22 December 2006) was a heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler from Russia. He won the world title in 1967 and 1969 and Olympic silver medals in 1968 and 1972.[1]

Nikolay Yakovenko

Personal information
Born	5 November 1941 Rostov Oblast, Russia
Died	22 December 2006 (aged 65) Moscow, Russia
Height	180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	100 kg (220 lb)
Sport
Sport	Greco-Roman wrestling
Club	Soviet Army
Medal record Representing the  Soviet Union Olympic Games 1968 Mexico City -97 kg 1972 Munich -100 kg World Championships 1967 New Delhi -97 kg 1969 Mar del Plata -100 kg 1970 Edmonton -100 kg European Championships 1972 Katowice -100 kg

Yakovenko took up wrestling in 1958 and won his first Soviet title in 1961, in the welterweight division. He was included to the Soviet national team in 1967, when he moved up to the light-heavyweight category. In 1969 he won his last Soviet title, in the heavyweight division. He retired after the 1972 Olympics and had a long career as a wrestling coach and official. Between 1973 and 1980 he headed the Soviet Greco-Roman team, and after that coached at Soviet Army clubs in Rostov and Moscow. Starting from 1985 he also headed the physical education department of the Moscow State University of Railway Engineering. Since 2009, an annual Greco-Roman wrestling tournament has been held in Rostov in his honor.[1]