Ivan Poddubny: biography. Years of life of Ivan Poddubny

In every country there are national heroes, with whom people are proud. And it does not matter what the political situation is, what forces are being ruled today: a person who brought glory to his country should be revered, and even more so a person like Poddubny Ivan Maksimovich, whose biography is like an interesting novel with all life's vicissitudes.

Childhood and youth

Ivan Poddubny was born on October 9, 1871. His family lived in the Ukraine, in the village of Krasenivka, Poltava province. Today it is the Cherkasy region, where in those days the peasants were engaged in farming. Childhood and the youth of the future champion was held in his native places, where he lived up to 21 years. It was a large family, Ivan was the oldest. But apart from him there were six more children: three brothers and three sisters. Both parents and children were physically very strong and healthy. Maxim Ivanovich, the father of the family, was a healthy man and had enormous physical strength. A real hero, who was compared to Hercules.

Ivan Poddubny: biography, family

The same strong grew and the oldest son - Vanya. He was 15 years old, and he was already taking part in the fight on the sash and was not afraid to get to grips with his father. When he was 22 years old, he left home and worked in Sevastopol as a loader in the port. After working for two years, Poddubny moved to Feodosia. Here he got a job at the firm "Livas". During this period of life Ivan begins to seriously engage in physical exercises. In the mornings he runs around, doing exercises. Constantly engaged with dumbbells, raises weights.

The young years of Ivan Poddubny's life are closely connected with work in the circus. In 1896, the circus of Beskorovainy arrived in Feodosia with a tour. Ivan visited one performance and after that went there every evening. Especially he was interested in a performance in which athletes performed different tricks: lifting weights and bars, breaking horseshoes, bending bars of thick metal. When, at the end of the performance, the athletes suggested that those wishing to repeat their tricks for a reward, Ivan Poddubny decided to test himself and went to the arena. The first attempt was unsuccessful. But Poddubny Ivan is a wrestler on the belts, and he managed to defeat almost all opponents. Only one did not master - the huge giant Peter Yankovsky.

After this presentation, an invitation was received to work in the circus as an athlete. Since then, a passion for circus art has come. In Sevastopol worked the circus of Truzzi, where he went 1897 Poddubny. He was recruited to the troupe of wrestlers under the leadership of Georg Lurikh. After some time - work in the circus Nikitin. And already in 1903 serious training began in the French struggle. From this time the life of Ivan Poddubny changed: he became the winner of all the championships that were held in the country.

Sports achivments

In Kiev, the club of athletes was created, which was laid by the doctors E. Garnich-Garnitsky and A. Kuprin. In this club, Ivan Poddubny, a wrestler by vocation, conducted his trainings. According to the observations of the club doctor, the athlete's ability is that he is able to develop such strong energy at the right moment, which is like an explosion. In difficult and dangerous moments of the struggle, he did not feel embarrassed, did not lose courage. Poddubny was an intelligent and artistic athlete, who liked the audience very much.

By 1903 Poddubny Ivan Maksimovich became a professional wrestler on the belts, which already knew in Kiev, Odessa, Tbilisi, Kazan.

Personal life

Working in the Kiev circus, the athlete fell in love with the gymnast Masha Dozmarova, who performed under the dome of the circus. She was his opposite: a small, fragile girl, who was flexible and fearless. She worked on a trapezoid without insurance.

Ivan watched her performance and was cold with horror, seeing what risk she was exposed to. He was courting her, and it did not go unnoticed: Masha also fell in love with the hero.

The tragic death

They became the bride and groom. And even set a wedding day. The brave man Ivan was not afraid of anything in the world, only he could not look at Masha's speeches. He was so worried and feared for her that his heart ached. There was another speech. Masha performed her number to the music. When the most terrible moment came, the drum roll sounded. When there was a deafening sound, Ivan jumped out into the arena. Masha was lying in the arena, and she was dead.

He wanted to live without her. Experiencing a terrible event, Poddubny leaves the circus. Closed in himself, Ivan did not want to see anyone, talk to no one. He did not know what to do next: go home or go to Sevastopol and work as a loader? When the mental pain subsided, Ivan received an invitation to participate in the World Championships in France.

Russian hero

is he Really looked like a real hero: the growth of Ivan Poddubny was 185 cm. The volume of the chest - 130 cm, biceps - 45 cm. At that time, these indicators were very impressive. At the invitation of GI Ribopier, Poddubny entered the Petersburg Athletic Society and began to seriously engage in the French struggle. Under the guidance of coach Eugène de Paris, the athlete was trained for three months. And now the Russian hero is going to Paris, where the "Casino de Paris" held the championship.

The Paris experience

Poddubny Ivan, a fighter from God, has already won eleven victories, when it was the turn to compete with the champion of Paris Raul de Boucher. It was a young man, but also very strong physically. The age difference was significant: the enemy was 20 years old, Poddubnoy was 35 years old. But he felt during the bout that the Frenchman would win. After a short time the rival began to become covered with sweat and just slipped out of the hands of the Russian hero. The secret was revealed: it turned out that before the start of the battle Raul was greased with Provencal oil. But it was forbidden by the rules of the competition. The fight was stopped at the request of Poddubny: he protested to the judges.

By their decision, the French athlete was wiped every five minutes with a towel, but he still sweated. After the end of the battle, the victory was awarded to Raúl de Boucher. The judges justified their decision by the fact that the athlete skillfully avoided capturing the opponent. Poddubny Ivan Maksimovich decided to take revenge.

Moscow Championship

His victorious procession continued in Moscow, where the championship was held. Poddubny won here all the participants: Shemyakin, Lurikh, Yankovsky. For this he receives a worthy first prize. Next - a trip to the provinces, where sold out in the circus: the reason is Ivan Poddubny. Weight, which he was able to raise without any preparation, - 120 kg. In the circus of Ciniselli in 1904, an international championship was held on the French struggle. To participate in it came a lot of famous fighters, including Raul de Boucher.

Victory in St. Petersburg

A whole month lasted the international championship. All the nobility of Petersburg sat in the forefront of the circus. The Russian athlete did not have a single defeat. Finally came the battle with Raul. Ivan Poddubny, the strong man, changed his technique this time and simply exhausted the Frenchman. Raoul admitted his defeat. Of course, the first prize went to a Russian athlete. Together with the prize, he received a cash equivalent of 55 thousand rubles.

But the victories did not muzzle the athlete's head, and he continued to train, he lived according to the regime. Every morning - charging, weights, dousing with cold water. He daily walked with a metal cane in the fresh air. They never possessed bad habits, such as smoking and alcohol. Ivan Poddubny, whose photo shows this, kept his good health for a long time and looked great.

Saturated life-span

And here again Paris, and again the strongest fighters of all countries of the world. Ivan Poddubny, whose biography is full of championships and victories, is sent to the French capital in 1905. And here the strong man wins all, even the then famous Iron Nese - Danish champion Nese Pedersen. For the championship Poddubny receives the title of world champion and a premium of 10 000 francs. Then he is touring in different countries of the world.

There were trips to Nice, to Italy, Tunisia, Algeria, Germany. Everywhere Poddubny takes first place and receives the first prizes. These years of life of Ivan Poddubny are so saturated, because everywhere he is waiting for victories and prizes, he received the title "Champion of Champions". In Vienna, he was awarded the title of champion in 1907 for the fourth time.

Victory march through Europe

All the years that followed this period were a real victorious procession of Poddubny. 1908 - victory in Paris at the World Championships, 1909 - the sixth victory in Germany. What is the secret of success and victories? First of all, this is an uncompromising character of the champion. He was incorruptible. He did not agree to fight on the proposed scenario. Honor for athletes such as Ivan Poddubny, Ivan Zaikin, Nikolai Vakhturov, Ivan Shemyakin, is more important than money.

Homecoming

The time has come when Ivan Poddubny decided that it was time to leave his sports career. This happened in 1910. Saying goodbye to the circus arena, he returned home to the village of Krasenivka. Years pass, he is almost forty years old, it's time to think about the family. To begin with, the athlete decided to buy himself a land. In Bogohudovka, not far from his village, he bought himself 130 hectares of land Ivan Poddubny. His biography tells that he married, started a family.

He bought allotments for his relatives, built himself a mansion, two mills, bought a beautiful carriage. But the world champion and real professional Poddubny could not become a good landlord. He was illiterate, he could not write well, he did not recognize punctuation marks. At the table, he used tools unskillfully. For Ivan Poddubny, it was too difficult, it is much easier to win in a fair fight than to deal with the economy. Professional conscience and honor - this is the main thing for such people, which should be remembered and now.

The collapse of a quiet life

Only for three years Ivan Poddubny was engaged in the economy. The family for which he tried so hard could not save everything that he gave her: the mill was burned by a younger brother, the second mill was sold to pay off debts. Competitors in the person of Rabinovich and Zarkhi in this "battle" defeated the great athlete. On the carpet, he returned already in 1913.

Ivan Poddubny continued to show excellent results and to cause admiration of fans and spectators. He never violated his principles and fought to an honest victory. But as time passed, life changed. There were global changes in the world: war, revolution. All this has affected the lives of many athletes and artists, culture.

Troubled years

Ivan Poddubny, whose biography is full of events, was also at risk from the activities of various types of militant groups. So, in 1919, drunken anarchists staged a shooting in the circus of Zhitomir. I had to flee without taking any things, no money, to wander around the world. In the city of Kerch, a drunken officer shot him. During the wanderings, he met Nestor Makhno on his way.

There was a civil war, but Poddubny did not want to kill his compatriots, and therefore did not join anyone. He did not want to take arms in hand and continued to fight in the ring. Despite this, the Odessa Cheka arrested the champion. He was lucky only because many people remembered and admired him. The authorities have figured out everything and let him go. At this time, news came from home: the wife went to another man, taking with him and his medals. The sportsman stopped talking and eating, and experienced a terrible depression. He was such, Poddubny Ivan: family and wife who betrayed, ceased to exist for him. Subsequently, his wife wanted to return to him, but he no longer recognized her.

Country of Soviets

Finally, the country began to establish some order, and the leadership came to the conclusion that the circus arena can serve as an excellent place for revolutionary agitation and propaganda. And in 1922 Ivan Poddubny continued his work in the Moscow Circus. While on tour in Rostov-on-Don, Ivan Maksimovich met Maria Semenovna, on whom he married. And even married in the church. Ivan Poddubny, whose photo flew around the world, even began to look younger.

But now he has problems with money. Therefore, it was necessary to tour, as much as possible to participate in various championships. During the NEP he came to Germany. Here, too, won many victories, despite the fact that he was much older than his rivals. Then he went to America - it was 1925.

America, America ...

In America, he began to study the free-style wrestling. After training for a month, Ivan Poddubny was completely ready for the fights. It was a real sensation, in which he was even called the champion of America. But there were problems too: he was forced to stay in this country. Acted in many ways: persuaded, threatened, did not pay money. But he is adamant and returns to his homeland in 1927. Here he continues his performances.

His circus life lasted until the beginning of the 1941 war. At that time he was almost 70 years old. In 1939, Ivan Poddubny was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor in the Kremlin. So the government appreciated his contribution to the development of sports. In addition, he became a well-deserved artist of the RSFSR.

The German occupation

Ivan Poddubny, whose biography, height, weight and worldwide fame inspired respect even to the German invaders, refused to evacuate, and continued to live with his wife in Eisk. He never took off his order, even with the Germans. To somehow make a living, he began to work in a billiard room. The athlete should get food, because he never stopped training.

When the occupation was withdrawn, Ivan Poddubny again went on tour. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, the champion was awarded only in 1945. Despite his age, he continued to lead an active life. And two years later, at the performance in honor of the 50th anniversary of work in the circus arena, the athlete still showed excellent results. But age does take its toll, and this is inevitable.

Cruel reality

After a short time, Ivan Poddubny suffered a fracture of his leg. And very soon, in 1949, he died of a heart attack. Today in the homeland of the champion there is a bust, on which words are written: "Here the Russian hero is lying". Since 1962 international tournaments have been held for the prize of Ivan Poddubny. He was the strongest man on Earth, not only physically, but also spiritually.

But not all of the life of such a remarkable person is known to historians. Many periods when his activity was not fixed, there is confusion with the dates. Some historians claim that Ivan Poddubniy lacked food in the hungry postwar period. For an athlete who constantly trains, a special diet is required. The lack of vitamins, proteins and minerals could adversely affect the health status of the famous hero. But the loss was no longer sufficient. After all, everything should be done on time, but the real heroes of the Fatherland should be protected.