Leonid Taranenko

Leonid Taranenko
Taranenko (center) at Moscow Olympics, 1980
Personal information
Born (1956-06-13) June 13, 1956
Malaryta, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union

Leonid Arkadevich Taranenko (Russian: Леонид Аркадьевич Тараненко, born June 13, 1956) is a former Soviet/Belarusian weightlifter. His 266 kg clean and jerk in 1988 is still the largest amount ever lifted in competition, though no longer an official world record due to restructuring of weight classes.

Weightlifting career

Taranenko in 1986.

Taranenko trained at VSS Uradzhai in Minsk. His first major success took place at the 1980 Olympics, when, competing for the Soviet Union, he won the gold medal in the 110 kilogram class with a 422.5 kg total.

He was unable to compete in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles due to the Soviet boycott; however, competing in the 1984 Friendship Games, Taranenko won the 110 kg class with a world record total of 442.5 kg, exceeding the winning total in Los Angeles (by Norberto Oberburger) by 52.5 kg.

After this, Taranenko moved up to the super-heavyweight class. Lifting in Canberra, Australia on November 26, 1988, he set a world record of 266.0 kg in the clean and jerk, and 476.0 kg in the total, when combined with his 210.0 kg snatch.

Due to the restructuring of the competitive weight classes that took place in 1993 and 1998, these lifts are no longer recognized as the official world records, but as of 2018, the 266kg clean and jerk remains the highest ever achieved in competition, and the total of 476kg remained the highest ever achieved until broken by Lasha Talakhadze at the 2017 World Championships.

In 1992, Taranenko represented the Unified Team at the Olympics in Barcelona. He took the silver medal in the super-heavyweight class with a total of 425.0 kg.

Taranenko's other victories include the 110 kg class titles at the 1980 World and European championships, and super-heavyweight titles at the 1990 World championship and 1988, 1991, and 1996 European championships.

Career bests

  • Snatch: 210.0 kg in the class over 110 kg
  • Clean and jerk: 266.0 kg (the largest amount ever lifted in competition, but no longer an official world record due to restructuring of weight classes)
  • Total: 442.5 kg (200.0 + 242.5) 1984 in Varna in the class to 110 kg
  • Total: 476.0 kg (210.0 + 266.0),[1] in Canberra, Australia on November 26, 1988, in the class over 110 kg.
  • Back Squat: 380 kg with a two-second pause at rock-bottom
  • Front Squat: 300 kg for a triple
  • Olympic Press: 230 kg

[2] [3]

Major result

Year Venue Weight Snatch (kg) Clean & Jerk (kg) Total Rank
1 2 3 Rank 1 2 3 Rank
Olympic Games
1980Soviet Union Moscow, Soviet Union110 kg182.5182.519022202352401422.51st, gold medalist(s)
1992Spain Barcelona, Spain+110 kg187.5187.5--2232.5237.5242.524252nd, silver medalist(s)
1996United States Atlanta, United States+108 kg--------------------
World Championships
1979Greece Thessaloniki, Greece110 kg182.52nd, silver medalist(s)2205402.53rd, bronze medalist(s)
1980Soviet Union Moscow, Soviet Union110 kg182.5182.51902nd, silver medalist(s)2202352401st, gold medalist(s)422.51st, gold medalist(s)
1985Sweden Södertälje, Sweden+110 kg1853rd, bronze medalist(s)232.55417.54
1986Bulgaria Sofia, Bulgaria+110 kg2002nd, silver medalist(s)------
1987Czechoslovakia Ostrava, Czechoslovakia+110 kg202.53rd, bronze medalist(s)2651st, gold medalist(s)467.52nd, silver medalist(s)
1990Hungary Budapest, Hungary+110 kg1951st, gold medalist(s)2551st, gold medalist(s)4501st, gold medalist(s)
1993Australia Melbourne, Australia+110 kg1851901954232.5242.5--5422.54
European Championships
1980Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Belgrade, Yugoslavia110 kg1901st, gold medalist(s)2301st, gold medalist(s)4201st, gold medalist(s)
1985Poland Katowice, Poland+110 kg1852nd, silver medalist(s)2301st, gold medalist(s)4152nd, silver medalist(s)
1986East Germany Karl-Marx-Stadt, East Germany+110 kg1952nd, silver medalist(s)242.51st, gold medalist(s)437.52nd, silver medalist(s)
1988United Kingdom Cardiff, United Kingdom+110 kg207.51st, gold medalist(s)2552nd, silver medalist(s)462.51st, gold medalist(s)
1990Denmark Ålborg, Denmark+110 kg2052nd, silver medalist(s)247.53rd, bronze medalist(s)452.53rd, bronze medalist(s)
1991Poland Władysławowo, Poland+110 kg2001st, gold medalist(s)247.51st, gold medalist(s)447.51st, gold medalist(s)
1996Norway Stavanger, Norway+108 kg180180182.52nd, silver medalist(s)220227.5232.52nd, silver medalist(s)4151st, gold medalist(s)
USSR Weightlifting Championships
Summer Spartakiad of the Soviet Union
Cup of the Soviet Union

Notes and references

  1. Taranenko lifted 476.0 kg in the total, but for the competition results, the weight was normalized to the standard interval of 2.5 kg.
  2. "Leonid Taranenko". Lift Up. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  3. "Leonid Taranenko Interview".
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