Anatoli Kraphaty and Leonid Taranenko at the Asian Weightlifting Championships

by Randall J. Strossen, IronMind Enterprises, Inc. © 2004

Almaty, Kazakhstan – Former Soviet Olympic weightlifting stars Anatoli Khrapaty and Leonid Taranenko are among the lifting greats in Almaty, Kazakhstan this week for the Asian Weightlifting Championships.

Khraphaty said that after so many years of lifting, he no longer hits the weights, although he said that might change in the future, but he jogs, and plays tennis and soccer.  Taranenko is once again coaching India's women's team, a position he said he resumed two months ago.  

Khraphaty is from Kazakhstan and closed out his magnificent weightlifting career representing his country, and Taranenko, who is from Belarus, is still credited with the all-time highest official clean and jerk, a whopping 266 kg.

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