The story of the "iron" Lev Moskalev-fighter from the USSR

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

We often hear stories from the older generation that begin with the words: "But before …". Stories, as a rule, that people used to be stronger morally and physically, did not panic over trifles, but went out and did. And if in your youth you are skeptical about this, then over the years you begin to realize that before people really were like steel.

Soviet wrestler Lev Moskalev is one of those. Iron.

Salvation from tuberculosis

Since childhood, Moskalev loved to delve into bicycles and cars. He had truly golden hands. While still a schoolboy, he helped repair cars, and at 16 he was already working as a mechanic in the bicycle section. It's funny that for all his technical skills, he rode very badly on the same bicycles. Even the girls overtook him!

Health problems were one of the main causes of weakness in sports. When Lev was in his third year at the Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, he weighed only 48 kg. The fact is that since childhood, the guy was registered at the tuberculosis dispensary. We have all now put our lives on pause due to the coronavirus, but in the middle of the twentieth century, tuberculosis was no less terrible. Almost all of the young man's relatives died from this disease, never reaching old age.

And Moskalev was able to defeat his illness. And all thanks to sports!

“What kind of fight? You can't touch it with your finger!"

During training in the cycling section, he was noticed by the wrestling coach Boris Baryshev. I noticed for one single reason - Moskalev weighed only 48 kg, and Baryshev did not have a single fighter in this weight. The coach begged Lev's mother and the dean of the faculty for a long time, but the latter was adamant: “What are you, what kind of struggle? You can't even touch him with a finger, he is even freed from physical education, "- quotes the Saratov walking and running club" Falcon ".

However, the persuasion was crowned with success. The coach promised that his ward will not even have to fight: you just need to go out on the carpet, shake hands with the opponent, and then refer to the injury. The plan should have worked. But when Lev stepped onto the carpet, everything went according to a different scenario.

"Yes, I'll fill it up"

Despite poor physical fitness, Moskalev was an ambitious guy. Everyone expected that he would give up the fight, as planned, but he suddenly threw something completely unexpected towards the coach: "Yes, I will fill him up." They tried to stop the lion, but he was already determined to fight.

The opponent was well prepared. The result is a defeat in the very first seconds, an injury to the collarbone and a broken arm. After a few seconds, the guy lost consciousness.

The coach had to somehow explain what had happened to the dean and Leo's mother. After all, he promised them that nothing would happen to the young man, but in the end he brought back a barely living student who, by the way, was still registered for tuberculosis. Surprisingly, Baryshev managed not only to explain himself, but also to agree on additional classes with the sickly boy.

Everybody does 100 push-ups, he does 500

He took him under his wing and made a unique athlete and champion out of a 48-kilogram man. Lev became a master of sports not only in freestyle wrestling, but also in Greco-Roman, as well as in sambo and judo. In freestyle wrestling and sambo, he won the USSR championship many times.

Moskalev did not have a special secret of success: he simply trained a lot. When everyone did 100 push-ups, he did it 500 times. And even tuberculosis retreated under such pressure, although the doctors unanimously said that heavy physical exertion would destroy the young man.

After serving in the army, Moskalev remained in Kazakhstan for 15 years, where he became the champion in sambo and freestyle wrestling 15 times in a row. And on his return to his native Saratov, Lev did not abandon his favorite business. Moreover, he just began to travel around the cities and fought with everyone. I just wrote out the competition calendar on a piece of paper, got on the motorcycle and hit the road.

They don't do that anymore

At 45, Leo never thought to stop! He became the winner of the SAMBO Spartakiad of the RSFSR, having completed ahead of schedule all his fights with rivals who were at least twice his age. Once he took to the carpet against the Olympic medalist in Tokyo Oleg Stepanov, who was also an eight-time champion of the USSR. But there was an embarrassment: the transfer of Stepanov's titles lasted longer than the fight itself. The judges did not dare to give Moskalev the victory after the first throw, but after a minute it was all over.

Even at the age of 70, Moskalev went to Los Angeles for the World SAMBO Championships among veterans. He faced rivals who were 45-50 years old. It would seem, what are the chances of the "iron" grandfather? But, as it turned out, the rivals did not have a chance. Moskalev defeated them all and became world champion.

Lev Moskalev lived to be 80 years old and remained devoted to the sport until the very end.

Yes, these people are no longer made!