From Vasily Stepanov to Gennady Ivanchenko

26.09.1970 (Sports)

The Latvian Dynamo are celebrating their thirtieth anniversary this month. In recent years, many famous achievements have been recorded in the sports history of our republic by the boys and girls of «Dinamo» emblem on a sports shirt. At different times, good success has been achieved in many sports in various forms, but the society's strongmen - weightlifters - have always been at the forefront.

Since 1948, when the weightlifting section of the Dinamo team was established, Latvian, USSR, European and world records have been broken many times, and many medals have been won. But that's not what we want to talk about on the anniversary days. Weightlifting fans know about our records, medals, championship titles and places won, about successes and failures.

Records and medals are not the main thing. The main thing is that dynamic weightlifters have all these years had its own "face", its own rational core. They have always been able to justify the hopes placed on them, have always been a kind of catalyst for the growth of the strongmen of other societies. And all these years, the strongmen of the Dinami have been raised and inspired by one person, the Merited Coach of the USSR and the Latvian SSR M. Fraifelds. His long-term, fruitful work, his enviable working abilities helped to create a tradition that did not disappear in the days of failures or setbacks. Patriotism, loyalty to the flag of their society and the republic, this is what the weightlifters of the Latvian Dinami are proud of.

There was a time when athletes had to take care of heating the gym themselves, when they could only touch the barbell with gloves on. But no one regretted it, everyone knew why they came to the gym, what they wanted to achieve.

Time passed. The purposeful work and creative searches of the coach and his weightlifting team found their first fulfillment. The name of the Riga weightlifter Vasiliy Stepanov appeared in the lists of the world's strongest men. Stepanov became a kind of benchmark for the rest. And they did not keep themselves waiting. The names of O. Bergmanis, A. Mayasin, V. Lebedev, V. Oganesyanc, Z. Tsijun, A. Diņņikov, J. Abramov, M. Goldin and others have sounded far away. Some, having given their club everything they could, leave, making way for a new galaxy of strongmen. But the "legacy" records and good sporting traditions remain. The young are trying to update the records and continue the traditions. And, as everyone knows, with good success. Currently, the Riga weightlifters have risen to the top ranks of the strongest weightlifters not only in the republic, but also in the All-Union. Let's remember at least the last state championships in Vilnius.

But life sets new demands. He who stands still falls behind. Everyone must reckon with this, even those who are currently in the vanguard. The search for new paths, the abandonment of much for the sake of achieving the set goal, this is the motto of the senior coach of the Dynamo team, M. Fraifelds, and his students.

The fate of a coach can often be compared to a ship in a rough sea: you either rise to the top of a wave or sink among the waves. The main thing for a coach is to always know what you want. Do not give in to a quickly passing "new training method", carefully evaluate it before adopting it into your arsenal. M. Freifelds' biography as an athlete and coach has many pages. Both bitter, joyful, sad or full of tormenting reflections. M. Freifelds was unwavering in his demands: first grow into a real person, then, if you want and can, show high results.

Years passed, people and their sporting achievements grew. The baton was taken over from V. Stepanov by G. Ivančenko and K. Pumpuriņš, V. Łebedevs and V. Pērkons, A. Sliede  and V. Bročs, and the young V. Rogačovs also made a name for himself. But the senior coach was helped by the same enthusiasts of his sport - A. Majasins and L. Gutermans. It can be safely said that the baton has fallen into the right hands. 

Currently, in the Latvian dynamic weightlifting team, any athlete is a bright talent from whom a lot can be expected. Gennady Ivanchenko - the pride of Latvian sports, a man, a fabulously strong and talented, cold-blooded fighter. Kārlis Pumpurlņš - having left the light heavyweight, which tormented him just like Jan Talts recently, is experiencing his second youth in the first heavyweight. We will hear more about him. Artūrs Sliede - an athlete who is only entering the highest orbit of weightlifting. Let Artūrs not "go to his head" from my words, but we expect very heavy kilograms from him in the coming years. The other men of the national team also do not intend to lay down their weapons: veteran Anatolijs Majasins, the closest candidate for the 500m club Vilis Pērkons, former national champion Valerijs Lebedevs, masters of sports Aleksandrs Diņnikovs and Valentin Bročs. And where are the ones that weightlifting fans don't even know yet? It won't be long before they get to know.

From early morning until late at night, in the old, usual, perhaps not even the best gym of the Dynamos, the clanking of discs, so pleasant to the heart of a weightlifter, can be heard. It tells us that the sporting life continues, new records are born in sweat and blisters on palms, new men with a strong character. The torch of records raised by Vasiliy Stepanov is not going to go out. 

Good luck to you, strongmen!

E. Bezmozgis