Shot put or Barbell? (interview)

06.03.1966 (Sports)

I recently overheard a conversation. "Arturs Sliede is the best shot putter in Latvia," a blue-eyed blonde told her friend.

"What nonsense," the brunette hissed. "He's a weightlifter, even a child can tell."

When I recounted this conversation to Artur, he smiled: "I'm both. Besides, I used to be a volleyball player."

"Volleyball player?"

"Yes, in 1956, when I was studying at Riga Secondary School No. 45, the guys convinced me to try it."

At first, coach Vilciņš was not at all satisfied with the lanky, clumsy boy. One thing was for sure: Artūrs never missed a single training session. Over time, agility developed, coordination of movements improved, and in 1959, Artūrs was already a first-class volleyball player, a member of the republican school team. 

Once, volleyball players happened to be training in the neighborhood with track and field athletes. Artūrs wanted to try his hand at shot put. “Class,” someone said approvingly when the shot had hit the ground near the thirteen-meter mark. But the thrower himself was generally more excited. And at that very moment he wanted to try his hand at a real track and field competition.

The 13.28 m achieved without training earned the young athlete the title of the winner of the 1959 Riga School Spartakiad. The following year, he participated in the School Spartakiad in Minsk as both a volleyball player and a track and field athlete.

Now Artūrs Sliede is the republican champion and candidate for master of sports in the shot put, but his performance has increased by a good three meters.

During athletics training, when performing strength exercises, Artūrs always found the barbell too light. The athlete decided to try his hand at weightlifting. He tried it, and was so successful that he had no time left for volleyball.

In 1959, Artūrs lifted 202.5 kg in the triathlon, but in 1960 he lifted 275 kg. In 1961, with 330 kg, he won the title of the winner of the republican youth competition, but the following year Artūrs, having added another 22 kg to his personal record, he became the youth champion of the Baltic republics.

Last year, at the age of 22, the young weightlifter lifted 420 kilograms.

"My strength indicators grew incredibly quickly," says Artūrs, and then, as if to justify himself, adds: "Currently, I'm doing best in the bench press, but I predict that soon my real "trump card" will be the snatch, in which athletics helps me develop the necessary speed movements. The javelin and discus are also good."

It turns out that Artūrs has also tried his hand at these track and field disciplines - he achieved a mark of 52 meters in javelin throwing, and is just short of first class in discus throwing. Once, back in his school days, Artūrs had a second class in shooting and a third in cross-country skiing, and did well in chess.

"At the All-Union "Dynamo" Spartakiad in Kiev, I ran the first leg of the 4x100-meter relay in 11.6 seconds," Artūrs said, hesitating a bit, and seeing my surprise, he added: "Of course, 117 kilograms is not a very suitable weight for a sprint. But when the interests of the team demanded it, I just had to run."

In preparation for the 4th Spartakiad of Nations, I have been nominated for both the national track and field athlete and weightlifting team.

"Do you have much time left for rest?" I asked.

Artūrs sighed, not at all happily. «A little. In the evenings I study at the Faculty of Automation and Computing at the Riga Polytechnic Institute. In my third year. But during the day I work as a laboratory assistant.

But of course, I also have free time. In the summer, before competitions, we usually go to the water with our track and field coach Pēteris Vārnas, most often to Lake Jugla. We swim, play basketball, volleyball, I have also learned how to hold on to water skis... Together with my coach, we go to the cinema and concerts. But in the evenings, whenever I have free time, I read. Remarque, Hemingway... I respect such "sharp men", and I think I could read their works endlessly.

«I respect sharp men...» Yes, Artūrs loves a dynamic life, full of struggle. Struggles for kilograms and meters, for knowledge. On the moral and physical beauty of a person: «I plan to do track and field and weightlifting until I'm thirty. But after that, my biggest dream is to seriously focus on athletics.»

We say goodbye. The door slams, and the tall figure quickly disappears into the dusky winter evening. 

I thought, I thought for a long time about the conversation that happened yesterday. This Artūrs Sliede is a nice fellow.

J. ŪDRIS