Anatoli KHRAPATY

Anatoly Khrapaty from Kazakhstan was dominant in the middle-heavyweight class from 1985 through 1990. During that time he was rarely defeated, winning the gold medal at Seoul in 1988, five World titles (1985-87, 1989-90), and five consecutive European titles (1986-90), while taking bronze in light-heavyweight at the 1984 and 1985 European Championships. He was also European junior champion in 1983. Kharpaty won the Soviet light-heavyweight title in 1983 and the middle-heavyweight title in 1986, while taking middle-heavyweight bronze in 1989 and winning the Soviet light-heavyweight cup in 1983 and middle-heavyweight cup in 1985. After the fall of the Soviet Union Khrapaty started to compete for his native Kazakhstan and won bronze medals for that nation at the 1993 and 1995 World Championships, the first in middle-heavyweight and the latter in sub-heavyweight. He also won silver in sub-heavyweight at the 1996 Olympics. During his career Kharpaty set five world records, two in light-heavyweight (one in snatch and one in total), two in middle-heavyweight (both in clean & jerk) and one in sub-heavyweight clean & jerk.

After finishing his sporting career in 1998 Kharpaty began working as a weightlifting coach. From 1998 until 2003 Kharpaty was head coach of the Kazakh weightlifting team. In 2003 Kharpaty started to work for the sports department of the Kazakh Army, where he remained until his untimely death in 2008, when his motorcycle was struck by a car in traffic.