Gennadi KORBAN

Gennady Korban took up wrestling in 1962, but was not selected to the Soviet team until 1978, although previously he had won gold at the 1973 Universiade. Korban, who competed in Greco-Roman middleweight throughout his entire career, was Olympic Champion in 1980, World Champion in 1979 and 1981, and European Champion in 1980-81. He also won silver at the 1980 World Cup and two Soviet titles in 1979 and 1980. After finishing his sporting career, Korban worked as a wrestling coach and, after the fall of the Soviet Union, later emigrated to Germany. Since 2007, an annual youth tournament in his honor has been held in Engels.