Vladimir MANEEV

Vladimir Maneyev, from the Siberian coal mining town of Novokuznetsk, took up wrestling in 1948, when he began work as a machinist in a metallurgy factory. Maneyev soon rose to be one of the top Soviet Greco-Roman welterweight wrestlers by winning Soviet titles in 1954-55 and silver at the Soviet Championships in 1952 and 1956. Maneyev first competed internationally at the 1955 World Greco-Roman Championships, where he won a gold medal in welterweight. At the 1956 Olympics Maneyev, as the reigning world champion, was the favorite for the Greco-Roman welterweight title, but lost in the final to Mithat Bayrak of Turkey by a decision and had to settle for silver. Before the Olympics, Maneyev had also won gold at the 1956 World Cup. After the Olympics, Maneyev switched to middleweight and later light-heavyweight, but was less successful in the heavier weights, as his only noteworthy placement was second at the 1962 Soviet Championships in Greco-Roman light-heavyweight.

Maneyev retired from sports in 1970. He graduated from the Siberian Metallurgic Institute (now Siberian State Industrial University) with a mining degree in 1959 and, from 1960-68, worked as a mine foreman and later as deputy section head and section head in the Ordzhonikidze coal mine near Novokuznetsk. From 1968 until his untimely death due to a heart attack, Maneyev worked in various positions in the Listvyansky coal mining quarry. Since 2006 a memorial tournament in his honor has been held in Novokuznetsk.