Yan TALTS

Jaan Talts competed in track and field athletics (mostly shot put) as a youth, before taking up weightlifting while studying at the Tihemetsa Technical College of Agriculture and Forestry. Soon Talts rose to become the top middle-heavyweight weightlifter in the world, winning the 1968 Olympic silver and silver at the 1968 World and European Championships. In 1967 Talts also became the first middle-heavyweight to break the 500 kg barrier and, because of this feat, he was named as the best Soviet athlete of the year in 1967. After the 1968 Olympics Talts moved up to heavyweight, where he won the 1972 Olympic gold medal, the 1970 and 1972 World titles, took silver at the 1969 World Championships, and won the 1969, 1970 and 1972 European titles. Domestically, Talts won the Soviet 1967 and 1968 middle-heavyweight titles, while taking silver at the 1966 Soviet championships and 1972 Soviet heavyweight title. He set 17 middle-heavyweight world records, four in the snatch, seven in the clean & jerk, and six in the total, 25 heavyweight world records, 11 in the press, seven in the clean & jerk, and seven in the total.

After finishing his sporting career Talts worked as a weightlifting coach in Estonia, serving as head coach of the Estonian national weightlifting team beginning in 2007. From 1981-88 he was rector of the Estonian Sports Academy. From 1989 Talts worked with the Estonian National Olympic Committee in various positions, including as chairman of their professional sports committee. From 1995-96 Talts was a member of the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu). In 1998 he was elected to the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame.