David Rigert

{{Infobox sportsperson

| headercolor =

| name = David Rigert

| image = David Rigert in 2015.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Rigert at an awards ceremony in 2015

| birth_name =

| fullname = David Adamovich Rigert

| nickname =

| residence =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1947|3|12|df=y}}{{cite web |title=David Rigert Bio, Stats, and Results |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ri/david-rigert-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418105905/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ri/david-rigert-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |website=Olympics at Sports-Reference.com |accessdate=4 January 2020 |language=en}}

| birth_place = Nagornoye, Kokchetav Oblast, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = 172 cm

| weight =

| country =

| sport = Weightlifting

| club = Trud Shakhty
Avangard Dnepropetrovsk

| coach = Rudolf Plyukfelder

| event =

| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{USSR}} }}

}}

David Adamovich Rigert ({{langx|ru|Давид Ада́мович Ри́герт}}; born 12 March 1947) is a retired Soviet weightlifter and weightlifting coach of Austrian ancestry. During his career he set 65 ratified world records{{cite web|url=https://strengthrecord.com/#Strength%20Record%20Pantheon%E2%80%8B |title=STRENGTH RECORD PANTHEON, the most prolific record breakers of all time across all strength sports |website=www.strengthrecord.com |access-date=9 April 2025}} and won an Olympic gold medal in 1976 and six world titles.[http://www.chidlovski.net/liftup/l_galleryResult.asp?a_id=217 David Rigert]. chidlovski.net

In 1999 he was inducted to the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame.

Family and early years

Rigert was the son of the Russian-German Adam Adamowitsch Rigert and Jelisaweta Rudolfowna Horn. His grandfather Adam Rigert worked at the estate of Baron Rudolf Horn, an officer of the czar. Baron Horn's daughter Lisbeth married Adam Rigert's son Adam. During World War II his father was brought to the Ural Mountains as forced laborer, together with other Russians of German ancestry, and his mother and children were brought to North Kazakhstan. David and his eight siblings grew up in Kuban territory near the Caucasus.

Rigert initially trained as a boxer, but then, motivated by the Yury Vlasov's victory at the 1960 Olympics, changed to weightlifting. After serving in the Soviet Army, he moved to Shakhty, to train with Rudolf Plyukfelder. In Shakhty Rigert worked as a coal miner.

Career

Rigert began practicing weightlifting on his own in 1966, using the training methods of former Soviet weightlifting champion Arkady Vorobyov. Two years later, while serving in the Soviet Army, Rigert earned the title Master of Sports of the USSR. After demobilization he lived and trained in Armavir. In 1969 he met the famous Soviet coach Rudolf Plyukfelder, who invited him to Shakhty, where Rigert began training at Trud Voluntary Sports Society under Plyukfelder. Just 11 months later, in 1970, Rigert was included into the Soviet national team and debuted internationally, earning a bronze medal at the world championships. In November 1970 at the RSFSR Championships in Volgograd, Rigert set his first world record{{cite web|url=http://www.chidlovski.net/liftup/l_athleteResult.asp?a_id=217 |title=Top Olympic Lifters of the 20th Century, DAVID RIGERT |website=LIFT UP |access-date=15 April 2025}}{{cite book |title=Jews and the Olympic Games: The Clash Between Sport and Politics – With a Complete Review of Jewish Olympic Medalists |author=Taylor, Paul |publisher=Sussex Academic Press|isbn=9781903900888 |year=2004 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=t0KzECrIQDQC&pg=PA240|page=240}} thus began an extraordinary series of 65 weightlifting world records by 1981.{{cite web|url=https://strengthrecord.com/weightlifting-world-records/ |title=STRENGTH RECORD, Weightlifting World Records |website=www.strengthrecord.com |access-date=15 April 2025}} It was exceeded only by the fellow super-heavyweight weightlifter Vasily Alekseyev.

After a disappointing performance at the 1972 Summer Olympics, in 1973 Rigert won in all competitions he participated, setting eight world records. He won all world and European championships between 1973 and 1976, and earned a gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Despite these achievements during his career, his final performance was disappointing: scoring zero at the 1980 Summer Olympics. For those Games Rigert moved to a lighter bodyweight class, from under 100 kg to under 90 kg. As a result of the rapid weight loss, he tore his leg muscle.

After retiring from competitions Rigert moved to Rostov and later to Taganrog. He coached, studied at The Moscow Institute of Physical Culture, manufactured weights for weightlifting competitions and built some 100 sport facilities in Taganrog. He also created a weightlifting center in Taganrog and prepared the Russian National Team for the 2004 Olympics. In 2004 Rigert was elected deputy of the Taganrog City Council (Duma), and in March 2009 he was reelected as deputy of the Taganrog Duma, representing the United Russia political party. Rigert is a honorary citizen of Taganrog, Grozny and Chornomorsk.[https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060225/http://www.tagancity.ru/?id=35 Депутаты Городской Думы города Таганрога]. tagancity.ru

Rigert was awarded Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1976. In 1999 he was inducted into the International Weightlifting Federation hall of fame.{{cite web|title=Weightlifting Hall of Fame |publisher=International Weightlifting Federation |url=http://www.iwf.net/iwf/organization/members.php |accessdate=7 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913235844/http://www.iwf.net/iwf/organization/members.php |archivedate=13 September 2008 }}

Personal records

Snatch – {{convert|185|kg|lb|abbr=on|0}} (1981)
Clean and press – {{convert|201|kg|lb|abbr=on|0}} (1972)
Clean and jerk – {{convert|230|kg|lb|abbr=on|0}} (1980)
2 lift Total – {{convert|405|kg|lb|abbr=on|0}} (1979)
3 lift Total – {{convert|562.5|kg|lb|abbr=on|0}} (1972)

Personal life

Rigert is married to Nadezhda, a former competitive javelin thrower. They have three sons, Viktor, Vladislav and Denis, who all became competitive weightlifters.[https://kg-rostov.ru/person/guest/kak-legendarnyy-shtangist-stal-fermerom/ КАК ЛЕГЕНДАРНЫЙ ШТАНГИСТ СТАЛ ФЕРМЕРОМ]. kg-rostov.ru (an interview with Rigert in Russian) Rigert is an avid smoker, since the age of 11.Vasilyev, Yuri (13 August 2001) [https://www.sport-express.ru/newspaper/2001-08-13/9_1/ НЕ ПИЩАТЬ. НЕ СКУЛИТЬ. НЕ ЖАЛОВАТЬСЯ]. sport-express.ru

References

External links

[http://www.chidlovski.net/liftup/l_galleryResult.asp?a_id=217 World records and biography of David Rigert]
{{in lang|ru}} [http://www.shakht.ru/site/town/peoples.php?id=5 Biography and photo] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114195958/http://www.shakht.ru/site/town/peoples.php%3Fid%3D5 |date=14 November 2019 }}
[http://weightliftingexchange.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=320&Itemid=115 David Rigert Hall of Fame – Weightlifting Exchange]

{{Footer World Champions Weightlifting – Men Middle heavyweight}}

Category:1947 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from North Kazakhstan Region

Category:Communist Party of the Soviet Union members

Category:Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism alumni

Category:European champions in weightlifting

Category:Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics

Category:Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union

Category:Olympic medalists in weightlifting

Category:Olympic weightlifters for the Soviet Union

Category:Weightlifters at the 1972 Summer Olympics