Leonid Zhabotinsky, a record-breaking Ukrainian-born Soviet weight lifter who picked up Olympic gold medals in 1964 and 1968 and was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s teenage idol, died on Thursday in Zaporozhye, Ukraine. He was 77.
His death was announced by his son Ruslan, who did not specify a cause, according to the International Weightlifing Federation.
Even in the sport of superheavy weight lifting, where superlatives are not taken lightly, Zhabotinsky’s sobriquets — Big Zhabo and the Strongest Man of the World — seemed like understatements.
He was nearly 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed as much as 365 pounds.