Nikolay Saksonov

Nikolay Saksonov
Personal information
Born	6 January 1923; Serga, Permsky Uyezd, Perm Governorate, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died	2 November 2011 (aged 88); Elektrougli, Moscow, Russia
Weight	60 kg (130 lb)
Sport
Sport	Weightlifting
Club	Lokomotiv Sverdlovsk
Medal record
Representing the Soviet Union
Olympic Games
World Championships
European Championships

Nikolai Nikolaevich Saksonov (Russian: Николáй Николáевич Саксóнов; 6 January 1923 – 2 November 2011) was a Russian weightlifter. He competed for the Soviet Union at the 1952 Olympics and won a silver medal in the featherweight division (−60 kg). The following year he won a world title in the same division. During his career Saksonov set nine world records: seven official records in the clean and jerk and two unofficial records in the total.^[1]^[2]

Biography

In 1940–1941 Saksonov studied at naval and infantry military schools, and later fought as a sergeant in World War II. During a raid behind the front lines he captured an injured German combatant and brought him to the Soviet positions despite being wounded himself. For this feat he was awarded the Order of the Red Star. He took part in various other military operations, for which he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War and the Medal of Bravery, among other medals.^[3]

After retiring from sport, in the 1960s Saksonov defended a PhD in medicine and later headed the Department of Athletics of the State Central Institute of Physical Culture.^[4]