Editor's Note: The following interview was excerpted
from the July 1973 issue of Strength and Health
magazine. Pavel Pervushin was the first great
heavyweight of the biathlon era in weightlifting.
A Look at Pavel Pervushin
It is no exaggeration to say that this broad
shouldered, blond haired Hercules is one of the most
popular of today's weightlifters. Every time the world
record holder, Pavel Pervushin, steps onto the
platform he is closely watched by the leading trainers
and specialists. Their interest in the 25 year old
Leningrad soldier has increased significantly since the
decision of the International Federation to abolish the
press, in which Pavel was not particularly strong.
The indisputable successor to Olympic Champion
Jan Talts, Pavel Pervushin corresponds with
weightlifting fans.
From the GDR someone writes," Send me,
please, an autographed photo." From various cities in
our own country people write asking Pavel to tell them
something about himself - to counsel them on how to
become strong.
Pervushin opens a letter just received which has a
return address of Kafan, Armenia. "I'm happy about
your success," writes young Rashid Abdullaev to the
world record holder. "I am 15 years old and have
trained for five months, and have achieved the third
class rating for adults. If possible, tell me how you
began in weightlifting."
Pavel smiles.
"With pleasure. Rashid's age is exactly the right
time to join the iron game. I have just one piece of
advice for youth : give a little more attention to general
physical training , don't get so carried away with heavy
weights. I took up weightlifting seriously just slightly
later in life than Rashid Abdullaev - I was 16. At that
time my family lived in the Volgograd province. My
older brother, Nikolai, got me hooked on the sport by
his example. Before this time, I was generally
interested in sports : when we lived in the
Siamzhensky region I did running, high jumping,
grenade throwing, shot putting. Every weightlifter must
have a sound physical "base" on which to build, and
this should be taken into account by all boys who wish
to become strongmen.
" I started with light weights and and lifted in the
middle-heavyweight class. My first big contest was the
Junior Championships of the province. I won and and
also made the first class rating. I was very satisfied.
Shortly afterwards I went into the Army and was sent
to serve in Leningrad. And there, at the district
championships, I met for the first time my present
trainer, XVI Olympic Champion and Honored Master
of Sport, F.F. Bogdanovsky.
"In that January I made a total of 887.5 pounds in
the three lifts, but by March it had jumped to 981
pounds. That was a decent jump. That is what
experienced guidance will do ! In 1967 the National
Junior Championships tested my strength. It didn't turn
out too well since I won eighth place, but I did not let
myself become disappointed. One must not become
disappointed - one must work, one must train ........
"In 1968-1969 my results "grew up" a wee bit, but
there were no particular successes. Then in 1970
things started happening. Fedor Fedorovich and I
considered third place at the USSR Cup in
Dnepropetrovsk to be very good. In 1971 at the
National Spartakiad Games I was second best to Yuri
Kozin. In 1972 at the National Championships I lost to
Jan Talts. In both of these years I lost the National
Cup. That is all of my titles for the present. I have yet
to become an absolute champion. True enough, I
have nade nine world records, the last of which was a
387.75 pound snatch at Tashkent in March.
Q. It is apparent from your correspondence with
weightlifting enthusiasts that they are interested to
know how you went so fast from a three lift total of
1014.1 to 1173.9, and how you now made
comparatively easy made a two lift total of 865.3
A. "The reason is simple - I developed a sensible
approach to training. It used to be thus : there was no
trainer (he might have gone somewhere or taken ill),
and in his absence I would literally swarm around
heavy weights. At that time I thought it was the only
way to get results.It turned out to be the other way
around. I put on the brakes so to speak ....... the main
thing is regular training and a most strict regimen.
"We now say : the modern weightlifter must have
"fast strength". It is no accident that we are "light"(my
normal weight is 231.5 to 233.7) since we do jumping
exercises, play volleyball, throw the shot in different
ways, and do 30 to 50 meter speed runs. Recently,
while performing at T&F competition at the University
where I am a first year student, I threw the shot 47.4
feet. My personal record in the 100 meters is 12.4
seconds."
Q. Pavel, what do you think of the words of Jan
Talts in his interview with the correspondent of the
journal "Youth" in the December 1972 issue where he
said, "Pervushin never had an outstanding press. But
now he will be number one. Could I give him a battle ?
If I wanted to, I think I probably could. But as for me, I
feel I've had enough. Yes, I think I will stop. That's not
absolutely definite, but most likely."
A. "Frankly speaking, I - like my fellow teammate,
wrestler Anatloy Roshchin - am bothered by 'being
second'. But without Talts, things would be dull. Jan
will probably not abandon the lifting platform abruptly.
It would not be his nature to drop out without a fight.
And besides, Kozin, Yakubovsky, and Utsar all would
like to be first. It is not a rare occasion when I am
asked about what Bogdanovsky and I are
contemplating for the future in the way of totals. It is
better to do something than to talk about doing it, but
we do have plans for the future, naturally. It is
necessary to inaugurate the "400 club" in the total in
the heavyweight class. I am working assiduously on
my jerk: my thrust from the chest is still not what I
want it to be. In connection with the introduction of the
two-lift total, everybody, and I mean absolutely
everybody, is searching for new methods.
Q. What does your brother do now - the one that
you said was your first trainer ?
A. "Nikolai (he is three years older than me) has
gone through a geological survey institute and works
in Zelinograd province. In the city of Shantube he
organized a beginning weightlifting club where he
trains boys, but he no longer intends to get the Master
rating."
Q. If we supposed that you had a tremendous
press, wouldn't you be displeased with the elimination
of this element of competition ?
A. "By no means. In the first place, weightlifters have
always been victimized by back injuries because of
this lift (everyone tried to press as much as possible of
course). And in the second place, the officiating: one
man considers a lift to be good, another considers it
not good. As a result, there was all kinds of confusion
and grudges. No, it is much more convenient and
much better without the press - objectivity should take
a front seat."
Q. Some young fellows are being scared away by
the enormous weights which are being conquered by
today's athletes.
A. "It is useless to become frightened. I always
answer those who write me or express such fears
aloud: There is no need to be afraid of the ultra high
results being made today. They are being done by
individuals who at one time began from scratch. So,
the point is to train and to train very earnestly !"
Q. One last query: What are your competitive plans
for 1973 ?
A. "In the second half of April, I will participate in the
National Championships. Perhaps I'll catch the
European Championships and the World
Championships ................ in general, I will try to make
this season a very good one."
Editor's note: Pavel was indeed true to his word. At
the 1973 European Championships in Madrid, Spain
he became the first heavyweight to total 400kg with
lifts of 177.5+222.5 (winning his class by 37.5kg). And
then despite having injured his back after this meet, he
nevertheless won the world title in Havana, Cuba with
lifts of 170+215. Shortly afterward, Pavel seriously
injured his hand but (true to his character) still did not
give up. He returned in 1976 with lifts of 165+222.5
but he was not selected to compete in the Montreal
Games in 1976. This pretty much was the end of his
lifting career. However, in the eyes of most experts,
had he not been so badly injured, lifts of 190+235
were considered to be within his reach. And those lifts
would stand up very well to this very day.
Edited by Jim O’Malley
