Alexander Karelin

Alexander Karelin is a great Russian athlete. He is a wrestler. When you look at him you understand why his nickname is "Russian Bear". His name is written in the Guinness Book of World Records because nobody could defeat him in international competitions from 1987 to 2000. Karelin is also known as a Hero of Russia.

Alexander KArelin (from the web-site)

Alexander won a lot of titles. He won the Russian Championship 13 times. He also won the European Championship 12 times and the World Championship 9 times. He is not only a brilliant sportsman but he is also active in social life. He is a Deputy in the State Duma as a representative of the Novosibirsk region. Alexander is also a member of the United Russia Party. Moreover he is a doctor of Pedagogical Sciences.

At the competitions (from a website)

Alexander was born on the 19th of September, 1967.His father was a truck driver and his mother was an office clerk. It is surprising that he weighed 15 pounds at birth. From his childhood he liked sports. When he was 14 years old he started wrestling. At first he didn't enjoy it very much, but his trainer Victor Kusnetzov helped him to be successful. He won his first big competition when he was 18 years old. In 1988 Karelin was champion of the country for the first time and immediately he became a folk hero.

Alexander is married and has two sons and a daughter. He is a good father and likes to spend time with his family. He is keen on reading, especially poetry. Sometimes he even writes his own verses. He understands the importance of being well educated. He worked hard not only in sports but he has an undergraduate degree in automatic mechanics. Alexander finished his wrestling career in 2000 but even now he continues his trainings. "I train every day of my life". Now he spends a lot of time in social life and doing charities. He started his own fund which is involved in improving social and economical life of our country. A lot of attantion is paid to talanted children.

I think Alexander Karelin is a hero not only because he won a lot of titles. He is a hero because when he finished his sports career he wanted to help other people. In the future I'd like to be like Karelin. I am a sportsman - a hockey player. I want to be useful for my country in sports and in social life.