In case you needed a reminder of just how awesome strength sports — and more specifically how awesome weightlifting can be — we have you covered. Yesterday, Phillip, aka “wlift84”, shared an awesome video on his YouTube channel that highlighted 87 year old Russian weightlifter Vasily Zubov’s latest performance at the Weightlifting Masters World Cup.
Zubov started weightlifting at the age of 12, and his latest performance was legendary for multiple reasons. For starters, Zubov was the oldest competitor at the Masters World Cup, having been born in 1931. Secondly, Zubov has competed more than 40 times on a national stage and is multi-sport athlete, even well into his 80s.
In the comment’s section on the video, YouTube user Fanchen Bao translated the video and wrote that the reporter stated in the opening segment,
“Mr. Zubov has competed 43 times in national meets, 11 times in European Championships, and 8 times in World Championships. He was decorated with 9 Silver and 3 Bronze medals. He exercises regularly, and enjoys not only weightlifting, but also track-and-field, swimming, and shooting.”
For the snatch, Zubov concluded with a 26kg make, and in the clean & jerk he concluded with 32kg, which ended up winning him his weight class. And to top it off, in our opinion, Zubov’s weightlifting shoes also won first place. In the translated comments section, Franchen Bao writes that the reporter mentions that Zubov’s orange weightlifting shoes shown on camera are 70 years old.
https://youtu.be/MaSePbn38_k
A pair of weightlifting shoes that old is super rare to see in competition, and it’s interesting to think how the newer Nike, Reebok, and Adidas weightlifting shoes will hold up in comparison to Zubov’s shoes.
In the closing segment of the video, YouTube user Franchen Bao translated the reporter saying, “Although winning gold medals for his class, Mr. Zubov’s dissatisfaction with his performance reminded us of his ambition despite the age.”
This story is awesome and yet another reminder of how longevity should top everything when it comes to success and happiness with strength sports.
Feature image from wlift84 YouTube channel.
