Leonid Taranenko

Leonid Arkadevich Taranenko (Russian: Леонид Аркадьевич Тараненко, born June 13, 1956) is a former Soviet/Belarusian weightlifter and coach. His 266 kg clean and jerk in 1988 is the heaviest lift in competition, though it is no longer an official world record due to subsequent restructuring of weight classes.

Leonid Taranenko
Taranenko (center) at Moscow Olympics, 1980
Personal information
Born (1956-06-13) June 13, 1956
Malaryta, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Medal record
Men's Weightlifting
Representing the  Soviet Union
Olympic Games
1980 Moscow110 kg
World Weightlifting Championships
1979 Saloniki110 kg
1980 Moscow110 kg
1987 Ostrava+110 kg
1990 Budapest+110 kg
European Weightlifting Championships
1980 Beograd110 kg
1985 Katowice+110 kg
1986 Karl-Marx-Stadt+110 kg
1988 Cardiff+110 kg
1990 Aalborg+110 kg
1991 Wladyslawowo+110 kg
USSR Weightlifting Championships
1977 Ratov Na Donu110 kg
1979 Leningrad110 kg
1983 Moscow110 kg
1987 Arkhangelsk+110 kg
1989 Frunze+110 kg
Summer Spartakiad of the Soviet Union
1979 Leningrad110 kg
1983 Moscow110 kg
Cup of the Soviet Union
1981 Donetsk110 kg
1982 Moscow110 kg
1986 Lipetsk+110 kg
Representing the  Unified Team
Olympic Games
1992 Barcelona+110 kg
Representing  Belarus
European Weightlifting Championships
1996 Stavanger+108 kg

Weightlifting career
Taranenko in 1986.

Taranenko trained at VSS Uradzhai in Minsk. His first major success took place at the 1980 Olympics, when, competing for the Soviet Union, he won the gold medal in the 110 kilogram class with a 422.5 kg total.

He was unable to compete in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles due to the Soviet boycott, but competed in the 1984 Friendship Games, where he won the 110 kg class with a world record total of 442.5 kg, exceeding the winning total in Los Angeles (by Norberto Oberburger) by 52.5 kg.

After this, Taranenko moved up to the super-heavyweight class. Lifting in Canberra, Australia on November 26, 1988, he set a world record of 266 kg in the clean and jerk, and 476 kg in the total, having lifted 210 kg in the snatch.

While these results are no longer recognized as official world records due to subsequent restructuring of the competitive weight classes (in 1993, 1998 and 2018), as of 2019, his 266kg clean and jerk remains the highest ever achieved in competition, while his total of 476kg remained the highest ever achieved until broken by Lasha Talakhadze of Georgia at the 2019 World Weightlifting Championships while also setting the new clean and jerk record of 264kg for the restructured weight classes. He achieved this by breaking Hossein Rezazadeh's world record from 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens for 263.5kg. Note this was earlier "broken" by Aleksey Lovchev in 2015 World Weightlifting Championships in Houston, USA but was annulled due to positive testing for Ipamorelin.

In 1992, Taranenko represented the Unified Team at the Olympics in Barcelona. He took the silver medal in the super-heavyweight class with a total of 425 kg.

Taranenko's other victories include the 110 kg class titles at the 1980 World and European championships, and super-heavyweight titles at the 1990 World championship and 1988, 1991, and 1996 European championships.

Taranenko has served as a coach for female weightlifters in India.

In 2017, Taranenko admitted having used performance-enhancing drugs, that were supplied by the Soviet government, throughout his career.[1]

Career bests
  • Snatch: 210 kg in the class over 110 kg
  • Clean and jerk: 266 kg (highest ever lifted in competition, but no longer an official world record due to restructuring of weight classes)
  • Total: 442.5 kg (200 + 242.5) 1984 in Varna in the class to 110 kg
  • Total: 476 kg (210 + 266),[2] in Canberra, Australia on November 26, 1988, in the class over 110 kg.
  • Back Squat: 380 kg with a two-second pause at rock-bottom
  • Front Squat: 300 kg for a triple
  • Olympic Press: 230 kg

[3] [4]

Major result
Year Venue Weight Snatch (kg) Clean & Jerk (kg) Total Rank
1 2 3 Rank 1 2 3 Rank
Olympic Games
1980 Moscow, Soviet Union110 kg182.5182.519022202352401422.5
1992 Barcelona, Spain+110 kg187.5187.5--2232.5237.5242.52425
1996 Atlanta, United States+108 kg--------------------
World Championships
1979 Thessaloniki, Greece110 kg182.52205402.5
1980 Moscow, Soviet Union110 kg182.5182.5190220235240422.5
1985 Södertälje, Sweden+110 kg185232.55417.54
1986 Sofia, Bulgaria+110 kg200------
1987 Ostrava, Czechoslovakia+110 kg202.5265467.5
1990 Budapest, Hungary+110 kg195255450
1993 Melbourne, Australia+108 kg1851901954232.5242.5--5422.54
European Championships
1980 Belgrade, Yugoslavia110 kg190230420
1985 Katowice, Poland+110 kg185230415
1986 Karl-Marx-Stadt, East Germany+110 kg195242.5437.5
1988 Cardiff, United Kingdom+110 kg207.5255462.5
1990 Ålborg, Denmark+110 kg205247.5452.5
1991 Władysławowo, Poland+110 kg200247.5447.5
1996 Stavanger, Norway+108 kg180180182.5220227.5232.5415
USSR Weightlifting Championships
Summer Spartakiad of the Soviet Union
Cup of the Soviet Union

Notes and references
  1. https://m.sports.ru/heavyathletics/1054206003.html?
  2. While Taranenko actually lifted 476 kg, the total was normalized to the standard interval of 2.5 kg under the rules at the time, being recorded as 475 kg in the competition results.
  3. "Leonid Taranenko". Lift Up. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  4. "Leonid Taranenko Interview".
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