Vasili Alexeev of the U.S.S.R., followed by a camera crew en route to winning the +110-kg class weightlifting gold medal at the Games of the XXI Olympiad, the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, on July 27, 1976. This is grainy film from the official film of the Games, shot and produced by the National Film Board of Canada. Alexeev lifted a total of 440 kg in the contest, or 970 pounds, in winning the gold medal. Alexeev died at age 69 on Nov. 25, 2011 in Germany, where he was being treated for a lengthy, unspecified illness. His performance in Montreal was one of the most compelling of the 1976 Olympics.
