A detailed feature article has been published about Anatoly Parfenov, a Soviet Olympic wrestling champion and World War II veteran. Parfenov, a peasant's son of enormous physical strength, served as both an assault soldier and tank crewman during the war, meeting victory in Berlin. After only five years of training in Greco-Roman wrestling, he won an Olympic gold medal in the heavyweight division and later coached the legendary Nikolai Balboshin. The piece includes interviews with his son and students, plus accounts from his home village of Dvornikovo near Moscow. Local residents recall stories of Parfenov's legendary strength, including carrying buckets of cabbage with one finger, hauling logs from the forest like a horse, and physically overpowering multiple bandits single-handedly. One account describes him crushing a pickpocket's hand on a train until it began to crack, while another recounts how he prohibited swearing and smoking among local children while coaching them in football and swimming.
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Profile released on Olympic wrestling champion and WWII veteran Anatoly Parfenov
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