There is in Barnaul an athlete about whom compose legends, this is seventy-year-old Victor Tikhonovich Berezin. The sevenfold world champion in sambo among veterans. One of founders of this single combat in Altai, it once was the first trainer of the national team of edge. And today, destroying stereotypes about age, continues to train to make a speech at the next World Cup among veterans. The material about it was prepared by Evgeny Limansky from "The Altai truth".

Grief pear

I won't press in historical details of how sambo in Altai because about it it is written already enough arose. Shortly only I will mention what role in this formation played the hero of our material. At 19-year age Victor Tikhonovich headed the national team of edge after to Moscow there went the founder of sambo in Altai Mikhail Timoshechkin. Together with Berezin the present chairman of the Altai federation of sambo Valery Metelitsa, Candidate of Economic Sciences, the associate professor of the Altai technical university Igor Argudyaev and others were pioneers.

That year (and there was it exactly half a century back) friends sambo wrestlers went on superiority of the Union among students to the Georgian city Burn, near Tbilisi. Business was in the fall. The market, naturally, burst with fruit. Friends right there caught: "Yes you that? Let's check". Blizzard I offered a bet: "I take you kilogram of pears if don't eat, you buy for the money the biggest on a market a water-melon".

– And here I eat-eat them, already begins подташнивать, – Victor Tikhonovich remembers. – Children give me pears, without showing, how many remained. Force to eat round properly, not to bungle. And Argudyaev, seeing that they come to an end, ran and bought a kilogram more, having imperceptibly stuffed in hands to everyone. At me already the beginning рябить in eyes, was necessary to recognize the defeat. I bought a huge water-melon. It I dragged the Blizzard – and on the head and as soon as didn't bear! In a hostel put on a table. I decided to remove test. I ate a slice, and somehow to me at once felt better. I ate also I feel that began to feel sick less.And children lie up stomachs and plaintively at me look. Still remember: "You, the glutton, at us also a water-melon honor all I ate".

Revenge 40 years later

In that championship in Georgia Berezin "crossed swords" on a carpet to legendary resident of Saratov Lev Moskalyov whom in sambistsky circles called precisely "ginger devil" (the master of sports in five types of wrestling). By then it already was a star, but at these competitions made a speech unsuccessfully: I gathered penal points and the last meeting with the Barnaul citizen for him already solved nothing. And Berezin in case of a victory would become in 19 years the master of sports. Valery Metelitsa then already was the chairman of regional federation, he asked Moskalyov there is a wish to act supposedly to Altai to bring the first master of sports. On what "ginger devil" answered: "I want to show that I in a system that in the national team me meant. In eight minutes I will try to throw it purely. And if I won't be able, I will act in view of a trauma".

–  We wrestling, so eight minutes, Moskalyov can make nothing, – Berezin tells.  –  It, probably, angered it, and it, having forgotten about the promise, continued a duel, having won against me on points.  It then offended all of us.  And here forty years later again we meet it in the championship of Russia among veterans on its small homeland – in Saratov.  Moskalyov praise on opening parade, say that it a star, give it the TV.  Right after parade us with it reprimand.  And I win against it in the face of the amazed public, having taken a revenge for that defeat in youth.

David and Goliath

During service in Novosibirsk SKA Victor Berezin became the absolute champion of the city. Its victory in a final duel over powerful and eminent heavyweight Edward Garin, the member of the national team of the Union on judo and sambo, made then the real furor.

– After competitions in weight categories the judge declared that supposedly there can be all wishing and battle for a rank of the absolute champion, – Victor Tikhonovich tells. – There were two guys of kilograms under ninety, ask: "And with whom to struggle? " The judge speaks: "Edik, leave! " Garin came to a scaffold in a tennis shirt, hands mighty put on a breast. These two saw it and escaped. And all champions refused to wrestling against it, there was only I one with the seventy kilograms. On warm-up before wrestling many laughed: "And what, Edik if Victor takes from you and will win?"

And here we come to a carpet – a 110-kilogram giant and I. Audience laughs, hoots, shouts: "Berezin, we for you! " Garin safely on me walks, carelessly putting a basic foot, and here at me with a fright passes a throw which long отшлифовывал, but in my weight to apply everything it didn't turn out in any way, – through a back from one knee. This "curbstone" – feet as columns – through me flies and – bu-boom on a back. Around everything abated. The discouraged Garin jumps, again rushes on me and again gets on the same throw. And then wrestling began the fierce. It attacked all the time, I was desperately protected. Several times it almost threw out me from a scene to the auditorium. But I couldn't carry out any reception.

Pour to it compote!

In Omsk already nearly two tens years are held the All-Russian tournament of memory of Anatoly Hmelyov deserved the coach of the USSR on sambo and judo. Victor Berezina's one more reminiscence is connected with this eminent wrestler and the instructor.

– Met it in the ending of the championship of Siberia. Hmelyov was improbably selenium physically, was wrung out from a floor to 350 times. It to me simply "tied" hands and didn't allow to make anything, the duel and ended in a draw. And earlier at equal quantity of points rivals got up on scales: who is easier – that and won. We before it together in a dining room had dinner, took an identical set. The only thing, Hmelyov drank two glasses of compote, and I – one. And on weighing I was 150 grams easier! Such the compote price turned out.

As Vovka won against Putin

The novel of the sambo wrestler with trainer's career was short – Victor Berezin preferred work on engineering specialty at native motor plant. However for some years I managed to prepare a number of masters of high level. Among his pupils – the deserved trainers of Russia Victor Repin and Vladimir Novikov. And one more pupil – the master of sports Vladimir Krasnoshchyokov won in due time in Leningrad against the present president of Russia Vladimir Putin.

–  Krasnoshchekov stammered and went to Leningrad to be treated for one year.  There I decided to make a speech at the city championship.  Stars big in its weight category weren't.  And Vovka won against all purely, and in the ending met Putin and won against it on points.

In Baghdad everything is quiet

Nearly half a century Victor Berezin, except for year service in army and two years' business trip to Iraq, worked at motor plant. And in 63 years when his many age-mates retired, I went on increase – I became the deputy of the chief designer, and then also the chief of serial bureau where are engaged in development of diesel motors for tractors and combines. On the deserved rest the sambo wrestler went only half a year ago – shortly before the seventieth anniversary.

– And how you got to Iraq moreover and in the middle of war with Iran? – I ask Victor Tikhonovich.

– Before I four times became the winner of socialist competitions on a rank of the best designer and me recommended from the Altai motor plant. The Soviet authorities helped Iraq military equipment and experts, advised on all types of military forces. In Baghdad I repaired two years and served engines of pump stations which were made on AMZ. Summer at them very long and hot, to fifty degrees in a shadow and if something doesn't work, quickly everything will dry up. I just was engaged in water supply for irrigating systems. In a zone of operations us, of course, didn't let. I watched only on TV hundreds corpses. In Baghdad everything was quiet. Once only over us two Iranian planes flew by, but them at once frightened off.

Cool place!

– These half a year as retired, I give loading on fishing, – Victor Tikhonovich smiles. – All winter I went on foot – on meadows, on snow. On me backpack weighing fifteen kilograms and still drill. So home I come back wet, but trained!

The wife didn't manage to be made keen to fishing, and here the daughter in the childhood outdid inveterate fishermen. Years in seven I to it I showed how it is correct to catch crucians. And here fishermen with long rods sit, throw them for a grass on clear water. And in a sunny weather in clear water of fish isn't present – she is killed into a grass. I speak to the daughter: "Natash, you see, lopushka float, between them there is a space – there and lower accurately a rod, near the coast". So it started pulling out big crucians! Even fishermen resorted to it and asked: "The girl, and on what you fish? !"

I frightened rivals

Speech of the Barnaul veteran in the World Cups makes such strong impression on his rivals that many specially gain weight to act in other weight category. And some in general refuse to go on competitions, having learned that Berezin will wrestling.

– At advanced age it is already difficult to show equipment of wrestling, you become slower. And rivals, as a rule, manage to react to your movement. However in my arsenal there were quite rigid throws which in due time it was necessary long and to fulfill scrupulously as I and itself was engaged, and others were trained. Here just many when I come to a carpet also are rather afraid of it. Once before wrestling the American asked that I strongly wasn't zealous since for him workers from embassy of the USA will come to be ill. Generally, I satisfied its request, didn't begin to win ahead of schedule.

Never Victor Berezin came back from the veteran World Cups without a medal – seven times he became a champion and three times – the silver prize-winner. However a priority for it at all awards and ranks. Sambo for such people as Berezin, the Blizzard, Argudyaev, it isn't simple wrestling, and elevated style of life.

– In all that I do, I always seek to reach pleasure peak, – Victor Berezin told in one of interview. – If it is fishing, the main interest – to deceive and correctly to cut fish. And if hunting, is a shot successful and that the duck fell beautifully! And if sambo, peak of pleasure is the correctly carried out throw!

Do you speak English?

– Ten years ago went on the World Cup among veterans to France, – the veteran tells. – Us carried on the well-known coast French Riviera – Nice, Cannes, Monte-Carlo, the Principality of Monaco. And we made for ourselves discovery that not so there is a lot of beautiful Frenchwomen as it is considered to be. In two days only once met the beauty, ran up, trying to start talking to her in broken English. On what she answered us: "You don't work, I am a tourist from Russia". So we were convinced that we have women the most beautiful.

Evgeny Nalimova's photo