Today world record holder and Beijing Olympic champion Andrei Aramnau announced that he is officially done with professional weightlifting.
I remember last year at Klokov Power Weekend he talked about his injuries and lack of support. So it’s sad for me to see him make this decision at age 27. He achieved so much so early and so much potential for more.
Here is a Google translate of his announcement:
“I finally gave up the sport. For almost a year did not do weightlifting. In front of me there was a choice: either to become disabled, or quit to play sports and go to the coaching position. The fact that I’ve always wanted to surpass the bar of human capabilities. I strive for such records, that no living soul to be risen. Because of this, I had an overload of the body. Plus coaches constantly driven forward because of my results depended on their salary.
I often being tired, let your body is unprepared to compete. So his unhealed leg I injured eight times. As a result, the thigh muscle is not sustained. I did an MRI. I was shown that one head of the quadriceps muscle by 50 percent divorced. For the life of me missing this state. For professional sport – in any case “
Update: Andrei gave an interview.
Some of the Best Moments
200kg Snatch (still current WR) and 236kg Clean & Jerk as a Junior at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
201kg Snatch at Belarus Championships
205kg Snatch
240kg Jerk x3
240kg Jerk x2
He could move to the US relax for a few years and still make an Olympic team in 2020 (of course nothing is as simple as it sounds)
you would think that his home country would help him with any surgeries he needed since he was an Olympian and record holder.
True, I wonder if his antics earlier in his career influenced the lack of support? Idk the whole story but man what a talent. I’ve never seen anyone who could violently oscillate that bar like him
only if he received the same kind of understanding ilyin received from the khazak president after 2008
I guess motivation was not the only issue for the demise of his weightlifting career. With his 200+236 in Beijing as a junior (!!) he goes down as one of the all-time greats in my book. It’s too bad to see someone as talented as him cut his career short.
well, for me this letter says that he did not received the right medical support in the beginning of his injury problems.
Sad to hear albeit not surprisingly. It was so often announced he would compete and then it didn’t happen. I think most people lost already hope.
Sad to hear that he suffered so many injuries. I hope he’ll find more happyness in coaching or whatever he chooses to do.
This guy could beat Ilyin if he was healthy, and not drinking and smoking too much, 205+245 seems to be real for him. He was great at both lifts, not only in C&J like Ilyin.
Could, but he lost Ilya in Junior World Championships in 2006.
Also Ilya was in the same situation after 2008 Olympics. He didn’t train for 2 years until 2010-11.
Ilya barely beat Bedzhanyan and Nurudinov…Aramnauv in top form was all but unbeatable with 200kg snatch and a 236kg clean and jerk (A higher total than Ilya in the worlds mind you-Ilya did his big total at the Russia cup). Ilya is growing into the class for sure but Aramnauv wasn’t even tested when he was in top form. He certainly looked good for 440kg at the Olympics (where people generally lift conservative to win)
Ilya already beat Aramnau in 2006 Junior World Weightlifting Championships…
http://www.iwrp.net/component/cwyniki/?view=contest&id_zawody=187
See -94kg category
Beat Akkaev in 2008 too.
Yes…but a healthy Aramnauv (which will never happen now) won an Olympic medal and hit a world record snatch and total (and looked good for a world record Clean and Jerk) at the biggest meet around. Ilya beat his total by 1kg in small competition. We will see if Ilya maintains or improves that total at the Olympics. I hope he does.
Don’t pooh-pooh Aramnauv just because Ilya is good. Both are incredible athletes and honestly…Aramnauv’s carrer was ended short
It’s a shame Aramnau didn’t last and did his best results as a junior. Just a little improvement on the 2008 numbers would have been amazing.
Ilyin has managed to stay on and improve after his junior years, and he always seems to win, that is impressive. He is a great competitor, and the 246 clean and jerk might be a really tough mark for anyone to touch.
Rio is going to be interesting. I’m hoping for a great battle between Nurudinov and Ilyin.
I wouldn’t rule out anyone…105kg is an interesting class for sure.
without a doubt on Ilya’s level…at the Olympics the 236 was easy. If pushed I’d say would have easily done 240.
Ilyin has not much of an experience in 105kg. If Aramnau went down to 94kg, Ilyin would be top bet.
But.. let us not make this about ilyin. This is about a legend retiring.
amen. Two amazing lifters.
I’m very sad to say but he was a goner for years now.The good thing is that he won everything that can be won and broke world records too. He might be sad that his career turned out like this but he will always be an olympic-world-european champion and a world record holder. When he turns 40 he will be very happy to have that – hopefully without the bitterness what he’s probably felt during these last few years of struggle. All the best Andrei and thank you very much!
http://www.kp.by/daily/26507/3376313/
Any Russian translators still around?
He said that he is almost disabled because of leg, and cant be in pro sport because of that. He working at sport school now for salary $62(1 240 000 belorussian roubles) per month. His students already won 3 silver medals at competitions. He moved up to 50 tons at his training. He said that weightlifter needs around $10 000 for good preparation for competition. Also he said that Ilya Ilyin is a dollar millionaire