Alexander Karelin, The greatest athlete of all time

[GIF REACTION]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9MDNMIbwOE

[GIF REACTION]

Karelin suffered the only defeat in his 13-year career (and gave up his first point in 6 years) in the Gold Medal match of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, when a relatively-unknown American dude named Rulon Gardner pulled a miracle out of his ass and somehow managed to bring down The Experiment.

Won 9 World Championships

3 Olympic Gold medals

Undefeated for over a decade

[Nick Young]

If this guy went against Kurt Angle or Brock Lesnar, he wouldn't have had a chance.

Karelin ain't shit compared to the Beast Incarnate.

[ThePhantomCreep]

If this guy went against Kurt Angle or Brock Lesnar, he wouldn't have had a chance.

Karelin ain't shit compared to the Beast Incarnate.

Nick Young = 9er

If there were any doubts, erase them.

[BurningHammer]

I watched Karelin vs Gardner fight a while ago. Gardner is a big fat dude who had already lost to Karelin before. The guy though did his absolute best defending Karelin and got lucky that Karelin was penalized for an illegal grip, if I remember right, that ended up being the winning point.

Karelin though is still arguably the best Greco-Roman wrestler ever.

[Nick Young]

Nick Young = 9er

If there were any doubts, erase them.
I am also Godzuki, ThePhantomCreep, Fallen Angel, outbreak and GIF REACTION:cheers:


I am Kaiser Soze.
I am Rollo Tomasi.

[ThePhantomCreep]

I am also Godzuki, ThePhantomCreep, Fallen Angel, outbreak and GIF REACTION:cheers:


I am Kaiser Soze.
I am Rollo Tomasi.

You are 9er. Only he can come up with opinions so dumb.

To the poster who thinks Karlein is "arguably" the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler, there's no arguably about it. At all.

Karelin outsizes even Lesnar and was a faaaaaar superior wrestler. It wouldn't be close. He'd eat Kurt Angle like a snack.

[warriorfan]

Didn't the the farm boy win by just laying on him for 5 mins?

[GIF REACTION]

Karelin went 6 YEARS without dropping a single point

6 years

That's like if Michael Jordan never lost a game for 6 years

Or if Federer never lost a set for 6 years

Brock would get manhandled

Karelin tossed 280 pound+ men like kids

[Nick Young]

You are 9er. Only he can come up with opinions so dumb.

To the poster who thinks Karlein is "arguably" the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler, there's no arguably about it. At all.

Karelin outsizes even Lesnar and was a faaaaaar superior wrestler. It wouldn't be close. He'd eat Kurt Angle like a snack.
Kurt Angle won a gold medal with a broken freakin' neck.

Karelin is NO MATCH AT ALL for prime Kurt Angle. Karelin only won medals because Angle wasn't competing against him.

[GIF REACTION]

Karelin was more physically gifted than Lesnar

...

Think about that.

[Coach Eddie]

No he wasn't.

[ThePhantomCreep]

Kurt Angle won a gold medal with a broken freakin' neck.

Karelin is NO MATCH AT ALL for prime Kurt Angle. Karelin only won medals because Angle wasn't competing against him.

:lol Kurt Angle would look like a child standing next to 6'4" 295lbs prime Alexander Karelin.

Karelin's career record is 887-2. At one point he beat the #2 of his era 36 consecutive times. :bowdown:

He won three gold medals, nine world championships, and 12 European Championships. His only loss in the Olympics was on a dubious penalty point in what turned out to be his last match.

[GIF REACTION]

:lol Kurt Angle would look like a child standing next to 6'4" 295lbs prime Alexander Karelin.

Karelin's career record is 887-2. At one point he beat the #2 of his era 36 consecutive times. :bowdown:

He won three gold medals, nine world championships, and 12 European Championships. His only loss in the Olympics was on a dubious penalty point in what turned out to be his last match.
:applause:

Greatest athlete of all time

[Nick Young]

:lol Kurt Angle would look like a child standing next to 6'4" 295lbs prime Alexander Karelin.

Karelin's career record is 887-2. At one point he beat the #2 of his era 36 consecutive times. :bowdown:

He won three gold medals, nine world championships, and 12 European Championships. His only loss in the Olympics was on a dubious penalty point in what turned out to be his last match.
Get back to me when your boy Karelin wins a gold medal with a broken freakin' neck.

http://i.usatoday.net/sports/_photos/2012/04/13/Kurt-Angle-pulls-out-of-London-Olympic-Trials-BL1A4ATM-x-large.jpg

Angle is the GOAT of GOATs. Karelin is just the guy who capitalized off the fact that the GOAT wasn't competing any more.

[ArbitraryWater]

https://i.gyazo.com/77e0c108a1dce0ff87ecfaf91d2ca6df.png

https://i.gyazo.com/19189b3377f52e95e2d1d4f969ff2834.png

https://i.gyazo.com/016be2d99b1dbd55bbecaa4b490488e7.png

Indeed GOAT strength.

[Nick Young]

The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/jXWPiSrGDAE/hqdefault.jpg

[ThePhantomCreep]

^ Karelin tossed around not cooperating 300 lb grown ass men like they were nothing. Far more impressive than that choreographed shit.

[GIF REACTION]

Kurt was a ****ing champion

But we're talking about Alexander the Great here

Rumor has it he used to toss around Russian Brown Bears in training.

[Riks]

I think there are several above him.

[Nick Young]

^ Karelin tossed around not cooperating 300 lb grown ass men like they were nothing. Far more impressive than that choreographed shit.
Kurt Angle won a gold medal with a BROKEN FREAKIN' NECK.

Far more impressive than Karelin stats padding in a weak post-GOAT era.

[ThePhantomCreep]

I think there are several above him.

Please post them so we can laugh. Knock yourself out. Here's Karelin's resume.


Medal record
Men's Greco-Roman wrestling

Olympic Games
Representing Soviet Union
Gold 1988 Seoul Super heavyweight

Representing Olympic Unified Team
Gold 1992 Barcelona Super heavyweight

Representing Russia
Gold 1996 Atlanta Super heavyweight
Silver 2000 Sydney 97 – 130 kg

World Championships
Gold Martigny 1989 Up to 130 kg
Gold Ostia 1990 Up to 130 kg
Gold Varna 1991 Up to 130 kg
Gold Stockholm 1993 Up to 130 kg
Gold Tampere 1994 Up to 130 kg
Gold Prague 1995 Up to 130 kg
Gold Wroclaw 1997 Up to 130 kg
Gold G

[GIF REACTION]

Kurt Angle won a gold medal with a BROKEN FREAKIN' NECK.

Far more impressive than Karelin stats padding in a weak post-GOAT era.
Karelin wrestled before Kurt's era, during Kurt's era, and after Kurt's era. Nothing but championship gold regardless of the era.

[Nick Young]

Karelin wrestled before Kurt's era, during Kurt's era, and after Kurt's era. Nothing but championship gold regardless of the era.
#BROKENFREAKINNECK

[Vaniiiia]

#BROKENFREAKINNECK
You're so funny bro!

Repeat the same thing 5 times = comedic gold

Good shit!

[Nick Young]

You're so funny bro!

Repeat the same thing 5 times = comedic gold

Good shit!
I repeat it because it's true. Until Karelin wins gold with a broken freakin' neck, he will always be under Kurt Angle in all time rankings.

[iamgine]

he'd be nice in the UFC

[warriorfan]

You're so funny bro!

Repeat the same thing 5 times = comedic gold

Good shit!

meltdown

[iamgine]

How do they score this anyway...very confusing.

[KevinNYC]

How do they score this anyway...very confusing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Roman_wrestling

[KevinNYC]

Karelin was famous for his reverse body lift, the Karelin Lift, where facing the opponent who was lying flat on the mat to keep from being thrown, Karelin hoisted his opponents into the air and slammed them violently to the mat. This devastatingly effective maneuver, when properly executed, awarded Karelin 5 points per throw, the maximum awarded in Greco-Roman wrestling. The throw had long been in use by lighter wrestlers but not by heavyweights – because of the immense strength required. Karelin's ability to perform this throw against elite opponents weighing as much as 130 kg amazed other participants and observers of the sport.

[hateraid]

Jordan is clearly bigger GOAT to his sport

Just kidding. I was trying to signal 3ball to defend it. I honestly believe he would think that was true

[DonDadda59]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9MDNMIbwOE

1:34 looks like a dad playing superhero with his toddler, kid making believe he can fly. Except it's a 250+ lb world class wrestler.

The Russian Experiment was a true freak. The Real life Ivan Drago. Too bad Rulon Gardner was the real life Rocky.

Hold another L, Soviet Union.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7195467158_62091543e2_z.jpg

[Nick Young]

Karelin was famous for his reverse body lift, the Karelin Lift, where facing the opponent who was lying flat on the mat to keep from being thrown, Karelin hoisted his opponents into the air and slammed them violently to the mat. This devastatingly effective maneuver, when properly executed, awarded Karelin 5 points per throw, the maximum awarded in Greco-Roman wrestling. The throw had long been in use by lighter wrestlers but not by heavyweights – because of the immense strength required. Karelin's ability to perform this throw against elite opponents weighing as much as 130 kg amazed other participants and observers of the sport.
LOL. But can he throw Big Show over the top ropes?
http://i.imgur.com/BnH2dqp.gif

Karelin spent his career dodging the GOAT Kurt Angle. He has no case for GOAThood.

[kNIOKAS]

The Russian Experiment was a true freak. The Real life Ivan Drago. Too bad Rulon Gardner was the real life Rocky.

Hold another L, Soviet Union.

Come on, Gardner won by a technicality and that does not refute all the wins Karelin got before.

Also, it has nothing to do with an abstract ideal entities like countries going against eachother. This sport, like all sports, are not political.

[KevinNYC]

Come on, Gardner won by a technicality and that does not refute all the wins Karelin got before.

The technicality being the rules right? Had Gardner broke his grip, Karelin would have gotten the point and the win. That's how the rules work, you have hold your grip or make a move that scores some points, so it forces something to happen.

Even the day he won Gardner said Karelin was a better wrestler. Gardner however had great stamina and quickness and Karelin had several minutes to get a point and he couldn't.

[AirTupac]

You must be a shit fighter to suffer a broken neck during a fight. Kurt Angle is just a garbage fabricated American dream story. I'd wipe the floors with Kurt in this day and age.