Kenneth Patera

Ken Patera
Data
height	187 cm
Fighting weight	122 kg
birth	November 6, 1942 ; Portland, Oregon ; Oregon
Trained by	Verne Gagne
debut	1973

Kenneth Patera, 1972

Kenneth Patera (born November 6, 1942 in Portland , Oregon ) is a retired American weightlifter and wrestler . His brother Jack Patera was an American football player and coach.

Career

Weightlifting

Ken Patera attended Brigham Young University after high school, where he practiced the main sports of athletics and football . Soon, however, he began lifting weights as he was exceptionally strong as a young man. After the first major successes on a national level in the mid-1960s, he was brought to the York Barbell Club by John Terpak , where he was strongly promoted. Ken Patera was very strong but often had nerve problems. This was shown in many important competitions, not least at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich , where he remained without an overall result.

He had strong performances, however, at the US championships from 1969 to 1972, where he succeeded three times in beating the 1969 world champion Joe Dube . Ken Patera was the only American weightlifter who exceeded the ominous 600 kg limit in the Olympic triathlon before pushing was abolished. His best performance in pushing was 227.5 kg.

Wrestling career

Patera was eventually trained as a wrestler by Verne Gagne and acted primarily as a villain during his wrestling career. He joined the AWA , NWA and World Wrestling Federation , which were the three largest wrestling organizations at the time. Although he was about 30 kilograms lighter than weightlifter in his wrestling days, he retained his reputation as a power miracle and showed appropriate wrestling actions, such as a bear hug with two opponents at the same time.

In 1987, a change of heart was made in the WWF to the audience darling with him and he appeared next to Hulk Hogan in the main fight of the first Survivor Series . His greatest successes were winning the Intercontinental Champion title in April 1980, as well as the AWA World Tag Team title , which he held twice. He ended his wrestling career in the early 1990s.

successes

In weightlifting

International

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, S = heavyweight, then over 110 kg body weight)

1969, unplaced , World Cup in Warsaw , after 3 unsuccessful attempts to press;
1970, unplaced , World Cup in Columbus / USA , after 3 unsuccessful attempts in the tear;
1971, 1st place , PanAmerica Games in Cali , S, with 595 kg, in front of Fernando Bernal, Cuba , 505 kg and Price Morris, Canada , 482.5 kg;
1971, 2nd place , WM in Lima , S, with 592.5 kg, behind Vasily Alexejew , USSR , 635 kg and in front of Atanassow, Bulgaria , 532.5 kg;
1972, unplaced , OS in Munich , after 3 failed attempts in the tear;

Medals individual disciplines

World Cup silver medals: 1971, snatch, 167.5 kg - 1971, push, 212.5 kg
World Cup bronze medals: 1970, push, 207.5 kg - 1971, push, 212.5 kg - 1972, push, 212.5 kg