Russell Knipp

Russell Lowell Knipp (born May 21, 1942 in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , † April 9, 2006 in Santa Ana, California ) was an American weightlifter.

Career

Russell L. Knipp grew up in the Brookline neighborhood of Pittsburgh, where he attended South Hills High School. There he also started lifting weights . He started for the Pittsburgh Boys Club for a long time. He did his military service with the 4th US Army in Fort Hood / Texas . In weightlifting he developed into a specialist in pressing, for which he was predestined by his stocky build. He was among the best in the world for nearly ten years, setting multiple world records and 34 US pressing records. He was twice world champion in this discipline.

After serving in the military, he worked as a preacher and lived in Santa Ana, California, until his unexpected death from a heart attack while playing golf . He was an advisory member of the US Olympic Committee Athletes Commission and author of many articles and several books on weightlifting.

International successes / all-around

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, Le = lightweight, Mi = middleweight, Ls = light heavyweight)

• 1966, 1st place , North America. Championship, Wed, with 432.5 kg, ahead of Anthony Garcy , USA , 397.5 kg and Kurt Setterberg, USA, 357.5 kg;
• 1966, 4th place , World Championship in Berlin , Wed, with 435 kg, behind Wiktor Grigorjewitsch Kurenzow , USSR, 450 kg, Waldemar Baszanowski , Poland , 447.5 kg and Werner Dittrich , GDR , 442.5 kg;
• 1967, 1st place , PanAm Games, Wed, ahead of Koji Michi, Brazil and Luis de Almeida, Brazil;
• 1967, 3rd place , pre-Olymp. Games in Mexico City , Wed, with 445 kg, behind Kurenzow, 470 kg and Masushi Ōuchi , Japan , 465 kg;
• 1969, 6th place , World Cup in Warsaw , Ls, with 465 kg, behind Ohuchi, 487.5 kg, Karoly Bakos, Hungary , 487.5 kg, Boris Selitski , USSR , 482.5 kg, Norbert Ozimek , Poland, 475 and Valery Shari , USSR, 472.5 kg;
• 1971, 1st place , PanAm Games, Wed, with 450 kg, ahead of Abel López, Cuba , 437.5 kg and Stanley Bailey, Trinidad and Tobago , 405 kg;
• 1971, 4th place , WM in Lima, Wed, with 455 kg, behind Wladimir Kanygin , USSR, 472.5 kg, Leif Jensen , Norway , 467.5 kg and Anselmo Silvino , Italy , 460 kg;
• 1972, 8th place , OS in Munich , Wed, with 457.5 kg, winner: Jordan Bikow , Bulgaria , 485 kg ahead of Mohamed Tarabulsi , Lebanon , 472.5 kg and Anselmo Silvino, Italy, 470 kg;

Medals individual disciplines

(awarded since 1969)

World Cup gold medals: 1969, press, Ls - 1971, press, Wed

USA championships

• 1963, 2nd place , Le, with 362.5 kg, behind Anthony Garcy , 365 kg and in front of Kurt Jotzat, 352.5 kg;
• 1965, 2nd place , Le, with 370 kg, behind Homer Brannum, 372.5 kg and in front of Larry Mintz, 360 kg;
• 1966, 2nd place , Wed, with 417.5 kg, behind Garcy, 427.5 kg and in front of P. St. Jean, 405 kg;
• 1967, 1st place , Wed, with 432.5 kg, ahead of Garcy, 410 kg and Peter Rawluk, 395 kg;
• 1968, 1st place , Wed, with 432.5 kg, ahead of Mike Karchut , 420 kg and Rawluk, 420 kg;
• 1969, 2nd place , Ls, with 462.5 kg, behind Karchut, 470 kg and in front of Rick Holbrook , 437.5 kg;
• 1970, 4th place , Ls, with 472.5 kg, behind Karchut, 480 kg, Joseph Puleo , 480 kg and Holbrook, 472.5 kg;
• 1971, 1st place , Wed, with 457.5 kg, ahead of Fred Lowe , 442.5 kg and Roger Quinn, 422.5 kg;
• 1972, 2nd place , Wed, with 442.5 kg, behind Lowe, 450 kg and in front of Ted Ritzer, 392.5 kg;
• 1974, 3rd place , Ls, with 302.5 kg (duel), behind Tom Hirtz, 307.5 kg and Sam Bigler, 302.5 kg

World records

In pressing:

• 150.5 kg, 1966 in York , Wed,
• 152.5 kg, 1966 in York, Wed,
• 153 kg, 1966 in Paris , wed,
• 157 kg, 1967 in Winnipeg , Wed,
• 158.5 kg, 1967 in New York , Wed

Web links

• Russell Knipp
• Russell Knipp in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )