Leonid Taranenko

Leonid Arkadevich Taranenko (, born June 13, 1956) is a Soviet former weightlifter and coach. His 266 kg clean and jerk in 1988 was the heaviest lift in competition for 33 years, until Lasha Talakhadze exceeded it, lifting 267 kg at the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships.

Weightlifting career

Taranenko trained at VSS Uradzhai in Minsk. His first major success took place at the 1980 Olympics, when, competing for the Soviet Union, he won the gold medal in the 110 kilogram class with a 422.5 kg total.

He was unable to compete in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles due to the Soviet boycott, but competed in the 1984 Friendship Games, where he won the 110 kg class with a world record total of 442.5 kg, exceeding the winning total in Los Angeles (by Norberto Oberburger) by 52.5 kg.

After this, Taranenko moved up to the super-heavyweight class. Lifting in Canberra, Australia on November 26, 1988, he set a world record of 266 kg in the clean and jerk, and 476 kg in the total, having lifted 210 kg in the snatch.

While these results are no longer recognized as official world records due to subsequent restructuring of the competitive weight classes (in 1993, 1998 and 2018), as of 2019, his 266 kg clean and jerk remained the highest ever achieved in competition till broken December 2021 by Lasha Talakhadze’s 267 kg, while his total of 476 kg remained the highest ever achieved until broken by Lasha Talakhadze of Georgia at the 2019 World Weightlifting Championships while also setting the new clean and jerk record of 264 kg for the restructured weight classes. He achieved this by breaking Hossein Rezazadeh's world record from 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens for 263.5 kg.

In 1992, Taranenko represented the Unified Team at the Olympics in Barcelona. He took the silver medal in the super-heavyweight class with a total of 425 kg.

Taranenko's other victories include the 110 kg class titles at the 1980 World and European championships, and super-heavyweight titles at the 1990 World championship and 1988, 1991, and 1996 European championships.

Taranenko has served as a coach for female weightlifters in India.

In 2017, Taranenko admitted having used performance-enhancing drugs.

Career bests Snatch: 210 kg in the class over 110 kg Clean and jerk: 266 kg (No longer an official world record due to restructuring of weight classes) Total: 442.5 kg (200 + 242.5) 1984 at the Friendship Games in Varna, Bulgaria, 110 kg class Total: 476 kg (210 + 266), at Canberra, Australia on November 26, 1988, 110+ kg class. Back Squat: 380 kg with a two-second pause at the bottom Front Squat: 300 kg for three reps Olympic Press: 230 kg

Major result