Yevgeny Minayev

Yevgeny Gavrilovich Minayev (; 21 May 1933 – 8 December 1993) was a Russian weightlifter who competed for the Soviet Union. He won a silver medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics and a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics.

Career Minayev started training in weightlifting while serving in the Soviet Army. At his first competition, the 1956 Soviet Championships, Minayev broke the world record in the press, but finished only fourth overall. Yet he was selected for the 1956 Olympics, as a reserve,

Minayev was known for his insubordination. He refused any coach and often missed training sessions of the national team. Consequently, he was expelled from the team in the mid-1960s despite being a national champion. He retired in 1966 and briefly worked as a weightlifting coach before returning to his native Klin, where he took temporary jobs at farms and mechanical workshops. Minayev left a car, an apartment and his family in Moscow. He spent his last years homeless on the streets of Klin, where he froze to death in December 1993.