Nikolay Saksonov

Nikolay Saksonov

File:Nikolay Saksonov.jpg
Personal information
Born	6 January 1923 Serga, Perm Governorate, Russia
Died	2 November 2011 (aged 88) Elektrougli, Moscow, Russia
Weight	60 kg (130 lb)
Sport
Sport	Weightlifting
Club	Lokomotiv Sverdlovsk
Medal record Representing the Soviet Union Olympic Games 1952 Helsinki -60 kg World Championships 1953 Stockholm -60 kg European Championships 1952 Helsinki -60 kg 1953 Stockholm -60 kg

Nikolai Nikolaevich Saksonov (Russian: Николай Николаевич Саксонов, 6 January 1923 – 2 November 2011) was a Russian weightlifter. He competed for the Soviet Union at the 1952 Olympics and won a silver medal in the featherweight division (−60 kg). Next year he won a world title in the same division. During his career Saksonov set nine world records: seven official records in the clean and jerk and two unofficial records in the total.

In 1940–1941 Samsonov studied at naval and infantry military schools, and later fought as a sergeant in World War II. During a raid behind the front lines he captured an injured German combatant and brought him to the Soviet positions despite being wounded himself. For this feat he was awarded the Order of the Red Star. He took part in various other military operations, for which he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War and the Medal of Bravery, among other medals.

After retiring from sport, in the 1960s Saksonov defended a PhD in medicine and later headed the Department of Athletics of the State Central Institute of Physical Culture.