Ivan Yarygin – is a wrestler, the double champion of the Olympic Games, the champion of the world, the three-fold champion of Europe, the five-fold champion of World Cup, the three-fold champion of USSR, and the absolute champion of the country of 1974.

Ivan grew up in a big and friendly family in Sizaya village of Shushenskoye district, Krasnoyarsk region. He became interested in free-style wrestling at the age of 16 when he came to Abakan to learn to be a driver. His first coach, V.I.Charkov, when saw the talent in a young sportsman, advised him to move to Krasnoyarsk to train under the guidance of Dmitriy Mindiashvily, a legendary coach. Thus started one of the most outstanding careers in the history of modern sport: at 22 he became the champion of Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic and Soviet Union, at 24 he won the first golden medal at the Olympics in Munich, at 28 he won the second Olympic gold. The sportsman won at the World Championship, three times at European Championship, he is the double champion of USSR Championship, five-fold champion of World Cup.

At the age of 33 Yarygin finished his career in sport and became a coach. He trained dozens of masters of sport, championship and cup winners of all levels.

Ivan Yarygin was not only a good sportsman, but also a good publicist, he published manuscripts ‘Severe men games’, ‘You step to the carpet…’ and many others, which inspired a lot of young people to perform sport feats.

Life of this amazing sportsman ended tragically in 1997: he died in a car crash in Stavropol region.

In Moscow there is a village with the name of I.S.Yarygin, where in 1998, the year after his tragic death, there was erected a monument, made by the sculptor Alexander Rukavishnikov. In Krasnoyarsk there are a lot of facilities in the name of Yarygin: the academy of sport in Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University, the sports palace and river vessel. Russian Air Force assigned the name ‘Ivan Yarygin’ to one of the strategic bomber aircrafts. One of the most modern planes of civil aviation – TU-204 – is named after the famous sportsman. On the 14^th of February in 2004 in the south-eastern administrative district of Moscow there was opened the best in Europe Sports Palace in the name of Ivan Yarygin.

A lot of fans of the great champion come every year to the museum located in his small motherland – Sizaya village.