1968 Olympic Star Passes

Leonid Zhabotinsky at Olympics

        Who carried the flag for the Soviet Union in Mexico at the opening ceremony of the 1968 Olympic Games?   He carried the large flag and pole in 1 hand, something few could even attempt.
Clue:  he was a weight lifter.
  Answer:
     Leonid Zhabotinsky aka "Big Zhabo", died of heart-related ailments.  He was 77 years old.  The son of a Cossack, he was born in Ukraine in 1938, just before WW II.  He soon followed his father into the forests to become an apprentice woodsman.  Soon, in high school, he became a shot putter.  Shortly thereafter, he took up weightlifting, and launched a stellar career that went far beyond his native Ukraine.
     After winning local competitions, he graduated to the upper class levels on the national stage.  Soon, he was eligible for the Soviet National team and went to the 1964 Tokyo Olympiad Summer Games, where he won his first gold medal.  In 1968, he went to Mexico City for the Summer Olympiad at the height of the Vietnam War.  There, he won his second Olympic gold medal.  It was here that he made a splash during the opening ceremonies by holding the Soviet flag on its 40 lb. pole aloft with only 1 hand. All other flag bearers needed two hands.   He set 19 world records until his retirement.  He failed to get another gold medal at the Munich Games in 1972.  He worked as an instructor at various academic institutes while training athletes for the Army team.  His 2 sons, Ruslon and Vilen are both weightlifters.