7 sexiest Soviet male athletes (PHOTOS)

1. Weightlifter Yuri Vlasov

Vlasov was a true hero of his time: A great weightlifter who broke all records, a writer, a politician, even a presidential candidate…

He drank vodka with Yuri Gagarin, lifted (literally) Fidel Castro and was Russia's flag bearer at the 1980 Olympic Games. And legendary weightlifter Arnold Schwarzenegger called him his idol.

2. Hockey player Valery Kharlamov

Thanks to the biopic ‘Legend #17’ (2013), even those who are far from the sport, have learned about the Soviet ice hockey player. And, in the 1970s, the USSR literally lived ice hockey and any boy knew this forward with Spanish roots.

A two-time Olympic champion and eight-time world champion, Kharlamov, who played for the CSKA hockey club, was one of the leading ice hockey players in the country's history.

3. Track & field athlete Vladimir Yashchenko

This tall, young man broke all records in the high jump, first junior and then senior. He became the last world record holder in the straddle technique (belly to bar), which is no longer used today, because of the Fosbury Flop technique (back to bar).

After an unfortunate injury, Yashchenko ended his track and field career quite early and sadly passed away, due to alcohol abuse at the age of 40. 

4. Soccer player Viktor Ponedelnik

This forward brought the USSR national team its first victory in the history of Soviet soccer in the European Cup in 1960. He scored the “golden goal” in overtime.

At the following European Championship, he helped his team to second place. He was repeatedly recognized as the best player of the USSR and also wrote several books about soccer, becoming a journalist after his sports career ended. 

5. Figure skater Alexander Gorshkov

Gorshkov was a true legend of Soviet figure skating. With his partner Lyudmila Pakhomova (and his real life wife), they became the first ever Olympic champions in ice dancing, after it debuted as an official Olympic sport at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck.

The couple also won six consecutive gold medals at the World Championships. For many years after his career ended, Gorshkov was a sports functionary and President of the Russian Figure Skating Federation.

6. Chess player Anatoly Karpov

Chess was an all-Union passion. This legendary grandmaster is a multiple winner of the world championship title and the 'chess Oscar' award. Karpov's name was included in the Guinness Book of Records and many of his matches were recognized as the best in history.

By the way, a feature film titled ‘World Champion’ (2021) was made about him, where the grandmaster was played by actor Ivan Yankovsky. 

7. Diver Vladimir Vasin

7 most sexy male athletes of the USSR

Vasin became the first Soviet Olympic champion in diving at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. In the midst of the Cold War, this victory over the Americans, who had not lost since 1920, was a true triumph for Soviet sport.

Because of this, Vasin was included in the World Swimming Hall of Fame. Today, the champion is vice president of the Russian Olympic Committee.