Soslan Petrovich Andiyev was born on April 21, 1952 in Vladikavkaz, Respublika Severnaya Osetiya-Alaniya, Russia. The website Sports-Reference.com describes him as "the dominant super-heavyweight freestyle wrestler of the 1970s."
First gaining a spot on the Soviet Union's freestyle wrestling team in 1973, the 6'4", 276-pound Andiyev grabbed the international wrestling world's attention by defeating 6'5", 400+ pound "Gentle Giant" Chris Taylor -- 1972 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time NCAA heavyweight champ for Iowa State in 1972 and 1973 -- at a World Cup event.
Soslan AndiyevAndiyev won Olympic gold medals as a superheavyweight in men's freestyle competition at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and was expected to claim a third consecutive Olympic gold medal in 1984 until the Soviets chose to boycott the Los Angeles Games. He retired from wrestling that year, becoming a coach.
Andiyev later became a Minister of Sports of North Ossetia, then served as Vice-President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), and a member of the Executive Committee of the ROC.
In 2006, Andiyev was welcomed into what is now the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame.
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