Grigory Novak

Grigory Novak

Personal information
Born	5 March 1919 Chernobyl, Ukraine
Died	10 July 1980 (aged 61) Moscow, Russia
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	76 kg (168 lb)
Sport
Sport	Weightlifting
Club	Dynamo Moscow
Medal record Representing the Soviet Union Olympic Games 1952 Helsinki -90 kg World Championships 1946 Paris -82.5 kg European Championships 1947 Helsinki -82.5 kg 1952 Helsinki -90 kg

Grigory Irmovich Novak (Russian: Григорий Ирмович Новак, 5 March 1919 – 10 July 1980) was a Ukrainian weightlifter who won a world title in 1946 and a silver medal at the 1952 Olympics. During his career Novak set more than 50 world records, but only 18 became official: 14 in the press and 4 in the snatch.

Novak was Jewish. As a child he worked in building construction alongside his father, and between 1933 and 1938 was an acrobat and juggler at a circus. He then started training in wrestling and weightlifting and finished second at the Soviet Weighlifting Championships in 1939. He won the national title in various weight categories in 1940, 1943, 1944–1946, 1948–49 and 1951.

After the 1952 Olympics, Novak retired from competitions and returned to the circus, where he worked as a strongman, weight juggler and choreographer until his death at the age of 61. He juggled with 30–40 kg weights, and his trademark feats included lifting large platforms on which several people were performing various activities, such as acrobatics, cycling and weightlifting. His two sons Arkady and Roman were also strongmen and acrobats and performed in the circus alongside his father.

Novak died of a heart attack while preparing his part of the 1980 Olympic entertainment program.