| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aleksandr Shemarov | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  Belarus | ||||||||||||||
| Born | (1975-04-09)9 April 1975 (age 50) | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft11+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 96 kg (212 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Style | Freestyle | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Trade Union Sports Club (BLR) | ||||||||||||||
| Coach | Nikolai Shemarov Valentin Murzinkov | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Aleksandr Shemarov (alsoAliaksandr Shamarau,Belarusian:Аляксандр Шамараў; born April 9, 1975) is a retired amateur Belarusian freestyle wrestler, who competed in the men's heavyweight category.[1] He won a bronze medal in the 97-kg division at the 2001 European Championships inBudapest, Hungary, and also achieved a seventh-place finish each in two editions of the Olympic Games (2000 and 2004). Throughout his sporting career, Shemarov trained as a member of the freestyle wrestling team for Minsk Trade Union Sports Club, under his father and coach Nikolai Shemarov.[2]
Shemarov made his official debut at the2000 Summer Olympics inSydney, where he competed in themen's heavyweight division (97 kg). He scored a set of two triumphs to defeat Canada's Dean Schmeichel and Slovak-born Australian wrestler Gabriel Szerda in the opening matches, but suffered a formidable 2–3 overtime defeat against Poland's three-time OlympianMarek Garmulewicz. Finishing second in the prelim pool and seventh overall, Shemarov's performance fell short to put him further into the quarterfinals.[3]
At the2004 Summer Olympics inAthens, Shemarov qualified for his second Belarusian squad, as a 29-year-old, in themen's heavyweight class (96 kg) by rounding out the top ten spot and receiving a berth from the2003 World Wrestling Championships inNew York City, New York,United States.[4] Shemarov delivered a more powerful effort from his previous Games by thrashing Turkey'sFatih Çakıroğlu and Mongolia'sTüvshintöriin Enkhtuyaa to secure a spot for the next round. Fighting against Russian wrestler and European championKhadzhimurat Gatsalov in the quarterfinal match, Shemarov could not score a single point to push him off the mat, and instead, matched his final standing from Sydney in the process.[5]
Shortly after the Games, Shemarov officially retired from his sporting career, and became a personal coach for his younger brotherAlexei, who later competed in the men's super heavyweight division at the2012 Summer Olympics inLondon.[2]
