Vasily Ivanovich Alexeev, recognized as the greatest athlete of the last century, was born on January 7, 1972, in the Ryazan region. Soon, his family moved to the Arkhangelsk region, where he received an education at a forestry technical institute and became interested in volleyball and athletics. However, his true calling was revealed after moving to the city of Shakhty, known for its weightlifting school. Here, he graduated from the branch of the Novocherkassk Polytechnic Institute and, while working in a mine, began practicing weightlifting.

Alexeev's first coach was the Soviet specialist Rudolf Vladimirovich Plyukfelder. Under his guidance, Vasily quickly achieved impressive results. His weight also increased: in 1966, it was 100 kilograms, and by 1970, it was already 133 kilograms. In 1970, Alexeev set 25 records, and in 1971, he added another 20, of which 8 were world records.

At the 1972 Olympics, Alexeev won gold and set an Olympic record by lifting a total of 645 kilograms in three exercises. At the next Olympics, he was again the winner, and at the competitions in Tallinn between the Olympics, he set a record that remains unbroken to this day.

During his career, Vasily Alexeev set 79 world records and 81 records at the USSR championships. He became an Olympic champion twice, won the world and European championships 8 times, and the USSR championships 7 times. Alexeev was awarded the titles of Honored Master of Sports and Honored Coach of the USSR.

After retiring from sports, he headed the USSR and CIS national weightlifting teams. Under his leadership, the CIS team won the team event at the XXV Olympic Games in 1992, earning 5 gold, 4 silver, and 3 bronze medals. In 1996, a sports school of Olympic reserve named after Alexeev opened in Shakhty, and he became an honorary citizen of the city.

Vasily Alexeev lived for 69 years. On November 9, 2011, he was sent for treatment to a cardiology clinic in Munich, where he passed away on November 25. He was buried at the Central City Cemetery in Shakhty. In 2014, a monument to Alexeev was unveiled in Shakhty, and memorials were established in his native village of Miloslavskoye and in the Armenian city of Armavir. A memorial plaque in his honor was opened in Rostov-on-Don. His name is carried by an Airbus A321-211 aircraft and a boulevard in Shakhty. The year 2017 was declared the Year of Vasily Alexeev, the legendary athlete and two-time Olympic champion.