Yakov Kutsenko

Yakiv Kutsenko

Personal information
Birth name	Yakiv Hryhorovych Kutsenko
Born	(1915-11-22)November 22, 1915 Kiev, Russian Empire
Died	August 13, 1988(1988-08-13) (aged 72) Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Years active	1940–1960
Sport
Sport	Weightlifting
Medal record Representing the  Soviet Union World Weightlifting Championships 1946 Paris Heavyweight 1950 Paris Heavyweight European Weightlifting Championships 1947 Helsinki Heavyweight 1950 Paris Heavyweight

Yakiv Hryhorovych Kutsenko (Ukrainian: Яків Григорович Куценко, 22 November 1915 – 13 August 1988) was a Ukrainian heavyweight weightlifter. Between 1946 and 1950 he won two European titles and two silver medals at world championships, both times losing to John Davis. He was the Soviet heavyweight champion between 1937 and 1952, and in 1947 set three official world records in the clean and jerk.^[1][2]

Kutsenko served as the Soviet flag bearer at the 1952 Summer Olympics. He was prevented from competing by Soviet authorities who expected the flag bearer to win a gold medal and believed Kutsenko wouldn't be able to achieve that.^[3]