He turned out to be tall - more than two meters, his shoulders would hardly fit through the door. This was Grigory Kosinsky, a strongman peasant from the village of Saltyki, famous throughout the province. There were legends about him. Grisha could, for example, tie twelve two-pound weights, put them on his shoulders and walk around with this colossal load. They say that one day he put a forty-pound woman in a sleigh in which a contractor was riding, shortchanging the workers, for driving piles.

The famous strongman Fyodor Besov came to the town of Slobodskaya, in the Vyatka province. He demonstrated mind-blowing tricks: he broke chains, juggled three-pound weights blindfolded, tore a deck of cards, bent copper coins with his fingers, bent a metal beam on his shoulders, smashed a cobblestone with his fist... And in general, he plunged into indescribable delight local residents. At the end of the performance, Besov, as he always practiced, turned to the audience: “Maybe someone would like to wrestle with me on belts?” The hall fell silent. There were no takers. Then the athlete called his assistant and, taking ten rubles from him, raised his hand up, and again turned to the audience with a smile: “And this is for the one who can hold out against me for ten minutes!” And again silence in the hall. And suddenly, from somewhere in the gallery, someone’s bass rumbled: “Let me try.” To the delight of the audience, a bearded man in bast shoes and a canvas shirt entered the arena. He turned out to be tall - more than two meters, his shoulders would hardly fit through the door. This was Grigory Kosinsky, a strongman peasant from the village of Saltyki, famous throughout the province. There were legends about him. Grisha could, for example, tie twelve two-pound weights, put them on his shoulders and walk around with this colossal load. They say that one day he put a forty-pound woman in a sleigh in which a contractor was riding, shortchanging the workers, for driving piles.

The fight began. Neither knowledge of techniques nor extensive experience could save Besov from defeat. The audience gasped with delight when the bearded giant pinned the visiting athlete to the mat.

Besov realized that he had met a nugget. After the performance, he took Grisha backstage and spent a long time trying to persuade him to go with him - “to show strength.” Besov talked enthusiastically about Grisha’s future career, about the glory that awaited him. He finally agreed. Started new life, but, of course, not as sweet as Besov pictured for him. Performances took place in the provinces, most often under open air, with big physical activity. There were also funny incidents during these touring wanderings. This is what Besov said about one of the incidents that happened to them. “We arrive with Grisha to a remote, remote town. We have never seen people like us there... Kashcheev (Kosinsky’s pseudonym) is shaggy, like an animal, and my last name is Besov... We have no human appearance. We decided that we - werewolves... Without saying a bad word, they lassoed us, took us out of the city and said: “If you don’t leave our city on good terms, then blame yourself.” So Grisha and I - God bless you...

Kashcheev’s performances were a huge success, but more and more often he said: “No, I’ll leave the circus. I’ll return home, I’ll plow the land.” In 1906, he met world-class wrestlers for the first time.

He became friends with Ivan Zaikin, who helped him enter the big arena. Soon Kashcheev put many famous strongmen on the shoulder blades, and in 1908, together with Ivan Poddubny and Ivan Zaikin, he went to the world championship in Paris. Our heroes returned to their homeland in victory. Kashcheev took prize place. It would seem that now Kashcheev’s real wrestling career had begun, but he still gave up everything and went to his village to plow the land. Best characteristic The words of the famous organizer of the French wrestling championships, editor-in-chief of the sports magazine “Hercules” Ivan Vladimirovich Lebedev, serve as reference for the Russian hero-giant Grigory Kashcheev: “I had to see a lot of original people when I was the director of wrestling, but still I must be the most interesting in character consider the giant Grigory Kashcheev. In fact, it is difficult to imagine that a person who has made himself within 3 - 4 years. European name, voluntarily left the arena back to his village, and again took up the plow and harrow. This man had enormous strength. Almost a fathom tall, Kashcheev, if he were a foreigner, would have earned a lot of money, because in strength he surpassed all foreign giants." (Hercules Magazine, No. 2, 1915).

Kashcheev died in 1914. There were many legends about his death, but here is what is reported in the obituary published in the June issue of the Hercules magazine for 1914: “On May 25, in his fifth decade, the famous giant wrestler Grigory Kashcheev, who left the circus arena and was engaged in farming, died of a heart attack in its native village Saltyki. Not so long ago, the name of Kashcheev thundered not only in Russia, but also abroad. If in his place there had been another person, more greedy for money and fame, then he could have made a global career for himself. But Grisha was a Russian peasant farmer at heart, and he was irresistibly drawn from the most profitable engagements - home, to the land." He was a great hero. But how many people know about him today?

Grigory Kashcheev is one of the brightest representatives of the golden era of natural athletes. This good-natured giant, who never dreamed of a sports career, became the embodiment of the mysterious and unpredictable Russian character. He was predicted to have a brilliant future and worldwide fame, and he chose the modest share of the farmer. An undeservedly forgotten life story Vyatka hero we will tell you in our article.

Grigory Kashcheev during childhood and adolescence.
The hard part of a truth teller

Grigory Kashcheev(real name Kosinsky) was born on November 12, 1873 in the village of Saltyki, Vyatka province. WITH youth future Vyatka hero surprised those around him with his incredible strength and gigantic growth, although there had never been such giants in his family. At the age of 12, he plowed the land along with adults, and by the age of 15 he was taller than all the men in the entire district. It is reliably known that by the age of 30, the weight of this giant reached 160 kilograms, with a height of 215 centimeters.

It is not surprising that the big man worked for three. For example, instead of a horse, he harnessed himself to a cart loaded with grain and calmly took it to the mill. Amusing the villagers, he threw a log onto his shoulders, to which several adults were clinging at once, and began to spin an impromptu carousel. One day, the manager of a distillery from neighboring Sosnovka witnessed this fun and invited the young strongman to work with him.

The movers only gasped in amazement when Grigory Kashcheev single-handedly he put a 30-pound (360 kilogram) barrel of alcohol on the scales, which four people had difficulty lifting. And the guy just smiled shyly, sincerely wondering what could be special about this. While entertaining his colleagues, he took a two-pound weight and began to be baptized with it non-stop. This amazing strongman could stop a speeding cart with three horses by grabbing the wheel with his hands.

Vyatka hero was distinguished by a complex, unyielding character. It was not in his spirit to pass by, turning a blind eye to injustice and lawlessness. One day, while walking along the river bank, he saw a crowd of guys fighting. Shaking his head disapprovingly, Grigory grabbed the heated youths into a heap with his huge hands, like bear paws, and said: “Come on, cool it down!” – drove everyone into the water.

One day Grigory Kashcheev I bet five rubles with one of the clerks that he would carry a bunch of weights with a total weight of 400 kilograms around the warehouse. Having shouldered this colossal load, the big man fulfilled his promise and demanded his well-deserved winnings. However, the losing debater refused to pay. Then the angry big man pulled the hat off the offender’s head, lifted the corner of the warehouse with his powerful shoulder, threw the headdress under the lower log and lowered the wall back down. And the next day the weights, chained together, were found hanging on a pole. To get them out, the pillar had to be cut down. The management did not appreciate the joke, and the same day the offending loader was fired.

After this incident Grigory Kashcheev got a job as a builder at the Kotlas Railway. He worked properly, moving heavy rails and sleepers alone. However, he did not stay here for long, because he could not put up with the greed and arbitrariness of local businessmen. At the first calculation, it turned out that the contractor was openly robbing the workers, pocketing part of the money for himself. Deciding to teach the rogue a lesson, Grigory heaped a cast-iron blank for driving piles, weighing about half a ton, onto his sleigh and covered it with hay on top. Having finished his business, the contractor was about to leave, but discovered that the cart seemed to be rooted to the spot. He began to frantically whip the horse, but the poor animal only helplessly stomped on the spot.

- Come on, lay siege! Don't torture the animal! - suddenly someone’s loud voice thundered, and out of the crowd of laughing builders came Grigory Kashcheev. - First, settle everyone's minds, and then go.

The workers hummed with approval, supporting their comrade. Having assessed the dimensions people's defender, the contractor wisely decided not to argue and paid everything to the last penny. It took 20 people to remove the heavy load from the sled. Returning to the office, the dishonest employee immediately complained about Kashcheev. And although all the builders stood up in defense of Gregory, the management did not keep the obstinate worker, even if he worked for five people.

Vyatka hero again he had to return to the distillery, where he was assigned to transport barrels of alcohol to the regional center of Slobodskaya. They didn’t hire a stern truth teller for any other job.

Duel with Fedor Besov.
Start of a sports career

The life of a village strongman changed dramatically after meeting a professional athlete Fedor Besov . In November 1905, the famous strongman, along with his booth, arrived in Slobodskaya. For a tiny provincial town, this was a huge event, and therefore the stands were filled to capacity. Besov demonstrated real miracles of strength to the provincial public: he juggled heavy weights, broke chains with his bare hands and card decks, broke horseshoes, bent coins with his fingers, hammered nails into a board with his fist, and a thick steel beam was bent on his back. The audience applauded enthusiastically, enjoying a previously unprecedented spectacle. However, everyone was looking forward to the main performance.

At the end of his performance, the strongman walked to the center of the arena and defiantly shook the chervonets clutched in his hand. According to a long-established circus tradition, he announced that he would give this money to the one who defeats him in a fair fight. In the deathly silence that reigned, a bass voice from the gallery thundered: “I’ll try!”

Fight Vyatka hero meeting with a visiting artist was not an ordinary coincidence, as it might seem. The glory of remarkable strength Grigory Kashcheev has long spread throughout the province. One day, under an imaginary pretext, the police officer (chief of the local police) summoned him and offered to earn extra money. He explained that a famous strongman would soon come to the city, who needed to be laid on his shoulder blades. The amount offered for defeating Fedor Besov, was more than tempting. Grigory didn’t earn that much in a year, and therefore agreed without further hesitation.

He was familiar with the rules of belt wrestling only in theory, but did not have time to gain the necessary experience. Gregory met the only worthy opponent only once. Working for railway, he heard from his comrades about the local strongman Pantelee Zhuikove. Zhuikov indeed possessed considerable strength, and therefore Grigory Kashcheev could not resist the temptation to test himself in a fight with an equal opponent. Eyewitnesses claimed that the fight between the two the strongest people in the area lasted several hours, and until last moment it was impossible to predict who would prevail. Panteleimon had age and experience on his side, but Gregory turned out to be more resilient and stubborn. In the end, the young strongman knocked his opponent to the ground and pressed him from above, forcing him to admit defeat.

But this time Vyatka hero Up against an even more formidable opponent - strong, technical, experienced in the intricacies of professional wrestling. However Fedor Besov I very soon realized that this village bumpkin in worn-out bast shoes and a homespun shirt was far from being so simple. He had never encountered a person of such strength before. No sophisticated techniques and tricks that had been worked out over the years worked. You might as well try to topple a mountain.

Both opponents were already pretty tired, their clothes were soaked through with sweat, but neither one nor the other was going to give in. Once the judges had to stop the fight - the circus athlete’s strong leather belt broke, unable to withstand the monstrous load. In the end, Gregory managed to break the resistance of his unyielding opponent. Seizing the moment, he tore Besov off the ground, lifted him above his head and slammed him with his back to the arena. To be sure, he also fell on top, releasing his defeated opponent only after hearing the cherished: “I give up.” The spectators greeted their fellow countryman's victory with an enthusiastic roar.

Reward to the giant hero paid in in full, however, the defeated artist did not regret the lost money at all. He knew that with such a strongman as Kashcheev, he would earn hundreds of times more. All that remains is to persuade Vyatka hero go with him. This task turned out to be difficult. Gregory could not leave his native land, to which he was attached with all his soul. But Besov was very persistent and persuasive, outlining tempting prospects for the provincial strongman, which he refused. The good-natured hero, who always dreamed of seeing the world in his soul, agreed. So duel with Fedor Besov served the beginning of a sports career new circus star, with the name Grigory Kashcheev.

Circus activities .
Getting to know Ivan Zaikin

Circus activities became for Grigory Kashcheev the road to glory, but at the same time, a real test of strength. Constant moving from place to place, exhausting, working on stage for 10-12 hours a day and far from best conditions content - all this was in no way combined with the bright prospects that he was promised. In addition, circus performers were not greeted with enthusiastic applause everywhere.

A curious incident happened to the troupe Fedora Besova on tour in a provincial town. After the performance, a crowd of ordinary people escorted the artists to the outskirts of the city, advising them to immediately leave and never appear in these parts again. As it turned out, the superstitious townspeople seriously took Kashcheev for a werewolf, and Besov himself, with his a telling surname, for Satan's minion. The fact is that entrepreneurs often presented Gregory as a “bear man,” which, however, was not difficult to believe. Impressive dimensions and truly superhuman strength " Vyatka hero", coupled with long black hair and thick beard, really created a terrifying image.

In 1906, while on tour in Kazan, a lucky chance brought our hero together with a famous Russian wrestler, the future world champion in weightlifting. The famous “King of Iron,” himself coming from a peasant family, decided that such a nugget had no place in a cheap booth. He became for Vyatka hero friend and mentor. Under his wise leadership Grigory Kashcheev began to train intensively and comprehend the intricacies of modern wrestling.

In 1908 our hero, together with the strongest fighters Russian Empire, Ivan Poddubny and, went to Paris for the World Championships in French wrestling. At this tournament, he lost only to his titled compatriots, eventually taking one of the prizes and becoming famous throughout the world.

The duel with Kashcheev lasted about six hours. The legendary "Champion of Champions" simply did not know how to cope with this mighty hero-giant, but in the end, the experience and skill of Ivan Maksimovich won, who managed to lay down his powerful opponent on his shoulder blades.

World celebrity .
Last years of life
Grigory Kashcheev

To St. Petersburg Grigory Kashcheev back already world celebrity. His photos were published by the largest newspapers and magazines, everyone considered it an honor to meet him influential person in the city. However, the athlete himself became gloomier and more thoughtful every day. The brilliance of fame was alien to him, and all he really dreamed of was returning to his native land and living a quiet life. Kashcheev told his friends more than once that he was ready to give up everything and continue plowing the land. So he did.

In 1911 giant hero arrived in Vyatka, where he held several farewell performances and wrestling matches, after which he finally moved to his native village. Here the former athlete built a house with his own hands and began farming. Soon he married and became the father of two wonderful children.

In the spring of 1914, fellow athletes visited Gregory and tried to persuade him to return, but he refused, citing the fact that he could not leave his family. However, the arrival of friends stirred the soul of the former athlete, forcing him to remember the days of past glory. He could not find a place for himself and that same night he suddenly fell ill. The paramedic who arrived in the morning found only his lifeless body. About death Grigory Kashcheev There were a lot of rumors. It was rumored that one of his former rivals poisoned him to take revenge, but an autopsy showed that the strongman died of a broken heart.

So, at the age of 41, the life of one of the strongest people of a bygone era was absurdly and tragically cut short. Buried Vyatka hero in his native village, today called Kosa. Unfortunately, the grave of the famous athlete has not survived to this day, but his name continues to live in the memory of descendants.

After the death of Grigory Ilyich in the St. Petersburg magazine “ Hercules"an obituary was published. Its author, the famous Russian coach, called Vyatka hero one of the most amazing people, whom he had ever met. Possessing the richest natural inclinations, he could have become an invincible champion and gained great glory, but he chose to return to peasant life. This, according to Lebedev, is precisely the paradoxical phenomenon of the amazing Russian character.

People like Grigory Kashcheev– these are real unique people who are born once every hundred years. However, everyone can overcome their own imperfections, despite stubborn genetics. For natural growth muscle mass and adaptation of the body to heavy physical activity, we can recommend a nutritional supplement " " This unique vitamin and mineral complex, created on the basis of natural plant components and beekeeping products, contains a rich set of essential substances necessary for every athlete.

Nikolai Polikarpov, Alexander Veprikov and Dmitry Sennikov are united
much. All of them were born, lived, worked and are still working on Vyatka land,
They dedicated their creativity to her, became experienced professionals, received the title “Honored Artist of Russia” and pass on the secrets of their craft to the young.

All three recently turned sixty-five, and, apparently, they are connected not only by guild camaraderie, but also by simple human friendship. 25 years ago they already had a joint exhibition. And now, a quarter of a century later, they are showing viewers their works created over the past ten years.

Firstly, it must be said that all three are excellent landscape painters.

Nikolai Polikarpov is faithful to the theme of the Russian village with its difficult fate, he likes to paint work and life ordinary people, paints their portraits. For the last five years he has been working at his small homeland, in the Vyatka outback - the village of Ozhiganov, Oryol district, and created many new works there. Many of his works (“My Motherland”, “Istobensk”, “The Village of Polom on Vyatka”) can be called monumental epic canvases, although his sketches are no less interesting and exciting.

Alexander Veprikov also paid tribute to his small homeland - the city of Urzhum. Veprikov is a master of lyrical landscape, a romantic at heart, he often creates landscape paintings, be it a city or a village. In his work, as well as in the work of Sennikov, Vasnetsov’s places occupy a special place. Both of them are laureates of the Kirov Region Government Prize named after Br. Vasnetsov. By the way, Sennikov has taken part in all Vasnetsov’s plein airs since 2006.

Dmitry Sennikov, as you know, has already entered the history of Vyatka painting as the artist who created complete image old Vyatka, first of all he is a master of the urban landscape. Those houses, streets and alleys that he forever captured with his brush have long since disappeared from reality.

But, naturally, each of them has other favorite topics. So Sennikov can be called an animal artist: he loves to depict animals, birds and other living creatures. At the same time, he shows not only observation, but also humor, and sometimes seems to humanize animals. His personal exhibition was recently dedicated to the animal world.

Alexander Veprikov can surprise viewers with “nudity”, performed very tactfully and elegantly, or with an original portrait of a woman. His still lifes are memorable, in which one can feel the love of life and the joy of being. His still lifes can exist not only in the house on the table, but also in the garden, in a clearing or on the edge of a forest.

All three artists work within the framework traditional art, however, they are trying to master new techniques. Thus, Alexander Veprikov, for example, presented at the exhibition a collage painting “In Memory of Relatives”, which used small picturesque landscapes, photographs, poems, real household items and natural materials.

In the photo from left to right: N. Polikarpov, D. Sennikov, A. Veprikov.

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Grigory Kosinsky - Russian Bogatyr From the Vyatka Forests

The famous strongman Fyodor Besov came to the town of Slobodskaya, in the Vyatka province. He demonstrated mind-blowing tricks: he broke chains, juggled three-pound weights blindfolded, tore a deck of cards, bent copper coins with his fingers, bent a metal beam on his shoulders, smashed a cobblestone with his fist... And in general, he plunged the local residents into indescribable delight. At the end of the performance, Besov, as he always practiced, addressed the audience: Maybe someone would like to wrestle with me on belts? The hall fell silent.

And suddenly, from somewhere in the gallery, someone’s bass rumbled: “It’s possible...

From the upper rows a shaggy monster, a goblin from Russian fairy tales, was making its way to the arena. A bearded giant, clumsy, wearing an unbuttoned khaki shirt and homespun ports. Wrapped in onuchas, in bast shoes.

The fight was short-lived. As soon as Fyodor Besov tried to make a grab, he felt that his legs were lifted off the ground, the earth and sky changed places, and then it became dark.

The giant's name was Grigory Kosinsky, and he was a peasant of the Vyatka province, and he was exactly 33 years old, like the legendary Ilya of Muromets, who climbed out of the oven at that age. Grigory did not lie on the stove; all his fellow villagers knew about his incredible strength...

It didn’t cost Grisha anything to lift the log with the men and, spinning it above his head, create a merry carousel. One day, a horse got stuck in a fence while it was trying to jump over the fence. Grisha took her by the front legs and threw her across the garden, grumbling: “Where the hell has the devil taken you?”

The power was overwhelming. Once I heard a cow mooing and saw that it had fallen into the cellar. He grabbed her by the horns, pulled her out, but at the same time twisted her neck.

One day the mother heard the boys screaming and looked out the window. Her son was pushing a horseless cart loaded with sacks of grain. There are twenty pounds on the cart, and even the neighbors' guys on the sacks.

Where is the horse?

Why chase her in vain? Let him rest. Left it on the threshing floor.

Grisha could, for example, tie twelve two-pound weights, put them on his shoulders and walk around with this colossal load. They say that one day he put a forty-pound woman in a sleigh in which a contractor was riding, shortchanging the workers, for driving piles.

Besov realized that he had met a nugget. After the performance, he took Grisha backstage and spent a long time trying to persuade him to go with him - to show his strength. Besov talked enthusiastically about Grisha’s future career, about the glory that awaited him. He finally agreed.

They began to perform together, showed strength tricks, and encouraged the audience to compete in strength training.

In 1906, at the Kazan Fair, a happy accident brought Kashcheev (pseudonym of Grigory Kosinsky) together with a real wrestler - European champion Ivan Zaikin, who headed the wrestling championship in the Nikitin circus. This meeting finally decided future fate Gregory. Zaikin helped him master wrestling techniques and brought him to the big arena. Soon the Vyatka man became a thunderstorm for venerable wrestlers, calmly putting famous champions on their shoulder blades.

In 1908, together with the great Ivan Poddubny and Ivan Zaikin, Grigory Kashcheev went to Paris for the World Championship at the Casino de Paré, where the strongest wrestlers of that time gathered - the Hungarian Janos, the Greek Karaman, the Turk Pengal, the German Schneider, the Japanese Ono Okitaro, the French Eugene and Embal Calmette, the Italian Raitsevich. All of them were defeated by Russian heroes. And Grigory Kashcheev’s personal account included five broken ribs and three broken arms of overseas strongmen.

Kashcheev’s performances were a huge success, but more and more often he said: No, I’ll leave the circus. I'll return home and plow the land.

Our heroes returned to their homeland in victory. It would seem that now Kashcheev’s real wrestling career had begun, but he still gave up everything and went to his village to plow the land. The best description of the Russian hero - giant Grigory Kashcheev are the words of the famous organizer of French wrestling championships, editor-in-chief of the sports magazine "Hercules" Ivan Vladimirovich Lebedev: I had to see a lot of original people when I was director of wrestling, but still I must consider the most interesting in character giant Grigory Kashcheev. In fact, it is difficult to imagine that a person who has made a European name for himself within 3–4 years would voluntarily leave the arena back to his village and again take up the plow and harrow.

This man had enormous strength. Almost a fathom tall (218 cm), Kashcheev, if he were a foreigner, would have earned a lot of money, because he surpassed all foreign giants in strength. (Hercules Magazine, No. 2, 1915).

Kashcheev died in 1914. There were many legends about his death, but here is what is reported in the obituary published in the June issue of the Hercules magazine for 1914: On May 25, in his fifth decade, the famous giant wrestler Grigory Kashcheev, who left the circus arena and was engaged in farming in his home village of Saltyki. Not so long ago, the name of Kashcheev thundered not only in Russia, but also abroad. If in his place there had been another person, more greedy for money and fame, then he could have made a global career for himself. But Grisha was a Russian peasant-farmer at heart, and he was irresistibly drawn from the most profitable engagements - home, to the land. He was a great hero. But how many people know about it today?

The best description of the Russian hero-giant are the words of the famous organizer of French wrestling championships, editor-in-chief of the sports magazine “Hercules” I. V. Lebedev: “I had to see a lot of original people when I was director of wrestling, but still the most interesting in character I must consider the giant Grigory Kashcheev. In fact, it is difficult to imagine that a person who has made a European name for himself within 3–4 years would voluntarily leave the arena back to his native village and again take up the plow and harrow. This man had enormous strength. Almost a fathom tall (218cm), Kashcheev, if he were a foreigner, would have earned a lot of money, because he surpassed all foreign giants in strength.”

VYATSK BOGATYR GRIGORY KASCHEYEV

The famous strongman Fyodor Besov came to the town of Slobodskaya, in the Vyatka province. He demonstrated mind-blowing tricks: he broke chains, juggled three-pound weights blindfolded, tore a deck of cards, bent copper coins with his fingers, bent a metal beam on his shoulders, smashed a cobblestone with his fist... And in general, he plunged the local residents into indescribable delight. At the end of the performance, Besov, as he always practiced, addressed the audience: Maybe someone would like to wrestle with me on belts? The hall fell silent. There were no takers. Then the athlete called his assistant and, taking ten rubles from him, raised his hand up, and again turned to the audience with a smile: And this is for the one who can hold out against me for ten minutes! And again silence in the hall.

And suddenly, from somewhere in the gallery, someone’s bass rumbled: Let me try. To the delight of the audience, a bearded man in bast shoes and a canvas shirt entered the arena. He turned out to be tall - more than two meters, his shoulders would hardly fit through the door. This was a strongman-peasant from the village of Saltyki, famous throughout the province, Grigory Kosinsky. There were legends about him. Grisha could, for example, tie twelve two-pound weights, put them on his shoulders and walk around with this colossal load. They say that one day he put a forty-pound woman in a sleigh in which a contractor was riding, shortchanging the workers, for driving piles. The fight began. Neither knowledge of techniques nor extensive experience could save Besov from defeat. The audience gasped with delight when the bearded giant pinned the visiting athlete to the mat. Besov realized that he had met a nugget. After the performance, he took Grisha backstage and spent a long time trying to persuade him to go with him - to show his strength. Besov talked enthusiastically about Grisha’s future career, about the glory that awaited him. He finally agreed.

A new life began, but, of course, not as sweet as Besov pictured for him. Performances took place in the provinces, most often in the open air, with great physical exertion. There were also funny incidents during these touring wanderings. This is what Besov said about one of the incidents that happened to them. Grisha and I arrive in a remote, remote town. They didn’t see people like us there... Kashcheev (Kosinsky’s pseudonym) is shaggy, like an animal, and my last name is Besov... We don’t have a human appearance. They decided that we were werewolves... Without saying a bad word, they lassoed us, took us out of town and said: If you don’t leave our city on good terms, then blame yourself. So Grisha and I - God bless our legs... Kashcheev’s performances were a huge success, but more and more often he said: No, I’ll leave the circus. I'll return home and plow the land.

In 1906, he met world-class wrestlers for the first time. He became friends with Ivan Zaikin, who helped him enter the big arena. Soon Kashcheev put many famous strongmen on the shoulder blades, and in 1908, together with Ivan Poddubny and Ivan Zaikin, he went to the world championship in Paris. Our heroes returned to their homeland in victory. Kashcheev took the prize. It would seem that now Kashcheev’s real wrestling career had begun, but he still gave up everything and went to his village to plow the land. The best description of the Russian hero - giant Grigory Kashcheev are the words of the famous organizer of French wrestling championships, editor-in-chief of the sports magazine "Hercules" Ivan Vladimirovich Lebedev: I had to see a lot of original people when I was director of wrestling, but still I must consider the most interesting in character giant Grigory Kashcheev. In fact, it is difficult to imagine that a person who has made a European name for himself within 3–4 years would voluntarily leave the arena back to his village and again take up the plow and harrow.

This man had enormous strength. Almost a fathom tall (218 cm), Kashcheev, if he were a foreigner, would have earned a lot of money, because he surpassed all foreign giants in strength. (Hercules Magazine, No. 2, 1915). Kashcheev died in 1914. There were many legends about his death, but here is what is reported in the obituary published in the June issue of the Hercules magazine for 1914: On May 25, in his fifth decade, the famous giant wrestler Grigory Kashcheev, who left the circus arena and was engaged in farming in his home village of Saltyki. Not so long ago, the name of Kashcheev thundered not only in Russia, but also abroad. If in his place there had been another person, more greedy for money and fame, then he could have made a global career for himself. But Grisha was a Russian peasant-farmer at heart, and he was irresistibly drawn from the most profitable engagements - home, to the land. He was a great hero. But how many people know about it today?

“The story of this is old, but the glory is imperishable.” /Virgil/