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Reding's incredible build was the envy of everyone in the sport but this gentle giant was as affable as they come. He even once permitted himself to be 'kidnapped' by student protestors...provided his 'captors' supplied him a place to train, of course! At 5' 8" tall he tipped the scales at 303 lbs when this picture was taken so he probably felt less than threatened. |
| Reding in the introduction of the supers at the Munich games. | |
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| Serge in the snatch exercise in Munich, 1972. Another impressive start but he zeroed out this time due to a shoulder injury sustained between lifts in the warm up area. | |
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A 308 lb Reding relaxes in the warm up hall at the 72 Olympics. Even seated and at rest his huge muscle mass cannot hide from the camera! |
| He is seen here preparing for the snatch at the 1973 worlds in Madrid, Spain. | |
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At a height of 5' 8" he was 5 1/2" shorter than Alexeyev yet they weighed the same at this meet. At that height 315 lbs understandably looks much more impressive on him. |
| Having just re-established his world records in the snatch and double sum at the previous meet, he was fatigued and zeroed out this competition as well with three missed attempts in the jerk. | |
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Sadly, Madrid marked Serge's last appearance on American television that I'm aware of. We lost him the following year at age 33 to a heart attack. |
| Serge Reding with American lifter Phil Gripaldi at the Belleville Barbell Club during a visit to America. | |
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A strategy session perhaps? Whatever the case, Reding is proudly sporting a souvenir t-shirt of the Belleville Barbell Club from his stateside visit. |