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People in St Petersburg to pay last respects to judo coach Rakhlin

Rakhlin was Vladimir Putin's coach for eleven years

ST PETERSBURG, August 9 (Itar-Tass) - A ceremony to pay last respects to the Merited Coach (judo) of Russia Anatoly Rakhlin will be held at the Judo Center (sports school for children and adolescents in Kalinin District of the city) here on Friday. Rakhlin died after sufferibng from a serious illness. He is to be buried at the Kuzmolovka cemetery in Leningrad Region.

Over 50 years of his work, Merited Coach of Russia, Merited professional of physical culture and sports, Rakhlin trained and prepared for competition more than 100 masters of sports. It was under his direction that the country's women's national team achieved tangible results at European and world championships and at various international tournaments.

Rakhlin was Vladimir Putin's coach for eleven years. The future president of Russia began training with Rakhlin's assistancea at the age of thirteen. He got black belt at 18. Both persons have been friends until the end of the coach's life. Rakhlin and the President last met on May 30, 2013, when Putin congratulated his coach on his 75th birthday.