‘During my third or fourth training session, they broke my nose’: Putin tells Olympians why he switched from boxing to wrestling

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about his childhood boxing training and recalled the moment he decided to quit and take up wrestling. “During my third or fourth training session, they broke my nose,” the president said during a conversation with Olympic athletes at the Kremlin.

The country’s leader reminded that he grew up in a simple family and “played in the yard.”

“I didn’t go anywhere, didn’t see any doctors. But it was impossible to even touch my nose with a finger. It was broken. As it turned out later, it was broken. My nose had grown out of place, and I decided that I should take up wrestling,” Putin said.

The President of Russia is a master of judo and sambo.