Martin Klein (wrestler)
![]() Martin Klein (right) vs. Alfred Asikainen at the 1912 Olympics | |||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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Nationality | Estonian | ||||||||||||||
Born | 12 September 1884 Tarvastu, Kreis Fellin, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire | ||||||||||||||
Died | 11 February 1947 (aged 62) Tarvastu, Estonia | ||||||||||||||
Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||
Weight | 75–80 kg (165–176 lb) | ||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||
Sport | Greco-Roman wrestling | ||||||||||||||
Club | Sanitas, St. Petersburg | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Martin Klein (12 September 1884 – 11 February 1947) was an Estonian wrestler who competed for the Russian Empire at the 1912 Summer Olympics.[1] He won the silver medal in the middleweight class, becoming the first Olympic medalist born in the territory of modern Estonia.[2] In the semifinal against the reigning world champion Alfred Asikainen,[3] the two grappled for 11 hours and 40 minutes on a sunny day outdoors, until Klein managed to pin Asikainen. Klein was so exhausted from the bout – the longest wrestling match ever recorded – that he was unable to wrestle for the gold the next day, leaving Swedish wrestler Claes Johansson with the gold medal.[4]
Biography
[edit]Klein was born to a farmer and started training in wrestling only in his twenties. He left home aged 17 to work as a sailor, but after two years, together with his brother, signed up to a factory in Saint Petersburg, which was then the capital of the Russian Empire. Seeking additional incomes, he became a night-shift guardian in a wrestling club and in this way was introduced to the sport.[4]
In 1910 Klein won his first title, at St. Petersburg Championships in the unlimited class. Besides the 1912 Olympics, he also competed at the 1913 World Championships, but withdrew due to a hand injury. The same year he won the Russian heavyweight title. During World War I he served in the Russian army and later took part in the Estonian War of Independence. In 1919 he became a wrestling coach and prepared Estonian wrestlers for the 1920 Olympics. At those Games he was also offered a place as a competitor, but refused in favor of his younger teammates. Klein continued coaching and competing in wrestling in Estonia until 1937. He died as a consequence of a hernia, which he developed when moving logs and was buried in the Tarvastu cemetery. Since 1962 an international Martin Klein Memorial in Greco-Roman wrestling is held in Viljandi, Estonia.[4]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/Tombstone_at_the_grave_of_Martin_Klein.jpg/200px-Tombstone_at_the_grave_of_Martin_Klein.jpg)
References
[edit]- ^ "Martin Klein". Olympedia. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ "Exhibition "For the First Time in London" introduces London 2012 Games and the Estonian Olympic history". British Embassy, Tallinn. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- ^ Asikainen represented Finland, which was then part of the Russian Empire, but was competing as a separate team, under the Russian flag.
- ^ a b c "Martin Klein Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
- 1884 births
- 1947 deaths
- People from Viljandi Parish
- People from the Governorate of Livonia
- Estonian male sport wrestlers
- Wrestlers at the 1912 Summer Olympics
- Male sport wrestlers from the Russian Empire
- Olympic medalists in wrestling
- Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics
- Olympic wrestlers for the Russian Empire
- Olympic silver medalists for the Russian Empire