Voldemar Väli
Voldemar Väli ( born January 10, 1903 in Kuressaare, † April 13, 1997 in Stockholm, Sweden) was an Estonian wrestler.
Career
Voldemar Väli grew up in his birthplace, where he started in 1920 with the rings. After the first major successes, he joined the sports club 'Sport Tallinn ". In 1922 he was Estonian champion in Greco-Roman style, the style that he wrestled exclusively for the first time. In 1924 he competed in his first international championship, the Olympic Games in Paris. He won two fights and lost two fights and ended up with it in the Occupied with 27 wrestlers featherweight class in 8th position.
In 1926 he succeeded the first major victory in an international championship. In Riga, he was European champion at featherweight with a remarkable victory in the final battle over Erik Malmberg from Sweden. In 1927 he succeeded in Budapest repeating this victory. He was European champion again. The native Károly Kárpáti defeated him play in the final. 1928 succeeded Väli the third major victory in a row. He was in Amsterdam Olympic champion at featherweight. In the final battle, he defeated again Erik Malmberg superior on points.
1929 changed Vali into the lightweight and finished at the European Championships 1930 in Stockholm behind Erik Malmberg, where he was defeated this time, the 2nd place. He occupied the same seat at the European Championships 1931 in Prague. In the final Väli subject while the Dortmund Eduard Sperling.
Participation in the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles remained Voldemar Väli failed because Estonia is not muster the funds to send a team wrestler there. But in the years 1933 and 1934 Väli was at the European Championships back at lightweight at the start. But he failed to place the first three winners themselves.
At the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936 Väli won with five wins again a bronze medal. He defeated thereby also the great German Heinrich hope Nettesheim of Cologne. Against Joseph Herda from Czechoslovakia and Lauri Koskela from Finland had to put Väli defeats. 1937 and 1938 won Väli at the European Championships in turn no more medals. He failed every time to Lauri Koskela.
International success
(OS = Olympic Games, European Championship EM =, GR = Greco-Roman style, Fe = Featherweight, Lightweight = Le, then to 81 kg and 66 kg body weight)
Estonian Championships
Voldemar Väli won in the period 1922-1941 a total of nineteen times the Estonian championship in Greco-Roman style in the spring and lightweight.
Swell
- Documentation of International Wrestling Championships FILA, 1976
- Various editions of the journal " Athletics " from 1929 to 1936 and the journal " weight training " from the years 1937 to 1941