Edvīns Bietags
Edvin Bietags ( born February 28, 1908 in Rūjiena, Krs Valmiera, † September 29, 1983 in Jurmala ) was a Latvian wrestler and winner of the silver medal at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin in the light heavyweight in Greco-Roman. Style.
Career
Edvin Bietags grew up in Riga where he began as a teenager with the rings. At first, his success as a wrestler still limited to the Latvian space. But when at the beginning of the 1930s the former Estonian Olympic champion Eduard Pütsep took over the training of the Latvian wrestler, Edvin Bietags made at the international wrestling mat a giant leap forward.
In 1932 he won in Königsberg in East Prussia a comparison fight against city selection Riga twice convincingly on points over Dau of Königsberg. 1934 started Edvin Bietags then for the first time at a European Championships in Greco-Roman. Style. In Rome, he surprised while the entire professional world when he European champion in the light heavyweight division was at first. Among the defeated wrestlers from him was the strong Axel Cadier from Sweden. Against the German master Erich Siebert Edvin lost though, this defeat was his title win but not prevent.
At the European Championships 1935 in Copenhagen Edvin Bietags was not as successful as 1934. After two wins bout against veteran Onni Pellinen from Finland and August Neo from Estonia and ended up in 4th place.
At the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936 Edvin was back in top form. He defeated four strong opponents, including Werner soul tie from Berlin and August Neo won after one defeat against Axel Cadier the silver medal.
In the years 1937 to 1939 Edvin won no medals at the European Championships. 1937 in Paris and 1938 in Tallinn, he started doing in the heavyweight division, could not do anything against the heavier main competitors in this weight class. 1939 in Oslo, he tried again in the light heavyweight and arrived there at because of the imminent outbreak of war already weak competition only on the 4th Place.
International success
(OS = Olympic Games, European Championship EM =, GR = Greek and Roman. Styles, Hs = light heavyweight, S = Heavy weight, then to 87 kg or 87 kg of body weight)