Martin Klein (wrestler)

Martin Klein (Russian Мартин Клейн; born September 12, 1884 in Tarvastu, † February 11, 1947 ) was an Estonian wrestler. He was 1912 Olympic medalist for Russia.

Life and athletic performance

Martin Klein was born in Tarvastu, which belonged to the Russian Empire since 1721. He attended the village school of Kuressaare and then the parish school of Tarvastu. At 17, he got a job on a ship, but soon decided to give up the profession of a sailor. He then worked as a construction worker in Saint Petersburg. In 1910 he became a security guard at the local sports club Sanitas. Soon he ran even sports and was his coach Tõnu Võimula ( = Daniel Wiedemann ) promoted. Quick his talent was visible as a wrestler.

Martin Klein won the silver medal in wrestling ( Middleweight, Greco-Roman style) at the Summer Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912. He was then 27 years old. His fight against the 23- year-old Finn Alfred Asikainen on July 14, 1912, as the longest Olympic wrestling history, a Guinness Book of Records. He took 11 hours and 40 minutes. At 22.10 clock Klein was declared the winner. Heavy exhausted renounced Klein on the scheduled for the next day battle for the gold medal against Sweden Claes Johansson and gave himself up without a fight with silvers.

1913 Klein took my favorites at the World Championships in Wroclaw part, but had to retire injured. 1919/20, took small part in the Estonian War of Independence against Soviet Russia. From 1919 he was the coach of the Estonian wrestler at the Olympic Games. Attempts to switch over to the Ringer professional bearing failed. Until 1937, he was still active as a wrestler, but moved more and more on its agricultural activities in the village Säga in his home town back.

Klein died in 1947 in an accident during forest operations. He is buried in the cemetery of Tarvastu.