Taisto Kangasniemi

Taisto Ilmari Kangasniemi ( born April 2, 1924 in Kankaanpää in the landscape Satakunta, † 31 October 1997 in Tampere Pikonlinna ) was a Finnish wrestler.

Career

Taisto Ilmari Kangasniemi began as a teenager with the rings. He was a member of the wrestling club " Kankaanpään Meno ", an organization which has belonged to the Finnish Sports Federation TUL workers. He later moved to " Tampere Kilpa - Veljet " and " Tampere Painiseura "; Clubs that were also connected to the TUL. He wrestled in two styles and made in 1948 for the first time attracted attention when he won the third place in the heavyweight division in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Finnish Championships TUL. In further elimination fights, he qualified this year, then even for the Olympic Games in London. He missed in the heavyweight division, free style, with a fourth place barely a medal.

Also in 1952 he qualified for the Olympic Games. In Helsinki he wrestled again in the heavyweight Greco-Roman style and ended up in sixth place.

At the World Championships in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1953 in Naples, he began in the heavyweight division with three wins very promising, but then met Olympic champion Johannes Kotkas, the Estonians, who competed for the Soviet Union and subject to that on shoulder. He came back only to the fourth place.

In 1954, he fought at the World Championships in Tokyo in free style and came to a victory over the Iranians Ahmed Vafadar and two defeats to sixth place. In the same style he rang in 1956 at the Olympic Games in Melbourne. He showed good fights and was rewarded with two wins the bronze medal. He was also in the Greco-Roman style at the start and there occupied the sixth place.

Kangasniemi rang at the national level until 1960, but started at no more international championships.

The results of the championships in which he participated are, read the following sections.

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, GR = Greco-Roman style, F = Freestyle, S = Heavy weight, then over 87 kg body weight)

Finnish Championships

Taisto Kangasniemi was Finnish champion of the official Finnish Ringer Association in Greco -Roman style in the years 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1962 and 1963 and in free style in the years 1953 and 1954.

Finnish Champion of the Federation TUL he was in 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963 and 1964, respectively in Greco-Roman wrestling in the heavyweight division. Runner he was in 1949 and 1955 respectively behind Olympic champion Kelpo Grondahl, 1958 behind team-mate Vihtori Ahven. Outdoor style Kangasniemi won in 1955 and 1959 the title and also was twice runner-up.

Swell

• Documentation of International Wrestling Championships FILA, 1976
• Various editions of the journal " Athletics " from the years 1949 to 1960
• Website tulpaini.fi