Gustav Frištenský facts for kids
Gustav Frištenský (born May 18, 1879 – died April 6, 1957) was a super strong Czech man. He was famous as a strongman and a wrestler. He competed for many years in the first half of the 20th century. Gustav took part in almost 10,000 fights during his long career. His first fight was when he was just 19 years old. He even had his last fight when he was 72! Frištenský was a true legend among Czech strongmen.
Early Life and Training
Gustav Frištenský was born in Kamhajek. This village is now part of Křečhoř. He grew up with three brothers and two sisters. When he was a child, Gustav was quite small. Nobody thought he would become a famous sportsman.
As a teenager, he started to lift weights and wrestle. He was learning to be a blacksmith. But he had a serious accident. He burned his hand badly with a horseshoe. After this, he decided to leave his blacksmith training.
Frištenský then moved to Brno. There, he became a butcher at Moritz Soffer's shop. He also started training at the Hellas sports club gymnasium. Soon, he left his job as a butcher. He wanted to focus completely on wrestling.
First Wins and Professional Career
In 1900, Frištenský entered an international competition in Prague. He won in weightlifting, wrestling, and the discus throw. This was a great start! In 1901, he became the Moravia champion in wrestling and discus throw. The next year, in 1902, he won the Austria-Hungary championship. In 1903, he became the European champion.
At first, Frištenský was an amateur athlete. After these amazing achievements, he decided to become a professional wrestler. This meant he could earn money from his sport. He joined the famous Kludský circus. Frištenský traveled all over the world with the circus. He even visited the United States.
Eventually, he came back to his home country. Frištenský married Miroslava Ellederová in Litovel. In 1917, he settled down in Litovel for good. He and his wife built a house near the Morava River.
Later Life and Achievements
Frištenský traveled to the US again later in his career. He wrestled in New York in front of a huge audience of 30,000 people. In 1921, Frištenský became the Czechoslovakia champion. In 1929, he won the professional European championship.
During World War II, Frištenský bravely joined the resistance movement. This group secretly fought against the Nazis. He was captured and became a prisoner of war. His wife had to help arrange his freedom.
After the war ended in 1945, Frištenský stopped competing in sports. He lived peacefully in Litovel. In 1947, his wife passed away, and he became a widower. In 1956, Frištenský received a special award. He was given the title "Merited Master of Sports." He died on April 6, 1957.
