Johannes Kotkas facts for kids
Johannes Kotkas in 1952
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Quick facts for kids Personal information |
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| Born | 3 February 1915 Kodijärve, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire |
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| Died | 8 May 1998 (aged 83) Tallinn, Estonia |
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| Height | 184 cm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 115 kg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Greco-Roman wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Dynamo Tallinn | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Johannes Kotkas (born 3 February 1915, died 8 May 1998) was a super strong wrestler from Estonia. He was famous for winning a gold medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics. He also won the European wrestling championship three times and came in second at the world championships.
Contents
Becoming a Wrestling Star
Johannes Kotkas started his sports journey with weightlifting. He only began wrestling when he was 20 years old, in 1935. Soon, he became one of the best heavyweight wrestlers in Estonia.
For a while, he often lost to another great Estonian wrestler, Kristjan Palusalu, in national championship finals. But around 1938, Palusalu had to stop wrestling because of an injury. This opened the door for Kotkas to become the top wrestler in Estonia and Europe.
Challenges and Triumphs
Johannes Kotkas's wrestling career faced big challenges. World War II and Estonia becoming part of the Soviet Union affected international sports events. For some years after the war, the Soviet Union did not compete much internationally.
Despite this, Kotkas still achieved major international wins. He won the European Championships in 1947. Then, at the 1952 Olympics, he was amazing! He defeated all his opponents by pinning them down.
At home, Kotkas was almost unbeatable. He won the Soviet Greco-Roman heavyweight title many times. He won in 1940, 1943–46, 1948, 1950–53, and 1955–56. He also placed second in 1949 and 1954.
More Than Just Wrestling
From 1943 to 1950, Johannes Kotkas showed how versatile he was. He competed in many other sports at the national level. These included freestyle wrestling, sambo (a type of martial art), hammer throw, shot put, and weightlifting. He even won medals in each of these sports!
Life After Competing
Johannes Kotkas stopped competing in 1960. He then became a wrestling coach and an international referee. From 1961 to 1976, he coached the Estonian wrestling team. After that, he worked at Dynamo Tallinn, a sports club, until the mid-1980s.
In 1990, he was made an honorary member of the Estonian Olympic Committee. He also received the FILA Gold Star, which is the highest award from the international wrestling federation.
