Nickolaus Hirschl facts for kids

Olympic medal record
Representing  Austria
Men's Greco-Roman wrestling
Bronze	1932 Los Angeles	Heavyweight
Men's freestyle wrestling
Bronze	1932 Los Angeles	Heavyweight
Maccabiah Games
Gold	1932 Palestine	Heavyweight

Nickolaus "Mickey" Hirschl (born March 20, 1906 – died October 10, 1991) was an amazing Austrian athlete. He was famous for winning Olympic medals in wrestling. Mickey was also a European champion in heavyweight wrestling. He held the title of Austrian heavyweight wrestling champion for ten years!

But Mickey wasn't just a wrestler. He was also an Austrian junior champion in shot put and discus throwing. He was a junior champion in heavyweight weightlifting. For seven years, he was even the Austrian pentathlon champion. A pentathlon is a competition with five different sports.

Early Life and Background

Mickey Hirschl was born in Vienna, Austria. His family was Jewish. His parents worked as butchers, selling meat that followed special rules (kosher). His father was also the leader of a local synagogue, which is a Jewish place of worship.

Mickey's Sports Achievements

Mickey started showing his incredible talent at a young age.

Junior Champion

• When he was just 15 years old, Mickey won the Austrian junior championship. He was the best young athlete in both shot put and discus throwing.
• At 16, he became the Austrian junior champion in heavyweight weightlifting. This meant he could lift very heavy weights!

Austrian and European Champion

• By age 17, Mickey became the pentathlon champion of Austria. He won this title in 1923 and kept it for seven years.
• At 18, he won the Austrian heavyweight wrestling championship. He was so good that he remained the Austrian champion for the next ten years!
• In 1932, Mickey won a gold medal at the European Wrestling Championships. He was the heavyweight champion of Europe.
• He wrestled for a team called Hakoah Vienna. This team was very successful, winning 127 international titles between 1929 and 1934.

Olympic Success

• In 1932, Mickey traveled to Los Angeles, USA, for the 1932 Summer Olympics.
• He won two bronze medals there! One was in heavyweight freestyle wrestling. The other was in heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestling. Winning two medals at the Olympics is a huge achievement.

Maccabiah Games

• Later in 1932, Mickey competed in the 1932 Maccabiah Games. These games are sometimes called the "Jewish Olympics." They were held in Palestine (which is now Israel).
• He won a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling in the heavyweight category.

Standing Up for What's Right

• In 1936, the Olympic Games were going to be held in Berlin, Germany. At this time, the Nazi party was in power in Germany. They had very unfair and cruel rules against Jewish people.
• Mickey Hirschl, being Jewish, bravely decided not to go to the 1936 Olympics. He refused to take part because of the Nazis' unfair policies. This was a very important decision.

Life After Sports

Mickey Hirschl had to leave Austria to escape the Nazis before World War II began. Sadly, most of his family members were killed during a terrible event called the Holocaust.

He first moved to Palestine. During World War II, he joined the British Commandos. These were special soldiers who fought against the Germans in North Africa.

After the war, Mickey got married. In 1947, he moved to Australia. There, he started and ran a successful meat business.

In 1993, Mickey Hirschl was honored for his amazing sports career. He was added to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

See also

• List of select Jewish wrestlers
• List of Olympic medalists in Greco-Roman wrestling
• List of 1932 Summer Olympics medal winners