Rūdolfs Jurciņš facts for kids
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | 19 June 1909 Riga, Russian Empire |
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| Nationality | Latvian | |||||||||||||
| Died | 22 July 1948 (aged 39) Molotov Oblast, Soviet Union |
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| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1924–1940s | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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Rūdolfs Jurciņš (born June 19, 1909 – died July 22, 1948) was a famous Latvian basketball player. He played in the position of a center, which is usually for tall players who play close to the basket.
Contents
A Champion's Journey
Early Life and Sports
Rūdolfs Jurciņš started playing basketball when he was 15 years old, in 1924. Before that, he enjoyed playing football. He went to the University of Latvia, but he didn't finish his studies there. However, he played for the university's basketball team, Universitātes sports, from 1930 to 1937. He was also part of a Latvian student group called Beveronija.
Winning Gold for Latvia
Jurciņš became a six-time Latvian champion with his team. His first game for the Latvian national basketball team was in 1928. He played a total of 23 games for his country and was even the team captain!
His biggest achievement was winning a gold medal at the 1935 EuroBasket competition. This was a huge moment because Latvia became the very first European basketball champion!
Olympic Dreams
After their big win, Jurciņš and the Latvian team went on to play in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. This was a very exciting experience, even though the team finished in 15th or 18th place.
A Difficult End
Sadly, Rūdolfs Jurciņš faced a very tough time later in his life. He was arrested in 1945 and sent away to a special camp in 1947. He passed away on July 22, 1948, in a place called Molotov Oblast in the Soviet Union.
