Yrjö Saarela facts for kids

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Yrjö Saarela

Saarela, c. 1910
Personal information
Birth name	Yrjö Erik Mikael Sarkkinen
Born	(1884-07-13)13 July 1884 Oulujoki, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire
Died	30 June 1951(1951-06-30) (aged 66) Liminka, Finland
Resting place	Oulujoki parish church cemetery
Occupation	Farmer
Height	180 cm
Weight	82–86 kg
Spouse(s)	Ester Elisabeth Markuksela
Sport
Sport	Greco-Roman wrestling
Weight class	Heavyweight
Club	Oulunsuun Pohja (1906–1912) Oulun Pyrintö (1924–)
Turned pro	1912
Coached by	Carl Allén
Medal record Men's Greco-Roman wrestling Representing Finland Olympic Games Gold 1912 Stockholm Heavyweight Silver 1908 London Light heavyweight World Championships Gold 1911 Helsinki +83 kg

Yrjö Erik Mikael Saarela (born July 13, 1884 – died June 30, 1951) was a famous Finnish wrestler. He won a gold medal at the Olympics and also became a world champion.

Wrestling Achievements

Yrjö Saarela started his wrestling journey in 1906. His coach, Carl Allén, helped him learn the sport.

By 1908, he was a very good wrestler. He was chosen for the Finnish Olympic team without needing to try out.

1908 Olympic Games

At the 1908 Olympics, Yrjö Saarela won a silver medal. This competition was a single-elimination tournament. This means if you lost one match, you were out.

Yrjö Saarela at the 1908 Summer Olympics Greco-Roman light heavyweight

Round	Opponent	Result
First round	Henri Nielsen (DEN)	Won by fall at 3:50
Second round	Edward Nixson (GBR)	Won by fall at 2:31
Quarter-finals	Marcel Dubois (BEL)	Won by fall at 12:24
Semi-finals	Carl Jensen (DEN)	Won by fall at 11:36
Final (best out of three)	Verner Weckman (FIN)	Won by fall at 4:22
		Lost by fall at 5:07
		Lost by fall at 16:10

National and World Titles

Saarela also won the Finnish national heavyweight championship. He took home the title in both 1908 and 1909.

In 1911, he won the over 83 kg class at the 1911 World Wrestling Championships.

Yrjö Saarela in the over 83 kg class at the 1911 World Wrestling Championships

Opponent	Result
Emil Backenius (FIN)	Undecided
Alex Järvinen (FIN)	Won by fall at 2:34
Adolf Lindfors (FIN)	Won by fall at 4:25
Johan Olin (FIN)	Won by points

1912 Olympic Games Gold

He achieved his Olympic gold medal at the 1912 Games. This was a double-elimination tournament. This means a wrestler had to lose twice to be out of the competition.

Yrjö Saarela at the 1912 Summer Olympics Greco-Roman heavyweight

Round	Opponent	Result
First round	David Karlsson (SWE)	Won by fall at 32:37
Second round	Jean Hauptmanns (GER)	Won by walkover
Third round	Gustaf Lindstrand (SWE)	Won by fall at 6:12
Fourth round	Søren Marinus Jensen (DEN)	Won by fall at 3:36
Fifth round	Johan Olin (FIN)	Lost by withdrawal at 6:00
Sixth round	Jakob Neser (GER)	Won by fall at 6:00
Final round	Søren Marinus Jensen (DEN)	Won by withdrawal at 3:16:00
	Johan Olin (FIN)	Won by fall at 9:00

In the fifth round, Saarela withdrew from his match against Johan Olin. This helped Olin stay in the competition. Later, Olin allowed Saarela to win the gold medal match.

Later Career

After the 1912 Olympics, Saarela wrestled professionally for a short time. He performed in international circuses that toured Finland.

His amateur status was given back to him in 1924. He showed great skill again at 44 years old. In 1929, he won a bronze medal at the Finnish national heavyweight championship. In the 1930s, he worked as a coaching advisor for the Finnish Wrestling Federation.

In 1948, he received a special award from the Ministry of Education. It was called the Cross of Merit, in gold, of the Finnish Sports.

Today, his Olympic medals are kept at the Sports Museum of Finland.

About Yrjö Saarela's Life

Yrjö Saarela was born as Yrjö Sarkkinen. His parents were Jaakko Sarkkinen and Maria Sunila. His family changed their last name to Saarela after they bought a farm with that name. Yrjö later inherited a large part of this farm.

He married Ester Elisabeth Markuksela in 1910. They had several children:

1. Aino Kyllikki (1910–1972)
2. Ahti Johannes (1912–1913)
3. Erkko Olavi (1913–1972)
4. Marja-Liisa (1915–1953)
5. Yrjö Eino Mikael (1920–1940)
6. Pentti Johannes (1922–1942)
7. Pirkko Kaarina (1927–). She later married an economist named Kaarlo Larna.

Yrjö Saarela faced some financial challenges during the Great Depression. However, he was able to recover and continue farming.

He experienced health issues later in his life, starting in 1944.

After he passed away, he was buried in his family's plot. His gravestone has the Olympic rings carved on it. Yrjö Saarela is the only Olympic winner from the North Ostrobothnia region of Finland.

Sources

Literature