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Lauri Koskela

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Finnish wrestler (1907–1944)

Lauri Koskela
Personal information
Born16 May 1907
Lapua, Finland
Died3 August 1944 (aged 37)
Baryshevo, Leningrad, Russia
Height167 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Weight62–68 kg (137–150 lb)
Sport
SportGreco-Roman wrestling
ClubLapuan Virkiä
Medal record
Men's Greco-Roman wrestling
Representing  Finland
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1936 Berlin 66 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1932 Los Angeles 61 kg
European championships
Gold medal – first place 1935 Copenhagen 66 kg
Gold medal – first place 1937 Paris 66 kg
Gold medal – first place 1938 Tallinn 66 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1939 Oslo 66 kg

Lauri Koskela (16 May 1907 – 3 August 1944) was a Greco-Roman wrestler from Finland. He competed at the 1932 and 1936 Olympics and won a bronze and a gold medal, respectively. Koskela was the European champion in 1935, 1937 and 1938 and placed third in 1939. Domestically, he won seven titles in 1932–33, 1936 and 1940–43.

Kidnapping and death

Koskela lived in Lapua, South Ostrobothnia, where he worked at the State Cartridge Factory. Koskela was a member of the local trade union branch and the Communist Party of Finland. In 1930, he was kidnapped by the fascist Lapua Movement. Koskela represented the left-wing club Ponnistus until the fall of 1930, when he joined the right-wing Virkiä in order to make it to the Olympics, as the Finnish Workers' Sports Federation did not participate the games. Koskela was killed in action during the Continuation War in 1944.

See also

References

  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Lauri Koskela". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  2. ^ "Lauri Koskela (1907–1944)". Helemi – Lapua Historical Database (in Finnish). 24 July 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  3. "Olympians Who Were Killed or Missing in Action or Died as a Result of War". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2018.

External links

Olympic Champions in Greco-Roman lightweight
  • 1908: 66.5 kg
  • 1912–1928: 67.5 kg
  • 1932–1936: 66 kg
  • 1948–1960: 67 kg
  • 1964–1968: 70 kg
  • 1972–1996: 68 kg
  • 2000: 69 kg
  • 2004–2016: 66 kg
  • 2020–present: 67 kg


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