Ari Kurko
Ari Kurko (* 10. June 1949 in Kotka , † the thirtieth October 1970 ibid ) was a Finnish weightlifter . He was runner- up in the two-armed middleweight press in 1970 .
Career
Ari Kurko started lifting weights at Merkur Kotka Sports Club as a teenager . His trainer was Risto Rakkolainen. He was a student and passed the Abitur.
First successes came in 1966 when he became Finnish junior featherweight champion and in the same year took second place in the Scandinavian junior championship in Copenhagen in featherweight with 260 kg (85-75-105) in the Olympic three-way fight. In 1967 he was in Valkeakoski Scandinavian featherweight champion and increased to 300 kg. In 1968 he was Finnish runner-up in featherweight with 310 kg behind Kaarlo Lahti, who came to 320 kg.
In June 1969 Ari Kurki took 3rd place in the Finnish championship in lightweight with 347.5 kg. In the same year he increased his performance at a breathtaking pace. He also achieved a Finnish record that year with 140.5 kg in two-armed pushing. In the Olympic three-way fight he even came to 402.5 kg. On December 21, 1969, he defeated in Kotka in a match between Finland and Leningrad with 395 kg (132.5-110-152.5) his Russian opponent Lopatin, who came to 392.5 kg.
In 1970 Ari Kurki increased his performance at the same breathtaking pace as in 1969. On April 5, 1970, he became Finnish middleweight champion in Riihimäki and reached 427.5 kg in the Olympic three-way fight. He suffered a small setback when he made three unsuccessful attempts in one of the disciplines at the European Championships this year in Szombathely in one of the disciplines and he therefore remained unplaced without a three-way performance.
The highlight of his short career was the 1970 World Cup in Columbus (Ohio) . He came there in the middleweight division in the Olympic three-way fight to 435 kg (150-125-160) and came in 7th place in the overall result, but became vice world champion with his two-arm pushing 150 kg.
Tragically, Ari Kurko was shot dead in an argument on October 30, 1970 in Kotka.
successes
| year | space | competition | Weight class | Results |
| 1966 | 1. | Finnish Junior Championship | feather | |
| 1966 | 2. | Scandinavian Junior Championship in Copenhagen | feather | with 260 kg (85-75-105), behind J. Linden, Sweden , 262.5 kg (75-80-107.5) |
| 1967 | 1. | Scandinavian championship in Valkeakoski | feather | with 300 kg, before Mansson, Sweden, 250 kg |
| 1968 | 2. | Finnish championship | feather | with 310 kg, behind Kaarlo Lahti, 320 kg |
| 1969 | 3. | Finnish championship | Light | with 347.5 kg, behind V. Ruhanen, 365 kg and Hellsten, 355 kg |
| 1970 | 1. | Finnish championship in Riihimäki | medium | with 427.5 kg, before Paavo Aho, 412.5 kg |
| 1970 | 3. | Baltic Cup in Bergen | medium | with 427.5 kg, behind Leif Jensen, Norway , 440 kg and Evgeni Smirnow, USSR, 435 kg |
| 1970 | unpl. | EM in Szombathely | medium | after three failed attempts in one of the sub-disciplines |
| 1970 | 7th | World Cup in Columbus (Ohio) | medium | with 435 kg (150-125-160); Winner: Wiktor Kurenzow , USSR, 462.5 kg (152.5-130-180) ahead of Leif Jensen , 455 kg (147.5-142.5-165) |
World Cup individual medals
- 1970 silver medal in two-armed press
- Explanations
- all competitions in the Olympic three-way fight, consisting of two-armed pushing, snatching and pushing
- Feather weight, weight class up to 60 kg, lightweight, up to 67.5 kg and medium weight, up to 75 kg body weight
- WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship
literature
- Athletics magazine
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kurko, Ari |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Finnish weightlifter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 10, 1949 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kotka |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 30, 1970 |
| Place of death | Kotka |