August Neo

August Neo

August (Ago) Neo (born February 12, 1908 in Vihterpalu , Padise municipality , Harju district , † August 19, 1982 in Aarhus , Denmark ) was an Estonian wrestler .

Career

Neo didn't begin wrestling until he was 20 in 1928. He was encouraged to do this by the Olympic victories of Osvald Käpp and Voldemar Väli . He made quick progress and moved to "Sport" Tallinn . In 1929 he won an Estonian championship for the first time, which was to be followed by eleven more in the two styles freestyle and Greco-Roman style.

He made his debut at international championships at the European Championships in 1931 in the Greco-Roman style in Prague . He won a fight in the light heavyweight division, had a bye and came in a good fourth place. Against the elite of the then European light heavyweight wrestlers Anton Vogedes from Germany , Rudolf Svensson from Sweden and Onni Pellinen from Finland , he had to accept clear defeats.

For financial reasons, Estonia sent only a small delegation of two wrestlers to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1932 , Neo was not one of them. His chances of winning a medal would have been excellent, as there were only three participants in his weight class, each of whom won a medal.

At the European Championships in 1934 he started in the middleweight division and won the silver medal. He landed five wins and only lost to Ivar Johansson from Sweden.

In 1935 he took third place at both the European Championships in the Greco-Roman style in Copenhagen , and at the European Championships in the free style in Brussels in the light heavyweight division. At both events he was defeated by the Swede Axel Cadier .

August also started in both styles at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin and was very successful. He won the silver medal in the free style and the bronze one in the Greco-Roman style. In the free style he was defeated in the final Knut Fridell from Sweden just on points and in the Greco-Roman style he lost against Edvins bidding tags from Latvia and Axel Cadier.

Also in 1937 Neo fought for victory at the European Championships in Paris in Greco-Roman style and again he was defeated by a Swedish wrestler, this time it was Nils Åkerlindh . At the European Championships in 1938 in Tallinn, he did not take part because he had lost in the elimination against Nikolai Karklin .

At the end of his career he won in Oslo in 1939 at the European Championships in the Greco-Roman style again a bronze medal in the light heavyweight division. He was beaten by a wrestler of the new wrestling nation Turkey , Mustafa Çakmak .

Shortly before the Soviet troops marched into Neo's homeland Estonia in 1940, Neo managed to flee to Sweden. There he lived as a businessman in Stockholm until his death .

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, EM = European Championship, F = freestyle, GR = Greek-Roman style, Mi = middleweight, Hs = light heavyweight, back then up to 79 kg or 87 kg body weight)

• 1931, 4th place , EM in Prague , GR, Hs, with victory over Gestwinski, Poland and defeats against Anton Vogedes , Germany , Onni Pellinen , Finland and Rudolf Svensson , Sweden ;
• 1931, 2nd place , intern. Tournament in Malmö , GR, Hs, behind Rudolf Svensson u. in front of Einar Hansen , Denmark;
• 1934, 2nd place , EM in Rome , GR, Wed, with victories over Viktors Kavals , Latvia , Hans Stiedl , Austria , Ivar Karlsen , Norway , László Papp , Hungary , Arvi Pikkusaari , Finland and one defeat against Ivar Johansson , Sweden;
• 1935, 3rd place , EM in Copenhagen , GR, Hs, with victories over Ede Virágh-Ebner , Hungary, Isak Paikin , Denmark and Edvīns Bietags, Latvia and a defeat against Axel Cadier , Sweden;
• 1935, 3rd place , EM in Brussels , F, Hs, with victories over Émile Poilvé , France , Fabio Del Genovese , Italy , Paul Dätwyler , Switzerland and Hubert Prokop , Czechoslovakia and one defeat against Axel Cadier;
• 1936, silver medal , OS in Berlin , F, Hs, with victories over Ede Virágh-Ebner, Ray Clemons , USA , Paul Dätwyler and Erich Siebert , Germany and one defeat against Knut Fridell , Sweden;
• 1936, bronze medal , OS in Berlin, GR, Hs, with victories over Umberto Silvestri , Italy and Franz Foidl , Austria and defeats against Edvīns Bietags and Axel Cadier;
• 1937, 2nd place , EM in Paris , GR, Hs, with victories over Franz Aumeier , Austria, N. Pélissier, Belgium , Elmer Härmä , Finland, Werner Seelenbinder , Germany and defeats against Umberto Silvestri and Nils Åkerlindh, Sweden;
• 1939, 3rd place , EM in Oslo , Gr, Hs, with victories over Mikko Mansikka , Finland, Karl Ehret , Germany and Edvīns Bietags and a defeat against Mustafa Çakmak , Turkey

swell

• 1) Div. Issues of the professional journal Athletik from 1929 to 1939,
• 2) Documentation of International Wrestling Championships of the FILA, 1976

Web links

• Profile of August Neo at the Institute for Applied Training Science
• August Neo in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )
• Sports achievements and photo (Estonian)