Esko Hjelt

Esko Hjelt medal table
Esko Hjelt
Wrestler
Finland
European Championship
bronze	1935 Copenhagen	Bantam Greco

Esko Udevi Hjelt (born March 24, 1914 in Lapua , † July 25, 1941 ) was a Finnish wrestler . He won a bronze medal at the European Championships in 1935 and was a total of five times Finnish champion in the Greco-Roman style in bantamweight and featherweight .

Career

Esko Hjelt started wrestling as a teenager in his hometown of Lapua . He became a member of the Lapuan Virkiää sports club . He later moved to the Hallan Visaa wrestling club . He wrestled exclusively in the Greco-Roman style.

At the age of 20 he became the first Finnish bantamweight champion ahead of Aatos Jaskari and Antti Vallin. This year he was used at the European Championships in Rome . He won there over Antonín Nič , Czechoslovakia and Josef Bumberger, Austria and lost to Justin Gehring , Germany and Herman Tuvesson from Sweden . He came in 6th place.

In 1935 he was again Finnish bantamweight champion before Väinö Perttunen and took part in the European Championships that year in Copenhagen . He came there to victories over Robert Voigt, Denmark , Janis Beinarowics, Latvia and Georges Bayle, France . He lost to Willi Möchel from Germany and Antonín Nič, but came in third in the final and won an EM bronze medal .

In 1936 he won the Finnish bantamweight championship title for the third time in a row before Heikki Kärkkinen and Kauko Kiisseli . In order to participate in the Olympic Games in Berlin , however, he had to take part in a decisive battle against Väinö Perttunen, which he lost. He was therefore only a substitute wrestler in Berlin.

From 1937 Esko Hjelt started in featherweight. That year he was Finnish runner- up behind Kustaa Pihlajamäki . In 1938 and 1939 he won two more Finnish championship titles. Kusta Pihlajamäki did not start in either year.

In 1941 Esko Hjelt was drafted into the Finnish military. He died in the Finnish-Soviet War on July 25, 1941 at the age of only 27.

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class	Results
1934	6th	EM in Rome	Bantam	after victories over Antonín Nič , Czechoslovakia and Josef Bumberger, Austria and defeats to Justin Gehring , Germany and Herman Tuvesson , Sweden
1935	3.	EM in Copenhagen	Bantam	after victories over Robert Voigt, Denmark , Janis Beinarowics, Latvia and Georges Bayle, France and defeats against Willi Möchel , Germany and Antonín Nič

Finnish championships

year	space	Weight class	Results
1934	1.	Bantam	before Aatos Tuomas Jaskari and Antti Vallin
1935	1.	Bantam	before Väinö Perttunen and Heikki Kärkkäinen
1936	1.	Bantam	before Heikki Kärkkinen and Kauko Kiisseli
1937	2.	feather	behind Kustaa Pihlajamäki , in front of Ilmari Koivunen
1938	1.	feather	before Yrjö Salonen and Sulo Väisänen
1939	1.	feather	before Yrjö Saloen and Sulo Väisänen

Explanations

• all competitions in Greco-Roman style
• EM = European Championship
• Bantam weight, then up to 56 kg, feather weight, up to 61 kg body weight
• On the photo from 1937, Kustaa Pihlajamäki can be seen on the left and Esko Hjelt on the right

swell

• Athletics magazine
• Documentation of FILA's International Wrestling Championships, 1976
• Website "www.tulpaini.fi"