Gustav Sule

Gustav Sule (born November 10, 1910 in Tartu , † April 3, 1942 in Kotlas , Russian Котлас) was an Estonian athlete who was active in the 1930s. His specialty was javelin throwing .

As early as 1928 he was a student master in high jump (1.71 m), pole vault (3.36 m) and javelin (55.25 m).

Sule took part in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin and in the European Championships in Turin in 1934 and in Paris in 1938 .

• In 1934 he won the BRONZE medal with a performance of 69.31 m, behind the two Finns Matti Järvinen (gold with 76.66 m) and Matti Sippala (silver with 69.97 m).
• Things didn't go so well for the Estonians in Berlin in 1936. With 63.26 m, he clearly missed the final of the six best throwers in eleventh place.
• In 1938 the javelin competition was dominated by the outstanding Matti Järvinen, who would have won a medal even with the worst of his six final throws. Sule reached 68.60 m in the third attempt and was third behind the Finn and his surprisingly strong compatriot Friedrich Isaak . Then, however, Yrjö Nikkanen and the Hungarian József Várszegi followed with several 70 m throws, and although Sule was in the last Attempt also exceeded the 70 m mark (70.50 m), he ended up only in 4th place.

Sule won two other medals at the International University Games, the forerunner of the World Student Games.

• 1933 in Turin: SILVER behind the Hungarian Jozsef Varszegi and in front of the German Gottfried Weimann
• 1935 in Budapest: BRONZE with 64.95 m behind the German Gerhard Stöck (gold with 67.80 m)

Between 1928 and 1940 Sule was nine times Estonian champion in javelin throw and once in high jump. There are also second and third places in pole vault and in the decathlon. Between 1931 and 1938 he improved the Estonian record in javelin throwing six times (from 69.54 m to 75.93 m).

For eight years he was one of the ten best javelin throwers in the world - in 1931 and 1937 he came in second place, in 1938 in third place on the world's best list.

In 1934 he was voted Estonian Sportsman of the Year.

• Personal bests:
  • High jump: 1.80 m (1930)
  • Pole vault: 3.60 m (1931)
  • Shot put: 14.27 m (1932)
  • Discus throw: 42.03 m (1937)

Gustav Sule studied economics at the University of Tartu. He earned his living as an employee of the city bank - first in Tartu, from 1940 in Tallinn . In 1941 he was called up to serve in the Red Army . He died in Kotlas of pneumonia and malnutrition.

Gustav Sule memorial competitions have been held in Tartu since 1958.

Gustav Sule was 1.80 meters tall and weighed 83-84 kg.

Web links

• http://www.kergejoustik.ee/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2750&Itemid=237 (in Estonian)