Johannes Kotkas

Johannes Kotka's medal table
Wrestler
Estonia , Soviet Union
Olympic games
gold	1952 Helsinki	Heavy
World Championship
silver	1953 Naples	Heavy
European Championship
gold	1938 Tallinn	Heavy
gold	1939 Oslo	Heavy
gold	1947 Prague	Heavy

Johannes Kotkas , Russian Йоханнес Йоханнесович Коткас , Jochannes Jochannessowitsch Kotkas , (* 3. February 1915 in Kodijärve, rural community Kambja , Tartu county , † 8. May 1998 in Tallinn ) was an Estonian wrestler who after the occupation of his homeland by the Soviet Union for this took place.

Life

Johannes Kotkas was born near Tartu to Finnish parents and grew up there. He joined the Tartu "Kalev" sports club as a teenager and began wrestling there in 1930. As it soon became apparent that he was highly talented for this sport, he got two coaches in Leonhard Kukk and Otto Pohla who were good wrestlers themselves. In 1935 he started at the Estonian championships, but was still subject to the more experienced Otto Viikmäe and Nikolai Karklin . In 1937 Kotkas moved to Kalev Tallinn and was the first Estonian heavyweight champion in the free style, while Kristjan Palusalu won in the Greco-Roman style he preferred . In 1938 Palusalu was once again Estonian champion and defeated Kotkas. At the European Championships in Tallinn , but Johannes Kotkas was used because Palusalu was injured. Johannes Kotkas justified the trust placed in him and became European champion for the first time in a superior style. He repeated this success in 1939 and also defeated the four-time German European champion Kurt Hornfischer .

After the occupation of his country by the Soviet Union , Kotkas was able to continue his sport unmolested, while his big competitor Palusalu was exposed to severe Soviet repression. Shortly before Hitler's Wehrmacht conquered Estonia , Kotkas fled to Moscow via Arkhangelsk and joined the “Dynamo” sports association there. In 1944, when Estonia was liberated from German troops, he returned to Tallinn. Between 1940 and 1960 he was able to practice his sport, with the exception of a few restrictions in 1941/42. He became European champion again in 1947 and, as the culmination of his career, was Olympic champion in 1952 . He would certainly have won more titles if World War II had not prevented it. In addition, although the Soviet Union had already joined the International Amateur Wrestling Federation ( FILA ) in 1947, it did not return to international championships until 1952 after 1947. Due to the international career of Kotkas, which lasted more than 20 years, he successfully fought against both the world elite of the 1930s and the world elite of the 1940s and 1950s.

No other athlete in the world has been in the world's elite for such a long period of time. The opponents he defeated were all successful wrestlers, Olympic champions, world and European champions such as B. Kurt Hornfischer , Josef Klapuch , Mehmet Çoban , John Nyman , Edvīns Bietags , Hjalmar Nyström , Gyula Bóbis , Bertil Antonsson , Josef Růžička , Arsen Mekokischwili , Alexander Masur , Paul Böhmer , Konstantin Koberidse , Mustafa Çarklinuak , Nikoljan Palakmak , Kristaijan Pallinuak , Ivan Bogdan and Anatoly Parfenow . He finally found his champions in the Swede Bertil Antonsson, who defeated him at the 1953 World Championships and in an international match in 1955, and the Belarusian Sergej Zalusky , who shouldered him at the 1957 Soviet championships.

Johannes Kotkas was a police officer, lived in Tallinn after his retirement and died there at the age of 83.

International success

year	space	competition	style	Weight class	Results
1938	1.	EM in Tallinn	GR	Heavy	with victories over John Nyman , Sweden , Uuno Vento , Finland , Mehmet Çoban , Turkey and Edvīns Bietags , Latvia
1939	1.	EM in Oslo	GR	Heavy	with victories over Mehmet Çoban, John Nyman, Kurt Hornfischer , Germany , Hjalmar Nyström , Finland and despite a defeat against Gyula Bóbis , Hungary
1947	1.	EM in Prague	GR	Heavy	with victories over Bertil Antonsson , Sweden , Johannes Arts , Netherlands , János Rihetzky , Hungary and Mustafa Çakmak , Turkey
1952	gold	OS in Helsinki	GR	Heavy	with victories over Auguste Baarendse , Netherlands, Bengt Fahlkvist , Sweden, Guido Fantoni , Italy , Tauno Kovanen , Finland and Josef Růžička , Czechoslovakia
1953	2.	World Cup in Naples	GR	Heavy	with victories over Josef Růžička, Josip Bajer , Yugoslavia , Willi Waltner , Federal Republic of Germany , Taisto Kangasniemi , Finland, Guido Fantoni and one defeat against Bertil Antonsson
1956	1.	World Cup in Istanbul	GR	Heavy	after victories over Hamit Kaplan , Turkey, Max Widmer, Switzerland and Jussein Mechmedow , Bulgaria

Most important international battles

• 1937, Estonia - Finland, shoulder winner over Edvard Järvinen ,
• 1938, Estonia - Germany, shoulder winner over Paul Böhmer ,
• 1938, Estonia - Latvia, shoulder winner over Edvīns bidding tags,
• 1939, Germany - Estonia, shoulder winner over Kurt Hornfischer,
• 1939, Czechoslovakia - Estonia, winner over Josef Klapuch ;
• 1939, Estonia - Latvia, shoulder winner over Erlins Skuja,
• 1939, Estonia - Finland, points winner over Hjalmar Nyström,
• 1939, Latvia - Estonia, shoulder winner over Mendziņš,
• 1948, Estonia - Leningrad, shoulder winner over Ivanov,
• 1954, Sweden - USSR, point defeat against Bertil Antonsson,
• 1954, Sweden - USSR, points winner over Bengt Fahlkvist,
• 1955, USSR - Sweden, shoulder winner over Nordström,
• 1955, USSR - Sweden, point defeat against Bertil Antonsson,
• 1956, France - USSR, shoulder winner over Truffier

Soviet All Union Championship

year	space	style	Weight class	Results
1940	1.	GR	Heavy	before Aron Honscha , Konstantin Koberidze , Wladimir Matschkaljan , Jakow Kutsenko and Nikolai Karklin
1943	1.	GR	Heavy	before Konstantin Koberidze, Alexander Masur , Anatoli Kasanski , Arsen Mekokishvili and Wiktor Strischak
1944	1.	GR	Heavy	before Arsen Mekokishvili, Alexander Masur, Konstantin Koberidze, Vladimir Matschkaljan and Alexander Senatorow
1945	1.	GR	Heavy	before Alexander Masur, Arsen Mekokishvili, Alexander Senatorov, Vladimir Matschkaljan and Kristaps Brigmanis

USSR championships

year	space	style	Weight class	Results
1945	2.	GR	Heavy	behind Alexander Masur and in front of Arsen Mekokishvili
1946	1.	GR	Heavy	before Alexander Masur and Arsen Mekokishvili
1946	2.	F.	Heavy	behind Arsen Mekokishvili and in front of Zurab Sugladze
1947	1.	F.	Heavy	before Arsen Mekokishvili and Igor Besdolja
1948	1.	GR	Heavy	before Alexander Masur and Arsen Mekokishvili
1948	2.	F.	Heavy	behind Arsen Mekokishvili and in front of Vladimir Suhorutchenko
1949	2.	GR	Heavy	behind Alexander Masur and in front of Michail Strischak
1950	1.	GR	Heavy	before Alexander Masur and Igor Besdolja
1951	1.	GR	Heavy	before Alexander Masur and Kristaps Brigmanis
1952	1.	GR	Heavy	before Alexander Masur and Fyodor Bondur
1953	1.	GR	Heavy	before Alexander Masur and Anatoli Parfenow
1954	2.	GR	Heavy	behind Anatoly Parfenow and in front of Alexander Masur
1955	1.	GR	Heavy	before Ivan Bogdan and Baranov
1956	1.	GR	Heavy	before Ivan Bogdan and Anatoly Parfenow

Estonian championships

Johannes Kotkas became Estonian master in Greco-Roman style in 1939 (ahead of Karklin and Klasen), 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958 and 1959 and runner-up in Greco-Roman style 1937 (behind Palusalu), 1938 (behind Palusalu and in front of Karklin), 3rd place in 1940 (behind Juhan Kalde and Jaan Miil). He became master in free style in 1937 (before Palusalu), 1938 (before Karklin), 1939 (before Karklin), 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1951.

Explanations

• GR = Greco-Roman style, F = freestyle
• 0S = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship
• Heavy weight, at that time over 87 kg body weight

literature

• Professional magazines athletics and strength training
• Documentation of International Wrestling Championships 1896 to 1976 by FILA, publisher: FILA, 1976

Web links

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