Lennart Viitala

Lennart Vilho Viitala
Data
Ring name	Lenni
height	165 cm
Fighting weight	52-60 kg
birth	November 8, 1921 Nurmo , Seinäjoki , Etelä-Pohjanmaa , Finland
death	February 24, 1966 Vaajakoski , Jyväskylä , Keski-Suomi , Finland

Lennart "Lenni" Vilho Viitala (born November 8, 1921 in Nurmo , † February 24, 1966 in Vaajakoski , rural municipality Jyväskylä ) was a Finnish wrestler . He became a free style flyweight Olympic champion in London in 1948

Career

Lennart Viitala started wrestling as a teenager. He initially belonged to the sports club Seinäjoen Sisu , an association of the workers' sports association TUL. He later moved to the Vasan Toverit sports club and the Vaajakosken Terä club . He worked in both styles (Greco-Roman and free style), recorded his greatest successes, especially on the international mat, in free style. Because of World War II, his successful career began practically only in 1946, when he was already 25 years old. That year he became the first Finnish flyweight champion in free style. In the same year he also represented his country at the European Championships in Stockholm, where he won the European Championship with victories over Adolphe Lamot, Belgium, Halit Balamir from Turkey and Malte Hakansson from Sweden.

In 1947 he wrestled in Prague at the European championship in the Greco-Roman style in flyweight. After winning four fights, he finally lost to Bertil Sundin from Sweden and came in 3rd place. He achieved the greatest success of his career in 1948 when he defeated Hamit Balamir, Adolphe Lamot, Billy Jernigan from the United States and Thure Johansson from Sweden in the free style flyweight Olympics in London to win the gold medal.

After this success Lennart Viitala won no more medals at international championships. At the European Free Style Championships in Istanbul in 1949, he finished 4th after losing to Ali Yücel from Turkey. At the World Championships in the Greco-Roman style in Stockholm in 1950, he retired from flyweight after two lost fights and only came in 11th place. At the world championship in free style in Helsinki in 1951 he went back to flyweight and came there first to a victory over Robert Petersen from Denmark, then he lost to Maurice Mewis from Belgium, where he injured himself and could not continue the competition. He eventually came in sixth.

After that, he was no longer used at international championships. At the national level, however, he struggled even further and achieved good results.

International success

year	space	competition	style	Weight class	Results
1946	1.	EM in Stockholm	F.	To fly	after victories over Adolphe Lamot, Belgium, Halit Balamir , Turkey and Malte Hakansson, Sweden
1947	3.	EM in Prague	GR	To fly	after victories over Josef Zeman, Czechoslovakia, Leopold Weißinger, Austria, Pietro Lombardi , Italy and Gyula Szilagyi, Hungary and a defeat against Bertil Sundin , Sweden
1948	gold	OS in London	F.	To fly	after victories over Hamit Balamir, Adolphe Lamot, Billy Jernigan, USA and Thure Johansson , Sweden
1949	4th	EM in Istanbul	F.	To fly	after defeating Charles Valet, France and losing to Bengt Johansson , Sweden and Ali Yücel , Turkey
1950	11.	World Cup in Stockholm	GR	To fly	after losing to Bengt Johansson and Edmond Faure , France
1951	6th	World Cup in Helsinki	F.	To fly	surrendered due to injury after defeating Robert Petersen, Denmark and losing to Maurice Mewis , Belgium

Finnish championships

year	space	style	Weight class	Results
1946	1.	F.	To fly	before Tauno Räsänen
1947	1.	F.	To fly	before Aukusti Hakola and Kauko Kiikka
1947	1.	GR	To fly	ahead of Viljo Kotiranta and Urho Suvanto (TUL Championship)
1948	1.	F.	To fly	before Matti Rantala and Eero Ahonen
1949	1.	F.	To fly	before Oiva Timonen and Oli Valkonen
1949	2.	GR	To fly	behind Aukusti Hakola and in front of Viljo Kotiranta
1953	1.	GR	To fly	before Kalle Oksanen and Aukusti Hakola
1954	3.	GR	To fly	behind Reijö Nykänen and Kauko Tolvanen
1955	2.	F.	Bantam	behind Tauno Jaskari , in front of Niila Kinnunen
1956	1.	F.	To fly	before Lauri Prusti and Aukusti Hakola
1956	2.	GR	To fly	behind Lauri Prusti and in front of Arvo Kohonen

Explanations

• OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship
• GR = Greco-Roman style, F = free style
• Fly weight, back then up to 52 kg, bantam weight up to 57 kg body weight

literature

• Documentation of FILA's International Wrestling Championships 1896 to 1976, 1976

Web links

• Profile of Lennart Viitala at the Institute for Applied Training Science
• Lennart Viitala in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
• Lennart Viitala on tulpaini.fi

Individual evidence