Wrestling in Finland

The wrestling sport has a long tradition in Finland . The first Finnish championships were held in 1898. The winner was Georg Hackenschmidt , who was actually an Estonian. In 2008 and 2009 the Greco wrestlers Jarkko Ala-Huikku and Jani Haapamäki were able to achieve the European championship in the classes up to 60 kg and 66 kg respectively. At junior level last convinced athletes like Tuomas Tarino and Taisto Lalli which in the 2009 Junior World Championships have won bronze. Finnish wrestlers were and are considered to be very strong , especially in the Greco-Roman style .

In addition, there are old traditional wrestling styles in Finland, but these are rarely wrestled any more. These styles include Rintapaini , Ritpaini and Viopaini .

Finnish medal winners at the Olympic Games

The following list gives an overview of the Finns who won a medal at the Olympic Games .

Surname	medal	year	Style	Weight class	society
Arvid Lindén (Linko)	bronze	1908	Fs	up to 66.6 kg	Tampereen Pyrintö
Verner Weckman	gold	1908	GR	up to 93 kg	Helsingin Atleettiklubi
Yrjö Saarela	silver	1908	GR	up to 93 kg	Oulunsuun Pohja
	gold	1912	GR	over 82 kg
Eemeli Vare	gold	1912	GR	up to 67.5 kg	Viipurin Tarmo
	gold	1920	GR	up to 67.5 kg
Johan Olin	silver	1912	GR	over 82 kg	Helsingin Athletic Club
Otto Lasanen	bronze	1912	GR	up to 60 kg	Helsingin Jyry
Kaarlo Koskelo	gold	1912	GR	up to 60 kg	Kotkan Riento
Ivar Boehling	silver	1912	GR	up to 82.5 kg	Helsingin Atleettiklubi
Alfred Asikainen	bronze	1912	GR	up to 75 kg
Taavi Tamminen	silver	1920	GR	up to 67.5 kg	Viipurin Voimailijat
Edil Rosenqvist	silver	1920	GR	up to 82.5 kg	Helsingin Atleettiklubi
	silver	1924	GR	over 82 kg
Matti Perttilä	bronze	1920	GR	up to 75 kg
Väinö Penttala	silver	1920	Fs	up to 75 kg
Martti Nieminen	bronze	1920	GR	over 82 kg	Helsingin Atleettiklubi
Arthur Lindfors	silver	1920	GR	up to 75 kg	Porvoon Akilles
	silver	1924	GR	up to 75 kg
Adolf Lindfors	gold	1920	GR	over 82 kg	Porvoon Akilles
Eino Leino	gold	1920	Fs	up to 75 kg	Kuopion Voimailijat
	1924	silver	Fs	up to 72 kg
	1928	bronze	Fs	up to 66 kg
	1932	bronze	Fs	up to 72 kg
Heikki Kähkönen	silver	1920	GR	up to 62 kg
Oskar Friman	gold	1920	GR	up to 62 kg	Viipurin Voimailijat
	gold	1924	GR	up to 67.5 kg
Kalle Anttila	gold	1920	FS	up to 67.5 kg	Helsingin Kisa-Veikot
	gold	1924	GR	up to 62 kg
Kalle Vesterlund	bronze	1924	GR	up to 67.5 kg	Helsingin Atleettiklubi
Edvard Vesterlund	gold	1924	GR	up to 75 kg	Helsingin Atleettiklubi
	bronze	1928	GR	up to 67.5 kg
Aleksanteri Toivola	silver	1924	GR	up to 62 kg	Viipurin Voimailijat
Onni Pellinen	bronze	1924	GR	up to 82.5 kg	Helsingin Kisa-Veikot
	bronze	1928	GR	up to 82.5 kg
	silver	1932	GR	up to 87 kg
Väinö icons	bronze	1924	GR	up to 58 kg	Helsingin Kisa-Veikot
Anselm Ahlfors	silver	1924	GR	up to 58 kg	Helsingin Kisa-Veikot
Volmari Vikström	silver	1924	Fs	up to 66 kg	Helsingin Atleettiklubi
Kustaa Pihlajamäki	gold	1924	Fs	up to 56 kg	Nurmon Koitto
	silver	1928	Fs	up to 61 kg	Helsingin Kisa-Veikot
	gold	1936	Fs	up to 61 kg	Helsingin PV
Vilho Pekkala	bronze	1924	Fs	up to 79 kg	Helsingin Kisa-Veikot
Kaarlo Mäkinen	silver	1924	Fs	up to 56 kg	TuRi
	gold	1928	Fs	up to 56 kg	TWM
Arvo Haavisto	bronze	1924	Fs	up to 66 kg	Ilmajoki
	gold	1928	Fs	up to 72 kg
Aukusti Sihvola	silver	1928	Fs	over 87 kg	Hallan Visa
Hjalmar Nyström	silver	1928	GR	over 82.5 kg	Helsingin Atleettiklubi
	bronze	1936	Fs	over 87 kg
Väinö Kokkinen	gold	1928	GR	up to 75 kg	Helsingin Atleettiklubi
	gold	1932	GR	up to 79 kg
Hermanni Pihlajamäki	gold	1932	Fs	up to 61 kg	Vaasan Voime-Veikot
	bronze	1936	Fs	up to 66 kg
Kyösti Luukko	silver	1932	Fs	up to 79 kg	Nurmon Jymy
Aatos Jaskari	bronze	1932	Fs	up to 56 kg	Nurmon Jymy
Lauri Koskela	bronze	1932	GR	up to 61 kg	Lappuan Virkia
	gold	1936	GR	up to 66 kg
Väinö Kajander	silver	1932	GR	up to 72 kg
Eino Virtanen	bronze	1936	GR	up to 72 kg	HPM
Aarne Reini	silver	1936	GR	up to 61 kg	Vaasan Voime-Veikot
Lennart Viitala	gold	1948	Fs	up to 52 kg
Reino Kangasmäki	bronze	1948	GR	up to 52 kg	VaaTo
Kelpo Grondahl	silver	1948	GR	up to 87 kg	Reposaaren Kunto
	gold	1952	GR	up to 87 kg
Kalervo Rauhala	silver	1952	GR	up to 79 kg	Ylistaron Kilpa-Velija
Tauno Kovanen	bronze	1952	GR	over 87 kg	LA
Leo Honkala	bronze	1952	GR	up to 52 kg
Erkki Penttila	bronze	1956	Fs	up to 62 kg	Nurmon Jymy
Taisto Kangasniemi	bronze	1956	Fs	over 87 kg	Kankaanpään Meno
Rauno Mäkinen	gold	1956	GR	up to 62 kg
Kyösti Lehtonen	gold	1956	GR	up to 67 kg
Risto Björlin	bronze	1972	GR	up to 57 kg	Kuortaneen Kunto
Pertti Ukkola	gold	1976	GR	up to 57 kg	KOO-VEE
Mikko Huhtala	bronze	1980	GR	up to 74 kg	Lapuan Virkia
Jukka Rauhala	bronze	1984	Fs	up to 68 kg	Teuvan Rivakka
Tapio Sipilä	silver	1988	GR	up to 68 kg	Muhoksen Voitto
Harri Koskela	silver	1988	GR	up to 90 kg	Lapuan Virkia
Marko Asell	silver	1996	GR	up to 74 kg	KOO-VEE
Marko Yli-Hannuksela	bronze	2000	GR	up to 76 kg	Kisailijat IK
	silver	2004	GR	up to 74 kg

Finnish championships

First Finnish wrestling champion in 1898 the Este George Hackenschmidt from the St. Petersburg club Pietarin Atleettiklubi . Carl Allén from Sörnäisten Voimisteluklubi was runner-up at the time . Allén won the Finnish championships in 1899 and 1900 starting for the Helsingin Atleettiklubi .

Until 1902 there were no weight classes in Finnish championships. In 1903 there was a class up to and over 70 kg. In 1907 there were finally three weight classes. Four in 1909 and five in 1914.

Finnish freestyle championships have also been held since 1923.

The Finnish Workers' Sports Association TUL held its own championships until the introduction of a uniform Finnish sports association at the end of the 20th century.

International tournaments in Finland

1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki

World Wrestling Championships 1911 in Helsinki
World Wrestling Championships 1921 in Helsinki
World Wrestling Championships 1951 in Helsinki
World Wrestling Championships 1965 in Tampere (GR)
World Wrestling Championships 1994 in Tampere (GR)

European Wrestling Championships 1933 in Helsinki
European Wrestling Championships 1973 in Helsinki (GR)
European Wrestling Championships 1987 in Tampere (GR)
European Wrestling Championships 1989 in Oulu (GR)
European Wrestling Championships 1997 in Kouvola (GR)
European Wrestling Championships 2002 in Seinäjoki (FR, GR)
European Wrestling Championships 2008 in Tampere
European Wrestling Championships 2014 in Vantaa

(Abbreviations: GR: Greco-Roman style; FR: women's rings)

2009 World Cup squad

This was Finland's squad at the 2009 World Wrestling Championships in Herning . The ranking achieved in brackets. A nation may send one starter per weight class.

Greco-Roman	Freestyle	Women
up to 055 kg: Jani Haapamäki (8.) up to 060 kg: Jarkko Ala-Huikku (25.) up to 066 kg: Juha Hiltunen (12.) up to 074 kg: Henri Välimäki (7th) up to 084 kg: Antti Hakala (12.) up to 096 kg: Rami Hietaniemi (16.) up to 120 kg: no participant	up to 055 kg: no participant up to 060 kg: no participant up to 066 kg: no participant up to 074 kg: no participant up to 084 kg: no participant up to 096 kg: no participant up to 120 kg: no participant	up to 48 kg: Sarianne Savola (24.) up to 51 kg: no participant up to 55 kg: no participant up to 59 kg: no participant up to 63 kg: no participant up to 67 kg: no participant up to 72 kg: no participant

2010 World Cup squad

This was Finland's squad at the 2010 World Wrestling Championships in Moscow . The ranking achieved in brackets. A nation may send one starter per weight class.

Greco-Roman	Freestyle	Women
up to 055 kg: Jani Haapamäki (7th) up to 060 kg: Jarkko Ala-Huikku (21.) up to 066 kg: Tero Välimäki (17.) up to 074 kg: Valtteri Moisio (21.) up to 084 kg: Rami Hietaniemi (24.) up to 096 kg: no participant up to 120 kg: Taisto Lalli (16.)	up to 055 kg: no participant up to 060 kg: Jukka Hyytiäinen (27.) up to 066 kg: no participant up to 074 kg: no participant up to 084 kg: no participant up to 096 kg: no participant up to 120 kg: no participant	up to 48 kg: no participant up to 51 kg: Tiina Ylinen (11.) up to 55 kg: no participant up to 59 kg: no participant up to 63 kg: no participant up to 67 kg: no participant up to 72 kg: no participant

Web links

Results of the Finnish Championships (Finnish)