Russell Camilleri

Russell Anthony Camilleri (born November 13, 1936 in New York ) is a retired American wrestler . He was an Olympian for the United States in 1960 and 1964.

Career

Russell Camilleri began wrestling while he was in high school in New York. After that, he did not attend college, but entered the Air Force, where he began an officer career. With the Air Force he had the opportunity to continue practicing his sport. He wrestled, which was rather unusual in the United States, in the two styles of Greco-Roman and free style. After serving in the military, he lived in California and was a member of the San Francisco Olympic Club . His son Russell Camilleri Junior is also a wrestler, but is not yet one of the top US champions.

He advanced to the top of the US in 1960 when he was AAU Champion (American Champion) in Greco-Roman. Middleweight style was. He prevailed in this weight class and in this style at the US Olympic elimination and represented his country at the Olympic Games in Rome . He won there against Charles Berthod from Switzerland and Helmut Längle from Austria and fought against Yacoub Romano from Lebanon in a draw. After a defeat in the fourth round against Lothar Metz from Rostock , who represented the all-German colors, he was eliminated and came in 8th place.

In the following years, Russell Camilleri won a total of nine more titles in both styles in the world and middleweight classes at the US championships. His main competitor was Wayne Baugham in both styles .

In 1964 he took part in the Olympic Games again in Tokyo . He came there in the Greco-Roman style in welterweight with two wins in 7th place.

Russell Camilleri also took part in seven world championships. The best results he achieved there were two sixth places at the World Championships in 1961 in Yokohama and 1963 in Sofia , each in free style in the middleweight division. In Yokohama he fought against the eventual world champion Mansour Mehdizadeh from Iran in a draw. He achieved the same result in Sofia against the eventual world champion Prodan Gardschew from Bulgaria .

International success

year	space	event	style	Weight class
1960	8th.	OS in Rome	GR	medium	with victories over Charles Berthoud , Switzerland a . Helmut Längle , Austria , a tie against Yacoub Romano , Lebanon a . a loss to Lothar Metz , Germany
1961	6th	World Cup in Yokohama	F.	medium	with a win over Tadao Ishikawa, Japan , a draw against Mansour Mehdizadeh , Iran a . a loss to İsmail Ogan , Turkey
1961	10.	World Cup in Yokohama	GR	medium	after defeats against Géza Hollósi , Hungary a . Lothar Metz, GDR
1962	10.	World Cup in Toledo (Ohio)	GR	medium	after defeats against Krali Bimbalow , Bulgaria and Anatoli Kirow , Soviet Union
1963	6th	World Cup in Sofia	F.	medium	with a victory over Muhammad Faiz, Pakistan , a draw against Prodan Gardschew , Bulgaria and Géza Hollósi u. a loss to Anatoly Albul , Soviet Union
1964	7th	OS in Tokyo	GR	Welter	with victories over Helmut Längle u. Albert Michiels , Belgium and defeats to Bertil Nyström , Sweden and Bolesław Dubicki , Poland
1965	7th	World Cup in Manchester	F.	Welter	with victories over Constandios Kozanidis, Greece and Kurt Elmgren, Sweden, a draw against Miroslaw Zywczyk , Poland and a defeat against Guliko Sagaradze , Soviet Union
1965	9.	World Cup in Tampere	GR	Welter	with a win over Ibrahim Awariki, Lebanon, a draw against Jan Kärström , Sweden and a loss against Dimitrios Savas, Greece
1966	12.	World Cup in Toledo (Ohio)	GR	Welter	after defeats to Mohammad Fayaz, Iran and Florea Ciorcilă , Romania

Note: GR = Greco-Roman style, F = free style, Welter = welter weight, up to 1961 up to 73 kg, from 1962 up to 78 kg body weight, mean = middle weight, up to 1961 up to 79 kg, from 1962 up to 87 kg body weight, OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship

American championships

Russell Camilleri became American Masters in Greco-Roman Style in 1960, 1961, 1964, 1965, and 1966, and Free Style in 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1968.

swell

• Documentation of FILA's International Wrestling Championships, 1976
• Athletics magazine
• US Wrestling Association website

Web links

• Profile of Russell Camilleri at the Institute of Applied Exercise Science
• Russell Camilleri in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )