Alfred Johan "Alpo" Asikainen (2 November 1888 – 7 January 1942) was a Finnish wrestler who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal.[1]

Alfred Asikainen

Asikainen (right, in black) and Klein wrestling at the 1912 Olympics
Personal information
Born	(1888-11-02)2 November 1888 Viipuri, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire
Died	7 January 1942(1942-01-07) (aged 53) Mäntsälä, Uusimaa, Finland
Weight	Middleweight (67.5-75kg)
Medal record Representing  Finland Olympic Games 1912 Stockholm Middleweight FILA Wrestling World Championships 1911 Helsinki Middleweight

Sporting career

Asikainen won the Greco-Roman middleweight event at the 1911 World Wrestling Championships in Helsinki. It was the only time he finished within the podium at a World Wrestling Championship.[2]

At the 1912 Olympics Asikainen won against his first four opponents, including the eventual winner Claes Johanson. In the semifinal he wrestled Estonian Martin Klein,[3] who was forced to represent Russia,[4] for eleven hours and forty minutes (time limits were introduced to wrestling in 1924) on a blisteringly sunny day outdoors in the Stockholm Olympic Stadium. After one hour, a short rest was granted, and then every thirty minutes.[5]

Asikainen lost by pin, and Klein ended up withdrawing from the final due to exhaustion, resulting in Johansson winning the gold medal by default.[3] Asikainen was awarded the bronze medal.[4] The bout between Asikainen and Klein remains the longest wrestling match in history.[6]

References

General

• "Alppo Asikainen". Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2012.

Specific

External links

• Alfred Asikainen at the International Wrestling Database
• Alfred Asikainen at the International Olympic Committee

На других языках

[fr] Alfred Asikainen

[it] Alfred Asikainen

[ru] Асикайнен, Альфред