Vilho Lennart "Lenny" Viitala ( Fin. Vilho Lennart "Lenni" Viitala ; November 8, 1921 , Nurmo, Seinäjoki , Finland - February 24, 1966 , Vaayakoski , Jyväskylä , Finland ) - Finnish freestyle and Greco-Roman style wrestler, Olympic champion, European champion, four-time champion of Finland (1946-1949, 1956) in freestyle wrestling, winner of the European championship, champion of Finland (1953) in Greco-Roman wrestling [1] [2] .
 Lennart Wijtala | |
|---|---|
 | |
| personal information | |
| Floor | |
| Full name | Wilho Lennart Wijtala |
| A country |  Finland |
| Club | Vaasan toverit |
| Date of Birth | November 8, 1921 |
| Place of Birth | Nurmo, Seinäjoki , Finland |
| Date of death | February 24, 1966 (44 years old) |
| A place of death | Vaayakoski , Jyväskylä , Finland |
| Height | 165 cm |
| The weight | 52-60 kg. |
Biography
Born in 1921. During the Winter War, he served with the future President of Finland, Mauno Koivisto, in a separate ranger company Lauri Turni , famous for his sabotage operations [3] . After the war, until 1947 he worked as a carpenter in Seinäjoki , represented the club Seinäjoen Sisua. Then the wrestler moved to Vaayakoski, worked at the factory as a truck driver, then as a warehouse manager.
In 1946 he became the European champion in freestyle wrestling, in 1947 he took third place at the European Championship in Greco-Roman wrestling.
At the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, he fought in freestyle wrestling in the category of up to 52 kilograms (flyweight). The elimination of the tournament took place as penalties accumulated. Three judges judged the fight, no penalty points were awarded for a clear victory, 1 penalty point was awarded for a victory by decision of the judges at any ratio of votes, 2 penalty points were awarded for a loss by a decision 2-1, a loss of 3-0 by a decision and a net loss were punishable by 3 penalty points.
The title was disputed by 14 people. Lenny Wijtala defeated all rivals and became the Olympic champion.
| A circle | Rival | A country | Result | Base | Scrum time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| one | Halit Balamir | Victory | 2-1 (1 penalty point) | - | |
| 2 | Adolf Lamo | Victory | Touche (0 penalty points) | 14:11 | |
| 3 | Billy Jernigan | Victory | 3-0 (1 penalty point) | - | |
| four | - | - | - | - | - |
| The final | Toura Johansson | Victory | 3-0 (1 penalty point) | - |
Lenny Wijtala did not show up for the medals and honoring the winners in Buckingham Palace , lost his way in the London Underground , and according to urban legend, he could not resist the temptations in the Soho quarter. The medal was awarded to him later [3] .
In 1949, he was only fourth at the European Championships; in 1951, at the World Championships, he only managed to enter the six winners.
He died in 1966 from stomach cancer .
Notes
- ↑ Database Archived October 9, 2011 on Wayback Machine
- ↑ Lenni Viitala Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com
- ↑ 1 2 Yle: Vaajakosken painilegenda viihtyi heinäpellolla - Urheilu - Keskisuomalainen
Links
- Lennart Wijtala - Olympic statistics at Sports-Reference.com
- Lennart Wijtala - Profile at International Wrestling Database