Kustaa Pihlajamäki

Kustaa Kustaanpoika Pihlajamäki (7 April 1902 – 10 February 1944) was a Finnish wrestler. He competed in freestyle wrestling at the 1924, 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics and won two gold and one silver medal. Between 1930 and 1943 he won nine European[1] and 28 national titles in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling.[2]

Kustaa Pihlajamäki
Personal information
Born(1902-04-07)7 April 1902
Nurmo, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire
Died10 February 1944(1944-02-10) (aged 41)
Helsinki, Finland
Height169 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight56–66 kg (123–146 lb)
Sport
SportWrestling
ClubHKV, Helsinki
Helsingin Poliisi-Voimailijat, Helsinki
Medal record
Representing  Finland
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1924 Paris Freestyle, 56 kg
Silver medal – second place 1928 Amsterdam Freestyle, 61 kg
Gold medal – first place 1936 Berlin Freestyle, 61 kg
European championships
Gold medal – first place1930 StockholmGreco-Roman, 61 kg
Gold medal – first place1931 PragueGreco-Roman, 61 kg
Silver medal – second place1931 BudapestFreestyle, 61 kg
Gold medal – first place1933 HelsinkiGreco-Roman, 61 kg
Gold medal – first place1934 RomeGreco-Roman, 61 kg
Gold medal – first place1934 StockholmFreestyle, 61 kg
Gold medal – first place1935 BrusselsFreestyle, 61 kg
Gold medal – first place1937 ParisGreco-Roman, 61 kg
Silver medal – second place1937 MunichFreestyle, 61 kg
Gold medal – first place1938 TallinnGreco-Roman, 61 kg
Gold medal – first place1939 OsloGreco-Roman, 61 kg

Pihlajamäki worked as a policeman in Helsinki from 1925 to 1944, when he died during a Soviet bombing raid. A statue in his honor was installed in Helsinki in 1956, and in 2005 he became the first Finnish wrestler to be inducted into the FILA International Wrestling Hall of Fame. His brothers Arvi and Paavo were also national champions in wrestling, and his cousin Hermanni was an Olympic champion.[3]

References

  1. Pihlajamaeki, Kustaa (FIN). iat.uni-leipzig.de
  2. "Kustaa Pihlajamäki". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  3. "Kustaa Pihlajamäki". Olympedia. Retrieved 17 December 2021.


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