Lauri Koskela

Lauri Koskela (16 May 1907 – 3 August 1944) was a Greco-Roman wrestler from Finland. He competed at the 1932 and 1936 Olympics and won a bronze and a gold medal, respectively.[1] Koskela was the European champion in 1935, 1937 and 1938 and placed third in 1939. Domestically, he won seven titles in 1932–33, 1936 and 1940–43.[2]

Lauri Koskela
Personal information
Born16 May 1907
Lapua, Finland
Died3 August 1944 (aged 37)
Baryshevo, Leningrad, Russia
Height167 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Weight62–68 kg (137–150 lb)
Sport
SportGreco-Roman wrestling
ClubLapuan Virkiä
Medal record
Representing  Finland
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1932 Los Angeles -61 kg
Gold medal – first place 1936 Berlin -66 kg
European championships
Gold medal – first place1935 Copenhagen-66 kg
Gold medal – first place1937 Paris-66 kg
Gold medal – first place1938 Tallinn-66 kg
Bronze medal – third place1939 Oslo-66 kg

Kidnapping and death

Koskela lived in Lapua, South Ostrobothnia, where he worked at the State Cartridge Factory. Koskela was a member of the local trade union branch and the Communist Party of Finland. In 1930, he was kidnapped by the fascist Lapua Movement. Koskela represented the left-wing club Ponnistus until the fall of 1930, when he joined the right-wing Virkiä in order to make it to the Olympics, as the Finnish Workers' Sports Federation did not participate the games.[2] Koskela was killed in action during the Continuation War in 1944.[3]

See also

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lauri Koskela.
  1. "Lauri Koskela". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  2. "Lauri Koskela (1907–1944)". Helemi – Lapua Historical Database (in Finnish). 24 July 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  3. "Olympians Who Were Killed or Missing in Action or Died as a Result of War". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2018.


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