Alfred Johan "Alpo" Asikainen (2 November 1888 – 7 January 1942) was a Finnish wrestler who competed in the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

, winning the bronze medal.

Sporting career

Asikainen won the Greco-Roman middleweight event at the

1911 World Wrestling Championships The following is the result of the unofficial World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championship tournaments in 1911. Medal table Tournament 1 The first tournament was held in Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland from 25 to 28 March 1911. Tournament 2 The ...

in Helsinki. It was the only time he finished on the podium at a World Wrestling Championship. 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, who was forced to represent Russia, 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 Stockholm Olympic Stadium (), most often called Stockholms stadion or (especially locally) simply Stadion, is a stadium in Stockholm, Sweden. Designed by architect Torben Grut, it was opened in 1912; its original use was as a venue for the 1912 ...

. After one hour, a short rest was granted, and then every thirty minutes. Asikainen lost by pin, and Klein withdrew from the final due to exhaustion, resulting in Johansson winning the gold medal by default. Asikainen was awarded the bronze medal. The bout between Asikainen and Klein remains the longest wrestling match in history.

References

;General * ;Specific

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Asikainen, Alfred 1888 births 1942 deaths Sportspeople from Vyborg Martial artists from Leningrad Oblast Sportspeople from Viipuri Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Wrestlers at the 1912 Summer Olympics Finnish male sport wrestlers Olympic wrestlers for Finland Olympic bronze medalists for Finland Olympic medalists in wrestling Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics World Wrestling Championships medalists