Georgios Tsitas ( el, Γεώργιος Τσίτας, born 1872 in

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

, died between 1940 and 1945) was a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sport ...

. He competed at the

1896 Summer Olympics The 1896 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 1896, Therinoí Olympiakoí Agónes 1896), officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 1ης Ολυμπιάδας, Agónes tis 1is Ol ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. In the first round of the wrestling competition, held in a roughly Greco-Roman format, Tsitas had a bye to guarantee a top three finish before he even had a match. The semifinal pitted Tsitas against fellow Greek

Stephanos Christopoulos Stephanos Christopoulos ( el, Στέφανος Χρηστόπουλος; 1876 – after 1906) was a Greek wrestler. He was a member of Gymnastiki Etaireia Patron, that merged in 1923 with Panachaikos Gymnastikos syllogos to become Panachaiki Gymna ...

. Tsitas won the match by throwing Christopoulos. In the final, Tsitas wrestled with

Carl Schuhmann Carl August Berthold Schuhmann (12 May 1869 – 24 March 1946) was a German athlete who won four Olympic titles in gymnastics and sport wrestling, wrestling at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, becoming the most successful athlete at the in ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, an exceptional

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

, for 40 minutes before the match was postponed due to darkness. Tsitas did not last long the following day, being defeated to finish in second place.

Personal life

George Tsitas was born in 1872 in Smyrna but his family had settled in Athens. He was an athlete in the

Panellinios G.S. Panellinios G.S. (Greek: Πανελλήνιος Γ.Σ.), full name, Panellinios Gymnastikos Syllogos (Greek: Πανελλήνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος), is a Greek multi-sport club that is located in Athens and was founded in ...

The press of the time reports that his wrestling teacher was Panagis Koutalianos. He had a bakery-confectionery, in the Panhellenic world he had the reputation of "humorist Hercules".

References

External links

* * 1872 births 1940s deaths Greek male sport wrestlers Olympic wrestlers of Greece Olympic silver medalists for Greece Olympic medalists in wrestling Wrestlers at the 1896 Summer Olympics 19th-century sportsmen Medalists at the 1896 Summer Olympics Place of death missing Smyrniote Greeks Sportspeople from İzmir {{Greece-Olympic-medalist-stub