Martin Klein (12 September 1884 – 11 February 1947) was an

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

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 ...

who competed for the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...

. He won the silver medal in the middleweight class, becoming the first Olympic medalist from Estonia. In the semifinal against the reigning world champion

Alfred Asikainen Alfred Johan "Alpo" Asikainen (2 November 1888 – 7 January 1942) was a Finnish wrestler who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal. Sporting career Asikainen won the Greco-Roman middleweight event at the 1911 Worl ...

,Asikainen represented Finland, which was then part of the Russian Empire, but was competing as a separate team, under the Russian flag. the two grappled for 11 hours and 40 minutes on a sunny day outdoors, until Klein managed to pin Asikainen. Klein was so exhausted from the bout – the longest wrestling match ever recorded – that he was unable to wrestle for the gold the next day, leaving Swedish wrestler Claes Johansson with the gold medal.

Biography

Klein was born to a farmer and started training in wrestling only in his twenties. He left home aged 17 to work as a sailor, but after two years, together with his brother, signed up to a factory in Saint Petersburg, which was then the capital of the

. Seeking additional incomes, he became a night-shift guardian in a wrestling club and in this way was introduced to the sport. In 1910 Klein won his first title, at St. Petersburg Championships in the unlimited class. Besides the 1912 Olympics, he also competed at the 1913 World Championships, but withdrew due to a hand injury. The same year he won the Russian heavyweight title. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he served in the Russian army and later took part in the

Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence ( et, Vabadussõda, literally "Freedom War"), also known as the Estonian Liberation War, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Bolshevik westwa ...

. In 1919 he became a wrestling coach and prepared Estonian wrestlers for the 1920 Olympics. At those Games he was also offered a place as a competitor, but refused in favor of his younger teammates. Klein continued coaching and competing in wrestling in Estonia until 1937. He died as a consequence of a

hernia A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the gr ...

, which he developed when moving logs and was buried in the

Tarvastu Tarvastu is a village in Viljandi Parish, Viljandi County, Estonia. It's located about a kilometer east of Mustla. Tarvastu has a population of 99 (as of 2006). The village is passed by the Tarvastu River and the Viljandi–Rõngu road (nr 52). E ...

cemetery. Since 1962 an international Martin Klein Memorial in Greco-Roman wrestling is held in

Viljandi Viljandi (, german: Fellin, sv, Fellin) is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,407 in 2019. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tartu ...

, Estonia. Martin Klein

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Martin 1884 births 1947 deaths People from Viljandi Parish People from the Governorate of Livonia Estonian male sport wrestlers Wrestlers at the 1912 Summer Olympics Male sport wrestlers from the Russian Empire Olympic competitors for the Russian Empire Olympic medalists in wrestling Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics