Yrjö Saarela Explained

Yrjö Saarela
Birth Name:Yrjö Erik Mikael Sarkkinen
Full Name:Yrjö Erik Mikael Saarela
National Team:Finland
Birth Date:13 July 1884
Birth Place:Oulujoki, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire
Death Place:Liminka, Finland
Resting Place:Oulujoki parish church cemetery
Occupation:Farmer
Height:180 cm
Weight:82–86 kg
Spouse:Ester Elisabeth Markuksela
Sport:Greco-Roman wrestling
Weight Class:Heavyweight
Turnedpro:1912
Coach:Carl Allén

Yrjö Erik Mikael Saarela (13 July 1884 – 30 June 1951) was a Finnish wrestler who won Olympic gold and a world championship.[1]

Wrestling

Saarela began wrestling in 1906, coached by Carl Allén.[2]

By 1908, he was a well-established wrestler and was nominated into the Finnish Olympic team without trials.[3]

He won silver at the 1908 Olympics, which was a single-elimination tournament:

Yrjö Saarela at the 1908 Summer Olympics Greco-Roman light heavyweight[4]
RoundOpponentResult
First roundWin by fall at 3:50
Second roundWin by fall at 2:31
Quarter-finalsWin by fall at 12:24
Semi-finalsWin by fall at 11:36
Final (best out of three)Win by fall at 4:22
Loss by fall at 5:07
Loss by fall at 16:10
According to rumours, Weckman bribed Saarela to throw the final. Modern sportswriters Arto Teronen and Jouko Vuolle consider that there is plenty of circumstantial evidence in favour.[5]

He won the Finnish national heavyweight championship in 1908 and 1909.[6] [7]

He won the over 83 kg class at the 1911 World Wrestling Championships.[8] [9]

Yrjö Saarela in the over 83 kg class at the 1911 World Wrestling Championships[10] [11]
OpponentResult
Undecided
Win by fall at 2:34
Win by fall at 4:25
Win by points

He won the Olympic gold at the 1912 Games, which was a double-elimination tournament:

Yrjö Saarela at the 1912 Summer Olympics Greco-Roman heavyweight
RoundOpponentResult
First roundWin by fall at 32:37
Second roundWin by walkover
Third roundWin by fall at 6:12
Fourth roundWin by fall at 3:36
Fifth roundLoss by withdrawal at 6:00
Sixth roundWin by fall at 6:00
Final roundWin by withdrawal at 3:16:00
Win by fall at 9:00
The fifth round loss was a favour to Olin, who would've been eliminated otherwise. Saarela withdrew, faking a knee injury. Olin returned the favour by letting him win the gold medal match, even though Saarela was exhausted after a three-hour bout against Jensen.[12] [13]

He began a brief professional career after the 1912 games, wrestling mostly in international circuses touring in Finland.[14] [15]

His amateur status was reinstated in 1924. He returned to form at the age of 44 when he won the Finnish national heavyweight championship bronze in 1929.[16] He was a regional coaching consultant in the Finnish Wrestling Federation in the 1930s.[17]

He received the Cross of Merit, in gold, of the Finnish Sports from the Ministry of Education in 1948.[18]

His Olympic medals are in the collection of the Sports Museum of Finland.[19]

Biography

His parents were Jaakko Sarkkinen and Maria Sunila, and he was born Yrjö Sarkkinen. They switched their last name after buying and moving to a farm named Saarela. He eventually inherited two thirds of the farm.[20]

He married Ester Elisabeth Markuksela in 1910. They had children:[21]

  1. Aino Kyllikki (1910–1972)
  2. Ahti Johannes (1912–1913)
  3. Erkko Olavi (1913–1972)
  4. Marja-Liisa (1915–1953)
  5. Yrjö Eino Mikael (1920–1940)
  6. Pentti Johannes (1922–1942)
  7. Pirkko Kaarina (1927–). She married economist Kaarlo Larna.

His personal economy suffered when he acted as a surety to loans that defaulted during the Great Depression. His farm went bankrupt in 1931. However, thanks to an inheritance, he recovered quickly and returned to farming.[22]

He suffered a stroke in 1944 and was paralyzed.

After he died, he was buried in his family plot. His name on the gravestone has an engraving of the Olympic rings. Saarela is the only Olympic winner from North Ostrobothnia.[23]

Sources

Literature

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Yrjö Saarela . Olympedia . 13 April 2021.
  2. Book: Järvinen . Eino . 1977 . 70 vuotta suomalaista painia 1906–1976 . fi . Helsinki . Finnish Wrestling Federation . 73.
  3. Book: Lintala . Esko . 1984 . Yrjö Saarela — painimattojen aristokraatti . fi . Oulu . Lions Club Oulu-Oulujoki . 45–46 . 951-99570-3-0.
  4. Book: Cook . Theodore Andrea . 1909 . The Fourth Olympiad London 1908 Official Report . London . British Olympic Association . 335–337 . 26 March 2019 . LA84 Foundation.
  5. Book: Teronen . Arto . Vuolle . Jouko . 2013 . Urheilun tunteita ja tarinoita . Kiveen hakatut . fi . Helsinki . Kirjapaja . 212–213 . 978-952-247-437-7.
  6. Book: 1976 . Virtamo . Keijo . etal . Fokus urheilu 2 . fi . 4th . Helsinki . Otava Publishing Company . 276 . 951-1-00331-3.
  7. Web site: 1905–1909 . Miesten kreikkalais-roomalaisen painin SM-kisojen tulokset 1898 - 2019 . Suomen Painiliitto . Helsinki . 2 . fi . 30 March 2019.
  8. Web site: World Championship Greco-Roman Seniors 1911-03-25 Helsinki (FIN) > 83.0 kg . United World Wrestling . Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland . 29 March 2019.
  9. Book: Järvinen . Eino . 1977 . 70 vuotta suomalaista painia 1906–1976 . fi . Helsinki . Finnish Wrestling Federation . 107.
  10. News: V. E. T. . April 1911 . Amatööri maailmanmestaruus painikilpailut Helsingissä maaliskuun 25, 26, 27 ja 28 p:nä 1911 . Suomen Urheilulehti . fi . 4/1911 . Helsinki . 113 . 0355-6085 . 29 March 2019 . Digital Collections of National Library of Finland.
  11. Book: Lintala . Esko . 1984 . Yrjö Saarela — painimattojen aristokraatti . fi . Oulu . Lions Club Oulu-Oulujoki . 74 . 951-99570-3-0.
  12. Book: Erola . Lasse . 2016 . Suomalaisten olympiavoittojen tarinat . fi . Helsinki . Paasilinna . 18–19 . 978-952-299-110-2.
  13. Book: Teronen . Arto . Vuolle . Jouko . 2011 . Urheilijat maineen poluilla . Kiveen hakatut . fi . Helsinki . Kirjapaja . 244–245 . 978-952-247-223-6.
  14. Book: M-o-n-i . 1939 . Suomalaisia mestaripainijoita . fi . Porvoo . Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö . 96.
  15. Book: Lintala . Esko . 1984 . Yrjö Saarela — painimattojen aristokraatti . fi . Oulu . Lions Club Oulu-Oulujoki . 103–106 . 951-99570-3-0.
  16. Web site: 1925–1929 . Miesten kreikkalais-roomalaisen painin SM-kisojen tulokset 1898 - 2019 . Suomen Painiliitto . Helsinki . 4 . fi . 30 March 2019.
  17. Book: Lintala . Esko . 1984 . Yrjö Saarela — painimattojen aristokraatti . fi . Oulu . Lions Club Oulu-Oulujoki . 99–102 . 951-99570-3-0.
  18. Book: Lintala . Esko . 1984 . Yrjö Saarela — painimattojen aristokraatti . fi . Oulu . Lions Club Oulu-Oulujoki . 107–108 . 951-99570-3-0.
  19. Book: Teronen . Arto . Vuolle . Jouko . 2011 . Urheilijat maineen poluilla . Kiveen hakatut . fi . Helsinki . Kirjapaja . 246 . 978-952-247-223-6.
  20. Book: Lintala . Esko . 1984 . Yrjö Saarela — painimattojen aristokraatti . fi . Oulu . Lions Club Oulu-Oulujoki . 8–9 . 951-99570-3-0.
  21. Book: Lintala . Esko . 1984 . Yrjö Saarela — painimattojen aristokraatti . fi . Oulu . Lions Club Oulu-Oulujoki . 111–112 . 951-99570-3-0.
  22. Book: Teronen . Arto . Vuolle . Jouko . 2011 . Urheilijat maineen poluilla . Kiveen hakatut . fi . Helsinki . Kirjapaja . 248 . 978-952-247-223-6.
  23. News: Portaankorva . Juha . 6 October 2009 . Painijalegenda sai renkaansa . Kaleva . fi . Oulu . 0356-1356 . 2 April 2019.

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