Ahmet Kireççi
Encyclopedia
Ahmet Kireççi was a Turkish
sports wrestler
, who won the Olympic
medal twice, the bronze medal in the Middleweight
class of Men's Freestyle
Wrestling at the 1936 Olympics
and the gold medal in the Heavyweight
class of Men's Greco-Roman
category at the 1948 Olympics
.
Born in the southern city of Mersin, he began first boxing and then continued in athletics. He switched over to wrestling and took part in a yağlı güreş
(oil wrestling) competition in Tarsus
, where he became champion.
Ahmet Kireççi was sent to Istanbul
to join the Wrestling Club of Kumkapı. In 1931, he was admitted to the national team, of which he was a member 17 years long. With 18 years of age, he became Balkan champion, a title he repeated twice more. With his bronze medal gathered at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he became the first Turkish wrestler to win an Olympic medal in the Freestyle and to win an Olympic medal in the both wrestling styles.
Following President İsmet İnönü
's suggestion at a reception after his return, Ahmet Kireççi accepted to change his family name officially to Mersinli, which was his nickname.
He died on August 17, 1979 following a traffic accident in his hometown. A statue of him erected in a corner near the harbour of Mersin commemorates the successful and popular wrestler.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
sports wrestler
Amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...
, who won the Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
medal twice, the bronze medal in the Middleweight
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
class of Men's Freestyle
Freestyle wrestling
Freestyle wrestling is a style of amateur wrestling that is practised throughout the world. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic games. It is, along with track and field, one of the oldest organized sports in history...
Wrestling at the 1936 Olympics
Turkey at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Turkey competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. 48 competitors, 46 men and 2 women, took part in 26 events in 7 sports.-Medalists:-Fencing:Seven fencers, five men and two women, represented Turkey in 1936.Men's sabre* Enver Balkan...
and the gold medal in the Heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
class of Men's Greco-Roman
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...
category at the 1948 Olympics
Turkey at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Turkey competed at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England. 58 competitors, 57 men and 1 woman, took part in 42 events in 7 sports.-Medalists:-Fencing:Six fencers, all men, represented Turkey in 1948.Men's foil* Nihat Balkan* Nejat Tolgar...
.
Born in the southern city of Mersin, he began first boxing and then continued in athletics. He switched over to wrestling and took part in a yağlı güreş
Yagli güres
Oil wrestling , also called grease wrestling, is the Turkish national sport. It is so called because the wrestlers douse themselves with olive oil. It is related to the Uzbeki kurash, Tuvan khuresh and Tatar köräş...
(oil wrestling) competition in Tarsus
Tarsus (city)
Tarsus is a historic city in south-central Turkey, 20 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea. It is part of the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Turkey with a population of 2.75 million...
, where he became champion.
Ahmet Kireççi was sent to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
to join the Wrestling Club of Kumkapı. In 1931, he was admitted to the national team, of which he was a member 17 years long. With 18 years of age, he became Balkan champion, a title he repeated twice more. With his bronze medal gathered at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he became the first Turkish wrestler to win an Olympic medal in the Freestyle and to win an Olympic medal in the both wrestling styles.
Following President İsmet İnönü
Ismet Inönü
Mustafa İsmet İnönü was a Turkish Army General, Prime Minister and the second President of Turkey. In 1938, the Republican People's Party gave him the title of "Milli Şef" .-Family and early life:...
's suggestion at a reception after his return, Ahmet Kireççi accepted to change his family name officially to Mersinli, which was his nickname.
He died on August 17, 1979 following a traffic accident in his hometown. A statue of him erected in a corner near the harbour of Mersin commemorates the successful and popular wrestler.
Achievements
- 1932 Balkan Championships - gold
- 1936 OlympicsWrestling at the 1936 Summer OlympicsAt the 1936 Summer Olympics, 14 wrestling events were contested, for all men. There were seven weight classes in Greco-Roman wrestling and seven classes in freestyle wrestling.-Freestyle:- Greco-Roman:-See also:...
in BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- bronz (Freestyle Middleweight) - 1937 World Championships - bronze
- 1940 Balkan Championships - gold
- 1948 OlympicsWrestling at the 1948 Summer OlympicsAt the 1948 Summer Olympics, 16 wrestling events were contested, for all men. There were eight weight classes in Greco-Roman wrestling and eight classes in freestyle wrestling...
in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- gold (Greco-Roman Heavyweight)