- Celal Atik
Celal Atik (1918 or
1920 -April 27 ,1979 ) was a successful Turkish sports wrestler and trainer, who won the gold medal in theLightweight class of Men's Freestyle Wrestling at the 1948 Olympics.He was born in the village of Gürdan in the
Boğazlıyan district ofYozgat Province . He changed his family name from "Doğan" to "Atik" (literally, "Slippy") after a proposal byMustafa Kemal Atatürk , the founder of the Turkish Republic, who noticed his speed at the Turkey Wrestling Championships in 1938.In addition to winning an Olympic gold medal, Celal Atik was also World champion and European champion twice. After retiring from competition, he served from 1955 to 1979 as trainer of his country's national team and taught many wrestlers who later became champions. Appointed the head trainer by the International Wrestling Federation (FILA) in
Switzerland , he gave lessons on wrestling techniques to sportspeople from all around the world.He is recognized as Turkey's smartest wrestler, with exceptional technique as well as the most
aesthetic physique. In addition to his other honors, he was awarded with theLégion d'honneur of France.Celal Atik died on
April 27 ,1979 in a hospital inAnkara . Two sports halls -- one inİzmir with a capacity of 1,200 people [ [http://www.gencbasket.com/millihaber26.html GençBasket] tr icon] and another one in his hometown Yozgat -- are named after him. [ [http://www.yozgat.gov.tr/yozgat.php?sayfa=spor Governor of Yozgat] tr icon]Achievements
Wrestler
* 1940 Balkan Wrestling Championships in
Istanbul , Turkey - silver (Greko-Roman style 72 kg)
* 1946 European Wrestling Championships inStockholm ,Sweden - gold (Freestyle 67 kg)
* 1947 European Wrestling Championships inPrague ,Czechoslovakia - bronze (Greko-Roman style 67 kg)
* 1948 Summer Olympics inLondon ,England - gold
* 1949 European Wrestling Championships in Istanbul, Turkey - gold (Freestyle 73 kg)
* 1950 World Wrestling Championships in Stockholm, Sweden - silver (Greko-Roman style 73 kg)
* 1951 World Wrestling Championships inHelsinki ,Finland - gold (Freestyle 73 kg)Trainer of the national team
* 1960 Summer Olympics in
Rome ,Italy - champion team
* 1964 Summer Olympics inTokyo ,Japan - 2 gold, 5 silver and 1 bronze
* 1968 Summer Olympics inMexico City ,Mexico - 2 gold
* 1955-1971 At all World Championships - various medalsExternal links
* [http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=ATIKCEL01 Olympics Database]
* [http://www.kimkimdir.gen.tr/kimkimdir.php?id=810 Who is who] tr icon
* [http://www.biyografi.net/kisiayrinti.asp?kisiid=2434 Biography] tr icon
* [http://muratsahingoz.azbuz.com/readArticle.jsp?objectID=5000000003344544 Story with images] tr iconReferences
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