Mehmet Çoban (1905–1969), aka Koç Çoban Mehmet, was a Turkish Olympian

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 spo ...

in the heavyweight division of Greco-Roman style. He was born 1905 in

Balıkesir Balıkesir () is a city in Turkey and is the capital city of Balıkesir Province. Balıkesir is located in the Marmara region of Turkey and has a population of 338,936. Between 1341–1922, it was the capital of Karasi. History Close to ...

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. A shepherd, he was discovered by the local military commander Hikmet Pasha during a Turkish traditional sport

yağlı güreş Oil wrestling ( tr, Yağlı güreş), also called grease wrestling, is a traditional Turkish sport, where participants, called ''pehlivan'' (wrestlers) or ''baspehlivan'' (master wrestlers), wrestle while covered in oil. Competitions are held in ...

(oil wrestling) match, and was sent to

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

to join "İstanbul Güreş İhtisas Kulübü", a renowned club specialized in wrestling. During his sport career from 1928 until his retirement in 1940, he was the only heavyweight wrestler of

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

's national Greco-Roman wrestling team.Youth and Sport Directoriate of Izmir
Mehmet Çoban became 5 times Balkan champion and earned also once the silver medal at the Balkan and the European Championships each. At his age of 41, Mehmet Çoban won a bronze medal at the European Championship. He participated at the

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...

and

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

Olympics, ranking 8th and 4th respectively. Mehmet Çoban died in 1969.

References

External links

* 1905 births Sportspeople from Balıkesir Olympic wrestlers for Turkey Wrestlers at the 1928 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1936 Summer Olympics Turkish male sport wrestlers 1969 deaths 20th-century Turkish people {{Turkey-wrestling-bio-stub