Yaşar Doğu (1913 – 8 January 1961) was a Turkish wrestler. He competed in freestyle and
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), or classic wrestling (Euro-English) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been i ...
, winning gold at the Olympic, world, and European championships.
Biography
He was born in the village Karlı of Kavak district in
Samsun province
Samsun Province () is a province and metropolitan municipality of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Its area is 9,725 km2, and its population is 1,368,488 (2022). Its adjacent provinces are Sinop on the northwest, Çorum on the west, Amasy ...
to a family of Circassian origin. He began wrestling at his age of 15 in
yağlı güreş
Oil wrestling (), also called Turkish oil wrestling, is the national sport of Turkey. Oil wrestling includes oil and traditional dress, and its rules are comparable to karakucak.
In Assyria, ancient Egypt, and Babylonia, oil wrestling was perfo ...
(oil wrestling) and continued in this folk sport until he entered military service. His sports wrestling career started 1936 in
Ankara
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
as he was discovered by the wrestler Celal Atik.
Yaşar Doğu was admitted to the national team in 1939. He participated at the European Championships held that year in
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
, Norway and became silver medalist in the Greco-Roman style. He became Balkan, European and World champion besides Olympic gold medalist. Yaşar Doğu wrestled 47 times in the national team between 1939 and 1951, of which only one he lost. 33 of his matches he won by near-fall. All his 46 winning matches lasted 372 minutes in total, whereas the normal duration should be 690 minutes. After retiring from the active sports, he served as the trainer of the national team.
He married Hayriye on 15 October 1937. Yaşar Doğu gave the name Gazanfer to one of his sons in admiration to his teammate Gazanfer Bilge. His son Gazanfer Doğu was educated in the US, and became a lecturer of physical education and sports at Abant Izzet Baysal University in
Bolu
Bolu is a city in northern Turkey, and administrative center of the Bolu Province and of Bolu District,
Yaşar Doğu suffered a heart attack during the 1955 championships held in Sweden, where he was the trainer of Turkey's wrestling team. He died on 8 January 1961 in
Ankara
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
following a second heart attack.
Achievements
* 1939 European Wrestling Championships in
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
, Norway - silver (Greco-Roman style Lightweight)
* 1940 Balkan Wrestling Championships in Istanbul, Turkey - gold (Greco-Roman style Lightweight)
* 1946 European Wrestling Championships in
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
, Sweden - gold (Freestyle Welterweight)
* 1947 European Wrestling Championships in
Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
,
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
- gold (Greco-Roman style Welterweight)
* 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England - gold (Freestyle Welterweight)
* 1949 European Wrestling Championships in Istanbul, Turkey - gold (Freestyle Middleweight)
* 1951 World Wrestling Championships in
Helsinki
Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
, Finland - gold (Freestyle Light heavyweight)
Legacy
* Yaşar Doğu Sports Hall, 1966-built venue with 1,500 seating capacity in downtown Samsun
* Yaşar Doğu Wrestling Hall, 1989-built wrestling designated venue for 250 spectators in Samsun
* Tekkeköy Yaşar Doğu Arena, 7,500-seat multi-purpose indoor venue in Tekkeköy district of
Samsun Province
Samsun Province () is a province and metropolitan municipality of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Its area is 9,725 km2, and its population is 1,368,488 (2022). Its adjacent provinces are Sinop on the northwest, Çorum on the west, Amasy ...
opened end March 2013
* Yaşar Doğu Tournament, annually held
freestyle wrestling
Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...