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Väinö Kokkinen

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Väinö Kokkinen
Väinö Kokkinen at the 1928 Olympics
Personal information
Born25 November 1899
Hollola, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire
Died27 August 1967 (aged 67)
Kouvola, Finland
Height172 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight78–85 kg (172–187 lb)
Sport
SportGreco-Roman wrestling
ClubHKV, Helsinki
HPM, Helsinki
Medal record
Men's Greco-Roman wrestling
Representing  Finland
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1928 Amsterdam 75 kg
Gold medal – first place 1932 Los Angeles 79 kg
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1930 Stockholm 79 kg
Silver medal – second place 1925 Mailand 79 kg
Silver medal – second place 1929 Dortmund 79 kg
Silver medal – second place 1931 Prague 79 kg
Silver medal – second place 1933 Helsinki 87 kg

Väinö Kokkinen (25 November 1899 – 27 August 1967) was a Finnish Greco-Roman wrestler. He won two Olympic gold medals in the middleweight category, in 1928 and 1932, and finished in fourth place in 1936. Between 1925 and 1933 he won one gold and four silver medals at the European championships as well as six national titles (1926, 1929–32 and 1934).[1]

Kokkinen was a blacksmith by profession and fought in the Finnish Civil War. He started training in wrestling in 1921, after moving to Helsinki. He retired in 1936 and ran a successful business in the clothing and hospitality industry. In the 1940s he was also a board member of the sports club Helsingin Jyry.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Väinö Kokkinen". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016.
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