Mehmet Akif Pirim
Encyclopedia
Mehmet Akif Pirim (September 17, 1968, Rize
, Turkey
), is a former Turkish
Olympic medalist sports wrestler in the Featherweight class (62 kg), and currently a trainer. He won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics
in Men's Greco-Roman wrestling
and the bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics
.
Born on September 17, 1968 in the Black Sea
city of Rize, he began sports wrestling 1986 in Rize Çaykur Sports Club and continued in the clubs Halkbankası, TMO and TEDAŞ Clubs.
Akif Pirim won the silver medal at the World Championships and the gold medal three times at the Mediterranean Games
and also at the first Military World Games
.
As he was not qualified for the Turkish national team in 1999, Akif Pirim was offered the citizenship of Azerbaijan
, which he accepted. He participated at the 1999 World Championships held in Athens, Greece, for Azerbaijan
, however without success.
He is currently the head coach of the Turkish national team of Greco-Roman style wrestling.
Rize
Rize is the capital of Rize Province, in northeast Turkey, on the Black Sea coast.-Etymology:The name comes from Greek or Ριζαίον , meaning "mountain slopes". In modern times, its name in Greek was usually Ριζούντα . Its Latin forms are Rhizus and Rhizaeum...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
), is a former Turkish
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...
Olympic medalist sports wrestler in the Featherweight class (62 kg), and currently a trainer. He won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics
Turkey at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Turkey competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.-Medalists:-Archery:In its third Olympic archery competition, Turkey's women were much more successful than the men...
in Men's Greco-Roman wrestling
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...
and the bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics
Turkey at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Turkey competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States.-Medalists:-Archery:In its fourth Olympic archery competition, Turkey's women nearly earned two medals. Elif Altankaynak made it to the semifinals in the individual competition, and the women's team made it there in the team round...
.
Born on September 17, 1968 in the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
city of Rize, he began sports wrestling 1986 in Rize Çaykur Sports Club and continued in the clubs Halkbankası, TMO and TEDAŞ Clubs.
Akif Pirim won the silver medal at the World Championships and the gold medal three times at the Mediterranean Games
Mediterranean Games
The Mediterranean Games are a multi-sport games held every four years, mainly for nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea, where Europe, Africa and Asia meet. The idea was proposed at the 1948 Summer Olympics by Muhammed Taher Pasha, chairman of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, and they were first...
and also at the first Military World Games
Military World Games
The Military World Games is a multi-sport event for military sportspeople, organized by the International Military Sports Council . The Games have been held since 1995, although championships for separate sports had been held for some years. A winter edition of the games has been recently created...
.
As he was not qualified for the Turkish national team in 1999, Akif Pirim was offered the citizenship of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, which he accepted. He participated at the 1999 World Championships held in Athens, Greece, for Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, however without success.
He is currently the head coach of the Turkish national team of Greco-Roman style wrestling.
Achievements
- 1988 European Espoir Championships in Wałbrzych, PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
– 7th (57 kg) - 1991 European Championships in AschaffenburgAschaffenburgAschaffenburg is a city in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not considered part of the district of Aschaffenburg, but is the administrative seat.Aschaffenburg is known as the Tor zum Spessart or "gate to the Spessart"...
, 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...
– 9th (62 kg) - 1991 Mediterranean Games1991 Mediterranean GamesThe 11th edition of the Mediterranean Games were held in Athens, Greece fromthe 28th of June to the 12th of July 1991. Eighteen nations competed in 24 different sportingevents.- Pre-Mediterranean Cup :...
in AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
– gold (62 kg) - 1991 World Championships in VarnaVarnaVarna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
, BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
– silver (62 kg) - 1992 European Championships in Kopenhagen, DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
– 7th (62 kg) - 1992 OlympicsWrestling at the 1992 Summer OlympicsAt the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, 20 wrestling events were contested, for men only. There were 10 weight classes in each of the freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling disciplines.-Freestyle:-Greco-Roman:-Medal table:...
in BarcelonaBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
– gold (62 kg) - 1993 Mediterranean Games1993 Mediterranean GamesThe 12th edition of the Mediterranean Games were held in Languedoc-Roussillon, France from the June 16 to June 27, 1993. Nineteen nations competed in 24 different sporting events.- Medal table :- External links and references :* -See also:**...
in AudeAudeAude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother...
, Languedoc-RoussillonLanguedoc-RoussillonLanguedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
– gold (62 kg) - 1995 European Championships in BesançonBesançonBesançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
– 6th (62 kg) - 1995 Military World Games in RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
– gold (62 kg) - 1996 European Championships in BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
– 5th (62 kg) - 1996 OlympicsWrestling at the 1996 Summer OlympicsAt the 1996 Summer Olympics, 2 different wrestling disciplines were contested: freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling. The freestyle category was notable as it featured the gold medal performance of Kurt Angle, who later became a notable professional wrestler.-Freestyle:-Greco-Roman:-Medal...
in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
– bronze (62 kg) - 1997 Mediterranean Games1997 Mediterranean GamesThe 13th edition of the Mediterranean Games were held in Bari, Italy from the 13th to the 25th of June 1997. Twenty one nations competed in 27 different sporting events.- Medal table :- External link and reference :* -See also:***...
in BariBariBari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
– gold (62 kg)