Mithat Bayrak
Encyclopedia
Mithat Bayrak (March 3, 1929, Adapazarı
, Turkey
), is a former Turkish
sports wrestler and trainer, who won two gold medals in the Welterweight
class of Men's Greco-Roman
Wrestling at the 1956 Olympics
and 1960 Olympics
.
Born on March 3, 1929 in Adapazarı
of Sakarya Province
, he began 1948 the wrestling sport in Sakarya Güneş Spor club. Following his admission to the national team, he was trained by the renowned wrestlers Gazanfer Bilge
, Mehmet Oktav
, Hüseyin Erkmen and Celal Atik
. Mithat Bayrak won the gold medal twice for Turkey at the Olympic Games.
He ceased his international career after the 1960 Olympics and emigrated to Germany
, where he joined the wrestling sports club KSV Witten 07. There, he wrestled almost 20 years more and served later also as trainer.
Currently, he runs a restaurant in Witten
, Germany.
Adapazari
Adapazarı is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of Sakarya Province. The province itself was originally named Adapazarı as well. Adapazarı is a part of the densely populated region of the country, known as the Marmara Region. As of 2010, the city has a population of 560,876 ...
, 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...
sports wrestler and trainer, who won two gold medals in the Welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
class of Men's Greco-Roman
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...
Wrestling at the 1956 Olympics
Turkey at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Turkey competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia and Stockholm, Sweden .-Medalists:...
and 1960 Olympics
Turkey at the 1960 Summer Olympics
Turkey competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy.-Medalists:...
.
Born on March 3, 1929 in Adapazarı
Adapazari
Adapazarı is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of Sakarya Province. The province itself was originally named Adapazarı as well. Adapazarı is a part of the densely populated region of the country, known as the Marmara Region. As of 2010, the city has a population of 560,876 ...
of Sakarya Province
Sakarya Province
Sakarya Province is a province in Turkey, located on the coast of Black Sea. The river Sakarya creates a webbing of estuaries in the province....
, he began 1948 the wrestling sport in Sakarya Güneş Spor club. Following his admission to the national team, he was trained by the renowned wrestlers Gazanfer Bilge
Gazanfer Bilge
Gazanfer Bilge was a Turkish sports wrestler who won the gold medal in the Featherweight class of Men's Freestyle Wrestling at the 1948 Olympics.-Biography:...
, Mehmet Oktav
Mehmet Oktav
Mehmet Oktav was a Turkish sports wrestler, who became Olympic gold medalist for Turkey in the Featherweight class of Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling in 1948....
, Hüseyin Erkmen and Celal Atik
Celal Atik
Celal Atik was a successful Turkish sports wrestler and trainer, who won the gold medal in the Lightweight class of Men's Freestyle Wrestling at the 1948 Olympics....
. Mithat Bayrak won the gold medal twice for Turkey at the Olympic Games.
He ceased his international career after the 1960 Olympics and emigrated to Germany
Germany
Germany , 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...
, where he joined the wrestling sports club KSV Witten 07. There, he wrestled almost 20 years more and served later also as trainer.
Currently, he runs a restaurant in Witten
Witten
Witten is a university city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the home of the Witten/Herdecke University, the first private university in Germany.-Bordering municipalities:* Bochum* Dortmund* Herdecke* Wetter * Sprockhoevel* Hattingen...
, Germany.
Achievements
- 1955 Mediterranean Games1955 Mediterranean GamesThe second Mediterranean Games were held in the Olympic Stadium and Palace of sport of Barcelona, from July 16 to 25, 1955. The stadium was built in 1929 and was especially renovated for the occasion. The symbol of an amphora filled with Mediterranean Sea water was then used for the first time.The...
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...
- 4th (Greco-Roman Welterweight) - 1956 Summer Olympics1956 Summer OlympicsThe 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
in MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- gold (Greco-Roman Welterweight) - 1958 World Wrestling 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...
- 10th (Greco-Roman Middleweight) - 1959 Wrestling Tournament in SavonaSavonaSavona is a seaport and comune in the northern Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea....
, 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 (Greco-Roman Middleweight) - 1959, Wrestling Tournament in SplitSplit (city)Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, YugoslaviaYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
- silver (Greco-Roman Welterweight) - 1959 Mediterranean Games1959 Mediterranean GamesAfter visiting Africa and Europe, the Mediterranean Games were for the first time held in Asia in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, thus completing the trio of continents belonging to the Mediterranean Sea...
in BeirutBeirutBeirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, LebanonLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
- silver (Greco-Roman Welterweight) - 1959 Balkan Wrestling Championships in IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey - silver (Greco-Roman Middleweight) - 1960 Summer Olympics1960 Summer OlympicsThe 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
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 (Greco-Roman Welterweight)