Georg Lurich

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Georg Lurich circa 1895

Georg Lurich (April 22, 1876 - January 20, 1920) was a prominent Estonian Greco-Roman and free-style wrestler of the early 20th century.

[edit] Biography

Born on April 22, 1876 in Väike-Maarja, Estonia, Lurich began participating in sporting activities at an early age. From 1895 to 1920 Lurich performed in wresling matches throughout the Russian Empire and Europe. He also performed in free-style matches in the United States of America between 1913 and 1917. Lurich cemented his name in the US by defeating American world wrestling champion and title holder Frank Gotch in Kansas City in 1913.

In 1895 Lurich became the first Estonian to set world weightlifting records. The Estonian public eagerly attended his matches and Lurich's popularity in his homeland soared. From 1897 to 1898 Lurich toured Estonia and his successes helped popularize athletics in Estonia and dozens of athletic clubs were established. In 1896, Lurich befriended an 18-year old fellow countryman by the name of Georg Hackenschmidt and began to train the young man. Hackenschmidt would later go on to create a name for himself in weightlifting and wrestling.

Lurich's popularity in Estonia also helped galvanize the move toward Estonian independence and instilled a sense of nationalist pride among the people. Estonia was at that time occupied by tsarist Russia, and many higher ranking Estonian officials and intellectuals touted Lurich's accomplishments as proof of the "unbreakable Estonian spirit".

Georg Lurich in a circa 1900 - 1905 postcard posed to show his incredible physique.

Following Georg Lurich's untimely death on January 20, 1920 at the age of 43, many Estonians began embellishing his accomplishments with such voracity that Lurich's legend began taking on an almost mythological light. Folk tales abounded in rural Estonia and continue to years after Lurich's death. The following excerpt is an example of a Georg Lurich folk tale that has become popular amongst residents of Väike-Maarja, Estonia and was transcribed by Estonian author Kalle Voolaid:

"One hot and sunny summer day Lurich had been sitting on a hill slope in Väike-Maarja and when the heat was becoming too much for him, he ran down into the valley to freshen himself up with cool spring water. While running he hit his foot against a rock and fell on all fours on the stone. Then he stood up, went to the spring, put his feet and hands in the spring and washed with spring water. That is where he got the great strength, he had taken that rock against which he had hit his foot, and played with it as if it were a potato. That rock is said to be still there on the edge of Väike-Maarja memorial hill, covered with moss."

So impressive to his countrymen, Lurich remains one of the most beloved figures in Estonia to this day. Large tour groups now visit Lurich's memorial stone in Väike-Maarja on Aia Street.