Hamit Kaplan

Hamit Kaplan
Medal record
Men's Freestyle Wrestling
Representing  Turkey
Olympic Games
1956 Melbourne, Australia Heavyweight
1960 Rome, Italy Heavyweight
1964 Tokyo, Japan Heavyweight
World Championships
1957 Istanbul, Turkey Heavyweight
1959 Tehran, Iran Heavyweight
1961 Yokohama, Japan Heavyweight
1963 Sofia, Bulgaria Heavyweight
World Cup
1956 Istanbul, Turkey Heavyweight
1958 Sofia, Bulgaria Heavyweight
Mediterranean Games
1959 Beirut, Lebanon Heavyweight
1963 Naples, Italy Heavyweight
Balkan Championships
1960 Burgas, Bulgaria Heavyweight
Olympic medal record
Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling
World Championships
1955 Karlsruhe, Germany Heavyweight
1958 Budapest, Hungary Heavyweight
1961 Yokohama, Japan Heavyweight
1963 Helsingborg, Sweden Heavyweight
World Cup
1956 Istanbul, Turkey Heavyweight
Mediterranean Games
1959 Barcelona, Spain Heavyweight
Balkan Championships
1965 Yambol, Bulgaria Heavyweight

Hamit Kaplan (20 September 1934 – 5 January 1976) was a Turkish World and Olympic champion sports wrestler of Circassian descent in the Heavyweight class. He won the gold, silver and bronze medal in men's freestyle wrestling at three consecutive Olympic Games in 1956, 1960 and 1964.

Born in Hamamözü town in Amasya Province, he began wrestling as a youngster in the traditional Turkish sport Yağlı güreş (oil wrestling). Soon, he switched over to sports wrestling and became juniors champion in the Heavyweight class. Hamit Kaplan was admitted to the national team in 1954 and was trained by the renowned wrestler Celal Atik for his skill. Already at his age of 22, he represented Turkey at the World Championships held in Karlsruhe, Germany and ranked 3rd in the Greco-Roman style.

Besides three Olympic medals, he won many more titles at international competitions both in freestyle and Greco-Roman category. Hamit Kaplan, weighing 100 kg at his 1.90 m height, was a defensive wrestler, who finished much of his matches in draw.

Hamit Kaplan resigned after the 1964 Olympics, because he was no more match for his strong opponents like Hungarian István Kozma, Soviet Russians Aleksandr Ivanitsky and Aleksandr Medved. He was 175 times international for his country.

He died on 5 January 1976, at the age of only 41, following a traffic accident in Çorum. He was laid to rest in his hometown Hamamözü. A sports hall with 1,000 seats in Amasya and another small one in Hamamözü are named after him.[1]

Achievements

References

  1. ↑ Governor of Amasya official website (Turkish)


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