Celal Atik

Celal Atik (1918 – 27 April 1979) was a Turkish wrestler and coach. He competed both in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, but had his best achievements in the freestyle, winning gold medals at the 1948 Olympics, 1951 World and 1946 and 1949 European championships.[1]

Celal Atik
Celal Atik (left) at the 1948 Olympics
Personal information
Born1918
Boğazlıyan, Yozgat, Ottoman Empire
Died27 April 1979 (aged 60–61)
Ankara, Turkey
Sport
SportWrestling
Event(s)Freestyle
Greco-Roman
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing  Turkey
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place1948 LondonLightweight
World Championships
Gold medal – first place1951 HelsinkiWelterweight
European Championships
Gold medal – first place1946 StockholmLightweight
Gold medal – first place1949 IstanbulWelterweight
Greco-Roman wrestling
World Championships
Silver medal – second place1950 StockholmWelterweight
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place1947 PragueLightweight
Balkan Championships
Silver medal – second place1940 IstanbulWelterweight

He was born in the village of Gürdan in the Boğazlıyan district of Yozgat Province, Turkey. He changed his family name from "Doğan" to "Atik" (literally, "Slippy") after a proposal by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, who noticed his speed at the 1938 national championships.[2][3]

After retiring from competition, from 1955 to 1979 he coached the national wrestling team and prepared multiple international competitors. Appointed the head trainer by the International Wrestling Federation (FILA) in Switzerland, he gave lessons on wrestling techniques to sportspeople from all around the world.[4][5]

He is recognized as one of Turkey's best wrestlers, with exceptional technique as well as the most aesthetic physique. In addition to his other honors, he was awarded with the Légion d'honneur of France.[6]

Atik died on 27 April 1979 in a hospital in Ankara. Two sports halls—one in İzmir with a capacity of 1,200 people[7] and another one in his hometown Yozgat—are named after him.[8]

Coaching achievements
  • 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy – champion team
  • 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan – 2 gold, 5 silver and 1 bronze
  • 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico – 2 gold
  • 1955–1971 at all World Championships – various medals

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Celal Atik". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020.
  2. "Celal Âtik".
  3. "CELAL ATİK (Olimpiyat ve Dünya Şampiyonu) | Türk Güreş Vakfı".
  4. "Celal Atik kimdir?".
  5. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/692208
  6. "Celal Atik kimdir - Biyografi.net.tr".
  7. GençBasket Archived 20 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine (in Turkish)
  8. Governor of Yozgat Archived 27 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine (in Turkish)
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