Yrjö Saarela


Yrjö Erik Mikael Saarela was a Finnish wrestler who won Olympic gold and a world championship.

Wrestling

Saarela began wrestling in 1906, coached by Carl Allén.
By 1908, he was a well-established wrestler and was nominated into the Finnish Olympic team without trials.
He won silver at the 1908 Olympics, which was a single-elimination tournament:
RoundOpponentResult
First roundHenri Nielsen|DEN|1908 Summer

Biography

His parents were Jaakko Sarkkinen and Maria Sunila, and he was born Yrjö Sarkkinen. They switched their last name after buying and moving to a farm named Saarela. He eventually inherited two thirds of the farm.
He married Ester Elisabeth Markuksela in 1910. They had children:
  1. Aino Kyllikki
  2. Ahti Johannes
  3. Erkko Olavi
  4. Marja-Liisa
  5. Yrjö Eino Mikael
  6. Pentti Johannes
  7. Pirkko Kaarina. She married economist Kaarlo Larna.
His personal economy suffered when he acted as a surety to loans that defaulted during the Great Depression. His farm went bankrupt in 1931. However, thanks to an inheritance, he recovered quickly and returned to farming.
He suffered a stroke in 1944 and was paralyzed.
After he died, he was buried in his family plot. His name on the gravestone has an engraving of the Olympic rings. Saarela is the only Olympic winner from North Ostrobothnia.

Literature

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