Wrestling was just one of the many sports Matti Jutila played during his youth in Finland, but it was the one that would stick with him the longest. He moved to Canada in 1956 and began working in construction, but just one year later he won his first of three national lightweight, freestyle wrestling titles. He eventually switched to flyweight and won another three championships, from 1962 through 1964, the latter of which earned him the right to represent Canada at that year’s Tokyo Olympics. There, he competed in both Greco-Roman and freestyle as a featherweight, but did not reach the podium in either. He had better luck at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and the 1963 Pan American Games, taking silver in the freestyle both times. He was also a three-time national champion in the Greco-Roman style. He retired from active competition after the Olympics, due to injuries, and was made a member of the Wrestling Canada Hall of Fame in 1987. In addition to construction, he also worked in physical education and coaching.
Canada